After a slow start to the campaign, Southend have now won their last four league games on the bounce and the Shrimpers will be hoping to extend their winning sequence when they travel to Bristol Rovers tonight. Last Saturday's 2-1 victory at Port Vale saw the Roots Hall outfit climb to third in the League One standings and another win at the Memorial Ground could see Steve Tilson's men take over second place, if other results go their way. Givemefootball's Mark Shail logged the thoughts of experienced defender Adam Barrett, who spent two years at Rovers, making 99 appearances for the West Country club, before signing for Southend in the summer of 2004. The 27-year-old says he has happy memories of his time with the Pirates but is keen to put one over his former employees.
Q:YOU MUST BE LOOKING FORWARD TO GOING BACK TO ROVERS?
A:I had a good time there, it was very enjoyable. I was captain when I was only 22-years-old but it was tough at times because things didn't always go the way we would have liked. Expectations are very high there as well but there are some great people behind the scenes and it will be nice to go back and see them again.
Q:IS THIS THE FIRST TIME YOU'LL BE RETURNING TO THE MEMORIAL GROUND?
A:It's a few years since I left now and I have been back there a couple of times. We battled with them in the league, when I scored, and also in the area final of the LDV Vans Trophy. We came out on top that time and hopefully we can do that again.
Q:AND YOU MUST BE CONFIDENT OF CONTINUING THIS IMPRESSIVE RECENT FORM?
A:We just want to keep the run going. It's a tough place to go because Rovers are a very well supported team and their fans will make it a really good atmosphere inside the ground. They're a strong side but we couldn’t be going there in a better frame of mind, so we're looking forward to it.
Q:THE PLAYERS HAVE CERTAINLY PUT THAT SLOW START WELL AND TRULY BEHIND THEM?
A:People read too much into the start we had and it's still very early days. We're doing well at the moment and it was a big win for us at Port Vale on Saturday. We ground it out and it has given us a platform to build on. There is a lot of belief in our dressing room but we know there is still a long way to go.
Q:DO YOU THINK THERE IS ROOM FOR EVEN MORE IMPROVEMENT?
A:We can still play a lot better than we have been doing. But as long as we're winning, we don't really mind how we play in all honesty – it's all about getting results.
Q:TELL US ABOUT LAST WEEK'S NERVY TRIP TO BLACKPOOL AHEAD OF THE EXTRA-TIME CARLING CUP DEFEAT AT BLOOMFIELD ROAD?
A:We were just pleased to get there after what was a scary flight. I'm not sure what the pilot was on but at times he was struggling to keep hold of the plane and poor old Matt Harrold was really anxious. We had a good laugh at his expense but I'm not going to lie – we were all a bit frightened.
