With all three of the other teams in the same boat as us playing in some tough games today we had our biggest chance in ages to claw some points back on them and to get a bit nearer safety.

As it was Rushden, Shrewsbury and Cambridge all lost but so did we.  The chance was gone.

Again the same team that played so well at Leyton Orient took the field with again the same ones on the bench.  A rocky start to the game was soon punished by Southend, a team at fourth place in the League for good reason.

Adam Barrett was sent crashing to the floor by Tom Bennett on the edge of the area and with Freddy Eastwood taking the resultant free kick he thundered the ball into the net to John Danbys' right.

It took almost until half time for us to get a shot on goal.  That coming from Simon Russell.  Minutes later Harriers thought they had grabbed a deserved equaliser when Blair Sturrock headed Bennett's free-kick over the bar.

In reply Nicolau then went close a minute before half time but Danby made a good save in pushing his long range effort wide of the goal.

We started the second period with a double substitution.  Jamie Gleeson and Chris Beardsley coming on for Simon Russell and Ian Foster.

After a halftime talking to by the boss, in which he told them that there would be some new faces by the end of the week and no ones job was safe, we came out looking more up for it and so it proved.  We threw men forward in search of the equaliser.  The only problem with that was the defence was left isolated and exposed.

Southend could have easily extended their lead with chances from Eastwood and Gray.  Time and again they beat the offside trap but thankfully we have a decent keeper in Danby and he continually saved us from disaster.

Eventually the leveller did come and it came from Chris Beardsley for his first goal for the club.   A Dean Keates corner was played out, first to Gleeson, and then onto Beardsley.  From close range Chris swept the ball home.

With our point safe we then sat back and let Southend come back at us with disastrous consequences.  First, in the 84th minute, a low cross from Dudfield found the former Arsenal youth team player, Nicky Nicolau.  His strike from the edge of the area flew past Danby and then two minutes later it was all over.

A cross from Carl Pettefer came in and there was the dangerous Eastwood yet again to head the ball home from close range.

At least we have the arrival of Dave Morrison to look forward to this week but I think our troubles go far deeper than the changes a new winger could bring.