SOUTHEND United boss Kevin Maher feels Harry Cardwell is ‘massive’ for the Shrimpers.

The fit-again forward heads into Saturday’s match at Oldham Athletic having scored three goals in his last two games.

And Maher expects Cardwell to have a big part to play at Boundary Park.

“He’s massive for us,” said Maher.

“We missed him when he wasn’t available and he leads the line.

“He can score goals and he does a bit of everything really.

“I was pleased for him to get those two goals on the back of the one before and he took them well.”

Cardwell missed the start of the season with an ankle problem he sustained towards the end of the previous campaign.

And Maher believes the striker has now regained full fitness.

“It took him time to get that fitness and sharpness back and you could see that in the games before when he had one or two chances that didn’t quite go in for him,” said Maher.

“But now he’s starting to take his chances and that bodes well for him and for us.

“He’s an integral part of our team and he does things other forwards maybe don’t do.

“He presses and runs and he can finish when he gets in there too so we’re delighted to have him back.”

The Shrimpers head to Oldham sitting sixth in the National League standings.

And the match will see Maher returning to familiar surroundings having spent the 2008/09 season lining up for the Latics.

“I really enjoyed my time there,” said Maher.

“It was only a year but I loved living there and there are a lot of good people at the club.

“I still speak to people I got to know from being up there and it’s a great club.”

Oldham, were relegated from League Two last season, are currently 20th in the National League.

But Maher feels the Latics are starting to improve after a poor start to the season.

“It’s a tough period when you come out of the league into this one because this is such a tough league and it takes time to adapt,” said Maher.

“But they’ve had a change of ownership which has been good and they’ve made some good signings.

“It will be a really tough game and it’s always a tough place to go.

“We will have to perform to our maximum to get something.”