SOUTHEND United have confirmed that their winding up petition, brought by HMRC, has been adjourned.

The club were back in the High Court on Wednesday morning over the outstanding payment.

And a statement issued by the Shrimpers said: "Following a short hearing earlier today the club can confirm that the winding up petition brought by HMRC has been adjourned."

The adjournement means Blues remain in a transfer embargo and are unable to add to their squad.

On the pitch, Kevin Maher's side have risen to sixth in the National League standings after going 10 games without defeat.

But matters off the pitch remain a huge concern and the Shrimpers Trust have expressed their disappointment at how the club continues to be run by chairman Ron Martin.

"Whilst progress on the field in 2022/23 has exceeded the expectations of many supporters following a difficult start to life in the National League last season, it is disappointing that the hard work undertaken continues to be undermined by financial issues away from the pitch," said a Trust statement.

"The decision today means a dark cloud will continue to hover over Roots Hall and the people that inhabit the stadium, the club offices and the training ground for another 56 days. It amounts to a stay of execution.

"Club Chair Ron Martin has less than two months to make good on his promise to the authorities and deliver in the same way the recruitment team, the coaching staff, the players and the unsung heroes behind the scenes have continued to do during a challenging period.

"We appreciate times are tough and the club is faced with significant cashflow issues.

"We know that work has already started on a new training ground and the dream of constructing a new stadium appears closer than ever."

"But the dream will remain just that if there is no football club in Southend-on-Sea for us to unite behind.

"We expect better from the Club Chair; no more excuses, no more delays.

"Own your responsibility and sort out the mess that threatens the very existence of Southend United FC."

The Trust also confirmed they would continue to hold discussions with the club.

"We have been liaising with Ron Martin and Tom Lawrence more so than normal over the last 14 days for obvious reasons and whilst the outcome of the petition was not unexpected, it is clear that clarification of financial commitments for the November payroll and of course the HMRC debt need to be forthcoming immediately and we look forward to hearing from them," the Trust added.

The Echo also understands that members of the backroom staff at the Shrimpers are still waiting to be paid fo October.