FOR the first time, in a very long time, I looked forward to being at Roots Hall on Friday.

Naturally, given my experience of watching the Shrimpers for more than 30 years, I was then also slightly anxious about my increased excitement levels!

But more than anything else it was a sure sign Southend United is starting to feel like a football club once again.

Yes, things should not have got this bad and an alarming number of errors were made in allowing the Shrimpers to slump to the lowest point in their history and that should not be forgotten.

However, pining over the past achieves very little and Blues must tackle the here and now to get the club moving in the right direction once more.

Slowly and surely that has been done behind the scenes and the Shrimpers now have the structure and people in place to be able to progress.

The long awaited arrival of a chief executive has proved key and Tom Lawrence deserves real credit for the work he has done so far.

An unassuming character, Lawrence will never seek attention or the limelight but his calm nature and sensible thought process are exactly what Blues needed at this time.

Chairman Ron Martin may still be financing the club, but it is Lawrence who has taken over the day to day running of things at Roots Hall.

And under his watch, a strong managerial team has been appointed who have also quietly gone about making the changes needed to get Blues back on track.

Head coach Kevin Maher took control of a team short of confidence, character and quality but he has been able to turn things around.

Just two players from Maher’s first starting line-up were in the side on Friday night and he has already made the Shrimpers a far stronger outfit.

There is more character too and that was shown on Friday night.

Yes, King’s Lynn are sat second from bottom in the table but they are fighting hard for boss Tommy Widdrington since his appointment last month.

The visitors took the lead against the run of play in the first half with Harry Phipps heading home.

But, for the first time since January 2018, Blues came back from a goal down to win a league game at Roots Hall.

The in-form Matt Dennis levelled the scores three minutes into the second half before the Shrimpers snatched all three points in injury time with Sam Dalby scoring from the spot after a controversial penalty decision from referee Lloyd Wood.

Put simply, that kind of call would not have gone Blues’ way in recent times but things certainly seem to be on the up.

The Shrimpers have now won three league games in a row for the first time since October 2018 and also handed a trio of players their debuts on Friday night.

Leon Davies looked solid at right-back while highly-rated Harry Cardwell worked hard in attack.

Midfielder Noor Husin also looked good on the ball after coming off the bench and Maher now has far more options at his disposal.

Tricky winger Jack Bridge will soon be available after recovering from injury and illness while this week must see Will Atkinson kept at the club.

The midfielder’s initial short-term deal expires this week but Friday showed exactly what he brings to the team and why he must be offered a new deal.

There is, of course, plenty of hard work still to be done and writing this now I can already envisage the kind of responses from those suggesting 18th in the National League is nothing to be happy about.

I completely agree but a few months ago, a third successive relegation and National League South seemed to be on the cards.

Things have now started to turn around but there remains an awful long way to go before Blues can really considered to be back.

But, after a prolonged period of doom and gloom, it is refreshing to at long last see signs of positivity.

And hopefully looking forward to matches can at long last become a consistent feeling once more!