Southend United boss Steve Tilson is tipping Saturday's opponents Tranmere Rovers to avoid relegation.

Tilson witnessed Rovers 1-0 win against Gillingham on Tuesday evening.

And the Blues chief was impressed with that he saw.

"I went to Gillingham on Tuesday night to watch Tranmere play and it will surprise me if they are in the bottom four at the end of the season," Tilson told southendunited.co.uk.

"Their work rate was tremendous and they thoroughly deserved to beat Gillingham on the night."

Meanwhile, Tilson has urged his team to improve in box penalty boxes in a bid to return to winning ways.

United are yet to win in 2010 and Saturday's match against Tranmere could be crucial as Blues bid to move away from the bottom four.

"The mood is still very good," he said. "We have to improve in both boxes as a team."

"The performance on Monday night was very good and we deserved a lot more out of the game.

"I watched the game when I got home to have a look and that reinforced it in my mind that we were the better side.

"We need another performance like that on Saturday."

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Call the Blues Box Office on 08444 77 00 77 to purchase your tickets, or visit Roots Hall in person.