Town Head Coach Luke Williams is confident of his side’s chances against Southend United tomorrow as he plots a strong start to the New Year.
Phil Brown’s Shrimpers are the first visitors to The County Ground in 2017 on Monday (3pm Kick-Off) and, while he is expecting a tough test, Williams has backed his charges to get back on track.
“Southend are a strong side but they are by no means unbeatable,” he said.
“There is a chance there for us to get something out of the game for sure but we can’t take anything for granted because they are a very good and a very accomplished side.
“We must be on top form and we have to go into the game confident that we can get something.
“We prefer to be at home for sure and we look forward to getting out at The County Ground, it is the best pitch in League One and we feel comfortable in our surroundings there.
“We are looking forward to the game.
“If we can make The County Ground a fortress then we will be absolutely fine. If we win our home games and pick up as many points as we possibly can then we will be fine and it will be exciting to look to rebuild another squad for next season.”
Williams has also pinpointed former Town striker Nile Ranger as one of the main attacking threats his side will have to look out for tomorrow.
“We concentrate more on ourselves but we have had a chance to see what Southend are about and they put a lot of pressure on us at their place in November,” he added.
“They’ve got a lot of good players going forward and we know of course all about Nile Ranger, if he’s involved.
“He caused us a lot of problems in the game at Roots Hall and we know his qualities very well because he was our own at one point, so there are a lot of threats from the opposition but we’ve got to get our own house in order first.”
Town have a few injury concerns ahead of tomorrow’s game with Yaser Kasim set to miss out with a swollen ankle for the second successive game, although Brandon Ormonde-Ottewill will be assessed prior to kick-off.
“A few more days will bring us closer to knowing a specific time frame for Brandon’s return,” Williams said.
“Yaser is nursing a swollen ankle and we need that to settle down before we look at how far away he is from first-team action.”
