SOUTHEND United manager Mark Molesley feels a 3-4-3 formation can still work well for the Shrimpers.

Molesley used the system for the first time in Saturday’s 2-0 defeat to Cheltenham Town at Roots Hall.

And Molesley felt it was not to blame for the result.

“It’s a good formation for us,” said the Blues boss.

“It gets a lot of good players in their right positions “We didn’t execute the formation well enough today but it’s not about formation or tactics.

“We came up short physically, mentally and tactically.

“We were off it a little bit and it’s disappointing.”

The defeat saw the Shrimpers slump to the bottom of the League Two table.

And Molesley is now demanding the right kind of reaction.

“This is a resilient, strong group and they’re going to have to show that now,” said the 39-year-old.

This is a slap round the face today and we have to learn quickly from it because the games come thick and fast.

“There’s no time to feel sorry for ourselves.”