Chairman Ron Martin has today issued a statement in response to an article that has appeared in Monday's Southend Echo surrounding Kevin Maher:

Firstly, nobody at the Club was consulted before the Echo went to print and the statement "Kevin Maher will today join Gillingham on loan until the end of the season" is not correct.

What is correct is that Kevin has been out of favour in Steve Tilson's team selection since around the Christmas period with Nicky Bailey and Alan McCormack being the preferred pairing - having scored 18 goals between them this season.

Kevin Maher has been an absolute stalwart and great servant of Southend United Football Club and I am sure it has been a very frustrating time for Kevin playing second fiddle particularly when he has also been Captain for a number of seasons.

Nevertheless Kevin remains a player of Southend United and whilst there have been ongoing discussions with his agent over the past month no agreement has been reached with any club including Gillingham.

However, we would equally not stand in Kevin's way of playing first team football if appropriate terms could be agreed but I reiterate that this is not the case and until anything happens conclusively there is no point in making unnecessary statements other than to dispel rumours. Unfortunately this is something that the football industry is built on and can be very unsettling for the Football Club and fans alike.

Southend United prides itself in keeping supporters informed through an open and honest approach and as soon as there is something substantial to report one way or another we will let you know.

One final point to bear in mind is that it is also important to give younger players an opportunity - at the appropriate time - for otherwise there is no point in having a youth policy. If the younger players cannot see light at the end of the tunnel and feature in the first team they equally get disheartened and drop off the assembly line. I accept this is a difficult balance but the Club's management has always done its best to field the strongest team whilst at the same time growing the Club.

I hope this is helpful and if discussions surrounding Kevin Maher do progress then we will make a further statement at that time.