SOUTHEND United eased back to winning ways with a comfortable and convincing 3-0 victory against Solihull Moors on Saturday.

The well-deserved victory was among the most straightforward the Shrimpers have secured at Roots Hall this season.

And it was arguably the most timely too.

Blues headed into their first home game of 2023 without a win in their last five league games while frustrations continue to run high with off the field matters as well.

The seriousness of the Shrimpers’ financial position remains a huge cause for concern and an almost never ending cycle of negative news must dampen the enthusiasm of even the most optimistic of supporters.

I myself have followed the fortunes of my hometown club for 34 years now.

But I have to be honest and admit I was not looking forward to Saturday’s clash – something which is very rare for me to say.

However, the depressing state of the club can become rather draining – especially with it now having lasted so long.

The Roots Hall hierarchy will, of course, disagree with my assumptions and did their best to reassure supporters with a club statement issued at the end of December.

Communication is to be welcomed in my eyes and a vast improvement on staying silent as had been the case for the past few weeks.

But, at the same time, actions will always speak louder than words and the stakes have never been higher where that is concerned for the Shrimpers.

In the next 10 days Blues will be back in court due to a winding up petition issued by HMRC that was adjourned back in November which sees the club hindered by a transfer embargo.

The late payment of wages also remains a serious issue and must stop if the Shrimpers are to fulfil their potential in the near future.

With all that ongoing and rumours of protests starting to reappear on social media it would not take much for things to turn sour inside in the stadium.

But on Saturday we should not have worried and the one biggest plus point the club have right now is the team.

Yes, they won’t be at their best every week but – without sounding rude – that is why they find themselves playing at National League level.

However, having watched what can only be described as dross for two and half years prior to Kevin Maher’s appointment, it is now refreshing to see a side who continue to give their all.

Harry Cardwell relieved after scoring first goal of the season

Matters off the field may mean that is sometimes forgotten or overlooked but this is now a Southend team to admire.

That was on show on Saturday and was underlined by a number of the players’ performances.

Jason Demetriou – the best professional at the club for many years – opened the scoring with a well-taken header in the first half before Harry Cardwell doubled Blues’ lead 10 minutes into the second period.

Cardwell is still working his way back to full fitness after spending six months on the sidelines with an ankle injury.

But the well-taken effort on Saturday will do the striker the world of good and will also have left him hungry for more.

Goalscoring has been the biggest issue, on the pitch, for Blues this season.

And the only criticism of Saturday could be that the Shrimpers did not win by more.

Jack Bridge did seal the success with a superb individual effort but other opportunities went begging for Blues.

Callum Powell would certainly have been frustrated not to hit the back of the net but his work-rate sets the tone for this Shrimpers.

And it is not a coincidence that Blues struggled for points while Powell was out with a knee problem.

The statistics further underline his importance the team too.

Without Powell in the starting line-up in the league this season, the Shrimpers have a win percentage of 22 and average 0.67 goals a game.

But, with him in attack, Blues’ win percentage goes up to 50 while they average 1.69 goals per game.

The Shrimpers will now be looking to build on Saturday’s showing which kept them sixth in the National League standings.

Given the aforementioned issues, head coach Kevin Maher is performing absolute miracles to have his side so high up the table.

Bossing Blues is a job like no other in football and provides a series of unique tests and challenges, many of which come away from the field of play.

But Maher deserves immense credit for taking all of that in his stride during his first full-time role in management.

The fans supporting him and his side in such big numbers also deserve to be praised.

However, just imagine what that combination could achieve if the club was built on stable foundations.

And that’s why so much frustration remains.