FORMER Southend United midfielder Mark Bentley has urged Nathan Ferguson to make his move to the Shrimpers count.

Bentley managed Ferguson at Grays Athletic following the midfielder’s release from Dagenham & Redbridge.

And Bentley now wants to see the 25-year-old fulfil his potential.

“I really expected his career to take off but it hasn’t,” said Bentley.

“He’s got another opportunity now and it’s up to him to make it count.

“You can’t keep getting chance after chance and dropping down again.

“There’s obviously something there he needs to eradicate, whether that’s mentality or something in his game I’m not sure.

“But I really hope he can pull Southend out of the situation they’re in at the moment.”

The Shrimpers are currently bottom of the League Two table.

But Bentley – who made 107 appearances for Blues – was impressed by Ferguson when he was at Grays back in 2015.

“We picked him up after he was released by Dagenham,” recalled Bentley.

“He must have been about 19 when he came to us and we got him going again really.

“He had physical attributes which were very good and he was technically very good too.

“He worked hard and he went through a spell of being unplayable at that level, which is obviously different to the level he’s at now.”

And that form eventually led to Ferguson jumping up into the Football League to join Burton Albion.

“He had a lot of attention quite quickly if I remember rightly,” said Bentley.

“I know he got an agent and I tried to advise him the best I could but he went his own way.

“He went to Burton and of course I wished him all the best but Nigel Clough went and I don’t the think the new manager fancied him as much.”

Ferguson eventually dropped back into non-league before being given another opportunity in the League by Crawley Town.

And Bentley now wants to see the midfielder become a ‘game changer’ for Blues.

“I only saw him at Ryman Premier level but he really needs to get his head down now,” said Bentley.

“Southend, with the position they’re in, will want game changers which he can definitely be.

“He’s had a lot of clubs in a short space of time and the mentality might possibly be why, I don’t know.

“I’ve not had any contact with him since Grays but hopefully it works out.

“He needs to hit the ground running and use those attributes he’s got.”