A MATCH of seemingly extreme importance towards the foot of the League Two table ultimately developed into a rather dull goalless draw on Saturday.

Southend United’s trip to Grimsby Town saw the division’s bottom two teams going head to head.

And in truth it probably showed.

Blues boss Mark Molesley was right to suggest closing the curtains if the match had taken place in your back garden but there were other reasons why the encounter was lacking in entertainment.

The pitch was arguably the biggest factor and, while Grimsby’s ground staff did well to stop the match being postponed, the surface was never going to be conducive for a classic match of football.

Both teams were forced to go quite direct and, given the League placings, the sides would certainly have been desperate to avoid taking too many risks which could well have resulted in an unwanted defeat.

The Shrimpers did look the stronger of the two sides and created the better of the few chances which did arise, the best of which was wasted by Ashley Nathaniel-George right at the death.

Other than that, most of the opportunities came from long range in a match which was rather stop start.

Referee Ben Toner took centre stage where that was concerned and Blues were certainly aggrieved by the officials, particularly Alan McCormack whose own battle with the referee was perhaps more eventful than the actual game.

The experienced Irishman could regularly be heard criticising Toner and at one point shouted towards the sidelines that the referee had sworn at the Shrimpers five times.

Other criticisms were also aired before McCormack was booked for dissent late on.

But, while this game may not live long in the memory, it did again show Southend are now made of much sterner stuff and far harder to beat than earlier on this season.

Up until around two months ago, Blues would have been brushed aside by their opponents in a game such as this and a soft underbelly would have been exposed.

However, the Shrimpers are no longer nice to play against and McCormack’s antics were another fine example of that on Saturday.

The Irishman makes a big difference to Blues who, after conceding 29 goals in their opening 14 League games, have now let in just four in their last eight outings.

The Shrimpers have also kept five clean sheets during that period, the latest of which came for goalkeeper Mark Oxley on his 150th appearance for the club.

He, like many others around him, has benefitted from being part of a more consistent and experienced starting line-up.

But, despite the improvements, Blues remain bottom of the table and must continue to progress if a second successive relegation is to be avoided.

With that in mind, attention will now also be on the remainder of the January transfer window and where the Shrimpers must strengthen in a bid to secure safety.

Saturday perhaps provided proof of that too as Blues were short of attacking options on the bench and opted not to make any changes in the final third despite the game still being goalless.

Another attacking midfielder may also be needed, depending on James Olayinka’s future.

The on loan Arsenal youngster suffered a nasty looking ankle injury against Grimsby but it also remains to be seen whether or not the Gunners may want him to be tested at a higher level for the remainder of the season.

But, with three homes games in succession now on the horizon, the importance of this month cannot be emphasised enough, both on and off the pitch.

The Shrimpers are now just a point from safety and have fought hard to close the gap on the teams above them.

But they must continue to dig deep if relegation rivals are to eventually be overhauled.

And, as Saturday showed, it might not always be pretty.