Brown – Southend Can Learn From Play Off Heartache

Manager Phil Brown has remained bouyant despite Southend not quite doing enough to over turn the result in the first leg of the play of semi final against Burton today.

Trailing by a goal in the first leg, Southend certainly put the effort into today’s game and despite Burton taken the lead we did come back to level the aggregate score with goals from Leonard and Straker in the first half, but unfortunately Burton got the extra goal and the game ended 2-2 on the day with us going out 3-2 over the two legs.

Speaking to the Official Site following the game, Brown said that the youngsters within the team would’ve learnt a lot from the experience and it should stand everybody in good stead for the 2014-15 campaign.

‘It was a cup tie atmosphere and the crowd were absolutely fantastic, but in the end we just didn’t do quite enough to get to Wembley. Last year, Burton were in our shoes and this year, they are off to Wembley, one game away from League 1, so they’ve learned from their previous experience.’

Brown goes on to say that although obviously he now wishes them luck in their trip to Wembley, he knows we can also use their progress as a base and motivation for our own next season.

‘We don’t want to be in the play offs again next season, we want to go up automatically, that’s the aim right now, and we’ve got to work hard from this minute forward.’

The gaffer goes on to say that at one nil down earlier today, he felt the team showed tremendous character and desire to get themselves in front in the game and that’s what we have to strive to perform like in the future and show that desire throughout entire games.

As was a curse it seemed at some points of the season, Brown knows we threw the proverbial ‘kitchen sink’ at them, but we just didn’t get that break in front of goal, especially when the game went to 2-2.

Admitting that everybody was down at the minute, he says the players will be back in on Tuesday and he’ll see what they are like mentally, as ultimately we want winners at the club next season and with this experience under their belts, he feels they be all the better for it in the future.