SOUTHEND United winger Jack Bridge is already excited for next season - but only after forgetting all about football for the next few weeks!

Bridge is confident Blues can build on their strong second half to the campaign when the National League kicks off again in August.

But, before that begins, Bridge is looking forward to his summer break.

“You need time off, mentally more than anything else,” said Bridge.

“When you’re back for pre-season it’s full on from there until the end of the season so you need a rest and have to forget about football for a little bit.

“Fitness wise you do get a break but even during the off season there are things we will have to do. There’s a programme being given out for us to stick to so we will come back with a certain level of basic fitness to start pre-season.”

However, Bridge will be heading back to Boots & Laces in a confident frame of mind.

And the winger was encouraged by how the Shrimpers worked their way up the National League standings following the appointment of Kevin Maher.

“As a team from where we were at the start of the season, we’re happy with where we finished and where we’ve ended up,” said Bridge.

“We’ve had some really good performances and turned it around.

“At one point we were really looking up the table and it’s been really good.

“We can definitely look forward to next season now.”

The Shrimpers - who had been in danger of a third successive relegation before Maher’s arrival - eventually finished 13th in the table.

But Bridge remains disappointed he was not able to play even more of a part.

“On a personal note it’s been a bit frustrating for me,” said the 26-year-old.

“I was playing at the start of the season and felt like I was playing well in a team which wasn’t doing so well so it was frustrating we couldn’t get the results.

“I then missed out the time when we started to get results due to injury but towards the end I got some fitness back and being part of a team doing well which really nice for me.

“The way we finished the season was good.

“Some of the performances were brilliant and it’s something for the fans to be excited about for next year.

“Hopefully we can give them something good to watch next season.”

And Bridge will be working hard to make sure he can help make that happen.

“For me now, it’s about having a really good pre-season behind me,” said Bridge.

“Last season, to be honest, I was struggling with my knee even in pre-season.

“But I want to build up my fitness in pre-season this year and then see what I can do in the season.”