ANOTHER Southend United fan has his say.

On Easter Saturday 21st April 1962, our father took myself and my brother to watch our first professional football match.

It was West Ham v Arsenal and ended in a 3-3 draw.

On the Easter Monday, 23rd April 1962 we all went to Roots Hall to watch Southend United in Division Three.

As a 13-year-old with very little pocket money the choice was simple, it was cheaper to go to Southend United.

Thus started my connection with ‘The Blues’, ‘The Mighty Shrimpers’.

Nearly 60 years on, I am a Shrimper through and through.

Where else can you get the highs and lows in emotions other than supporting Southend United?

I have experienced the magic of watching Southend draw 0-0 with Liverpool on a snow bound pitch, the thrill of Freddy Eastwood’s winning goal versus Manchester United and the pride in promotions to higher levels.

More lately it has been the frustrations of losing; the result of a conveyor belt of poor decisions.

My friends question me as to why I still support the club.

Why? Because I am a Shrimper through and through.

Everyone has opinions about players as to who is better than another. I am reminded of a chap who sat behind us in the West Stand we called, ‘Get off Gower’, as that was his favourite rant at the time.

The chap was certainly a good judge of a player as Mark Gower only went on the play in both the Championship and the Premier League! It just serves to show that we all have different opinions, but we cannot always be right.

It's the same with managers. We can all point to Dave Smith, David Webb and Steve Tilson as managers that brought success to The Blues.

Unfortunately there were others who were not too successful. So in choosing a manager, one cannot always be right.

The only constant is that Southend United is a team.

Not individual players, not individual managers, not individual chairmen or directors, not the groundsmen, nor individual supporters.

But together, we are a team.

A team I am proud to be a miniscule part of.

After Saturday 8th May 2021, Southend United’s immediate future will be playing non-league football.

I would like to think that it will not be the beginning of the end, but the end of the beginning.

A beginning that will provide Southend with a United team which will rise to bigger and better things.

Much will depend on decisions yet to be made.

Let’s all hope those are the right decisions, leading to the right appointments and ensuring it is the end of the beginning.

I remain positive and optimistic, but primarily a Shrimper.

KEVIN BRICE