SOUTHEND United were simply fantastic on Saturday but the sad thing was I still left the stadium feeling somewhat hurt and frustrated.

Blues battled incredibly hard against high-flying Bromley at Roots Hall and, against all odds, somehow came close to securing a share of the spoils late on.

But the team is still being hindered by events off the pitch and it is so tough to take.

Blues, a professional football team, could only muster just one substitute at the weekend and, among the 12 players available, there was no natural striker.

Added to that, there was also no second choice goalkeeper meaning when David Martin went off injured in the second half, right wing-back Gus Scott-Morriss went between the sticks.

Moments later, centre-back Brooklyn Kabongolo was thrown up front and did well in fairness.

But it should never ever have come to this at Southend United and it is becoming increasingly painful and draining to see.

Yes, the players were superb.

They are my favourite group at the club since Blues won promotion back at Wembley in 2015 and what they are doing deserves to be shouted from the roof-tops at Roots Hall.

But the bottom line is they simply should not have to be going through any of this.

At this point you can also  throw player welfare and the integrity of the competition into the equation but what Kevin Maher is having to endure is just ridiculous.

It is not sustainable either.

More injuries and suspensions will soon crop up and, while this Shrimpers squad is special, it is not super human.

And the longer there are so few players then the worse this farcical situation will get.

It is my understanding Blues do have the freedom to add to their squad while under embargo.

But finding players good enough or fit enough who clubs are willing to let leave just before the busy Christmas period is no easy task.

And in yet a further headache for Kevin Maher and his staff both Jack Wood and Gus Scott-Morriss also appeared to pick up injuries on Saturday.

Many are quick to criticise the National League for their handling of the situation and I do agree mistakes have been made.

But those in charge were lenient in letting Blues start the season in the first place given their financial insecurities and those in charge cannot ever have had to deal with a situation quite like this for such a sustained period.

In my opinion, the Shrimpers should have been allowed to start the season with at least 18 players but I also understand that other clubs abiding by the rules are closely monitoring the situation too.

Ultimately though whatever way you look at it, the blame lies solely at the feet of the Shrimpers chairman Ron Martin.

And so long have the hits been coming now it is becoming more and more tiresome to take.

At various points this summer and this season, there seems to have been light at the end of the tunnel, none more so than when Justin Rees and his consortium agreed heads of terms to buy Blues in early October.

The consortium have been refreshing to deal with since coming onto the scene and have been keeping the club going in recent months by already investing more than £500,000.

But the deal is still not officially completed and an even larger sum is now needed to clear the transfer embargo which has been in place since September last year.

Not until those restrictions are lifted, can Blues add genuine depth to their squad and the longer takeover talks continue the more problematic it becomes for the existing players too.

The final part of the transaction, as we have been told, lies between Ron Martin and the council with Martin himself insisting cabinet approval still needs to be formalised.

But, come on, get it done!

Of course it is far from straight forward and is likely to be more complicated than I comprehend but please just get the people involved together as soon as possible to discuss what is happening and find the quickest possible resolution.

Plodding along patching up long term issues with short-term solutions cannot carry on and the fans deserves an informative update from outside the consortium too.

Situations like Saturday are just no good for anyone, despite the pleasing performance which ultimately transpired, and it should act as a stern reminder for all involved in the deal.

These troubles cannot be allowed to keep tarnishing the name of Southend United.

It is time for things to be run properly and professionally and to finally have a future with solely footballing matters at the forefront.