A look ahead to Saturday's Sky Bet League Two encounter against the Cobblers.
The Lowdown
The Cobblers started off their campaign well enough with a league win over Mansfield Town before a slightly surprising victory over Wolves in the Capital One Cup, at Molineux.
However, since October, Chris Wilder's side have been inconsistent, and have won just twice – against AFC Wimbledon and Stevenage - in their last ten matches in all competitions.
The Cobblers have won three times on the road this season and were recently knocked out of the FA Cup after taking Sky Bet League One outfit Rochdale, to a replay.
Former Blue Ryan Cresswell looks set to miss out on the clash at Roots Hall after picking up a knee injury.
The Officials
Referee: Keith Stroud
Assistant Referees: Lisa Rachid and Rob Smith
Fourth Official: Ian Rathbone
The Inside View
Dave Penney: “We’re fully concentrating on the game against Northampton. It will be a difficult game against them but we’re in good form and confident.”
Chris Wilder: “Southend have been in and around the top of the division for the last four or five years and It’s always a tough place to go and get a result. This league is so, so tight in terms of quality but we believe we can go to Southend and win.”
The Previous Five Meetings
February 2014 – Northampton Town 2-1 Southend United
August 2013 – Southend United 2-0 Northampton Town
February 2013 – Southend United 1-2 Northampton Town
August 2012 – Northampton Town 3-3 Southend United
January 2012 – Northampton Town 2-5 Southend United
The Overall Record
Southend United wins: 43
Draws: 27
Tranmere Rovers wins: 44
The Betting
Click here for a betting preview for the game.
The Tickets
Click here for ticket information ahead of Saturday’s game.
The Game
Keep up-to-date with the game on Twitter and Facebook. Follow @SUFCRootsHall for full updates on Twitter, while there’ll be key moment updates on our Facebook page: SouthendUnitedFC.
The Commentary
Listen to exclusive commentary of Saturday’s game on Blues Player with BBC Essex. To sign up, or listen, click here.
COME ON YOU BLUES!