IT’S the best home record against the best away record when we head to Shrewsbury Town this weekend so it has all the makings of a really good game.

With them being top of the table and us four points behind them in fifth, it is a very important one too.

But I certainly wouldn’t say it’s a must win situation or anything like that.

We’re playing well at the moment and I’ve been delighted by the response of the side since that disappointing 4-1 defeat we suffered at Wycombe Wanderers in mid-December.

We haven’t lost in the eight games since then and we’ve only been beaten once in our last 14 league games so things are shaping up nicely.

Shrewsbury will be a huge test and they played very well at our place earlier on in the season even though we beat them 1-0.

But I’ve been having a look at a few things in training this week and I do have one or two changes in mind for this game.

We have a big strong squad and I think it’s important to utilise that.

Shrewsbury will also be going in to the game in good spirits and they really signalled their intentions by signing Tyrone Barnett from Peterborough United on deadline day.

Tyrone was someone we had look at but we were quoted a figure of around £300,000.

I’m not sure whether or not that’s what Shrewsbury paid but he’s certainly a big signing for them.

WE WERE BETTER THAN I THOUGHT 

I’VE watched the DVD of the York game a couple of times now and our second half performance wasn’t as bad as I first thought.

Sometimes you get an emotional attachment to a game which can change the way you look at things but we played much better than I initially realised after the break.

There’s no denying that we were poor in the first half and that York were the dominant team.

But, in the second half, I really don’t think Daniel Bentley had a save to make.

At the other end we had one or two opportunities with Joe Pigott and Shaq Coulthirst going close.

That pressure then eventually told with Shaq scoring the penalty and it was great to make it three wins in a row.

Ideally, we would have preferred to produce a more entertaining performance in front of our own fans instead of being involved in quite a scrappy game.

But all that matters is picking up the three points and that’s exactly what we did.

HUMBLING EXPERIENCE AT BROCKFIELD

I RECEIVED a letter from a Southend supporter not so long ago inviting me to visit a fan at the Brockfield House psychiatric hospital and it was great to get down on Tuesday.

I went along with Dave Penney and a few of the players and I found it quite a humbling experience.

But for the grace of god, any of us could find ourselves in a similar situation and we played out quite an entertaining five-a-side game which ended in a 1-1 draw.

We had Daniel Bentley at right-back and Dave Penney up front but it was a great laugh and we had a fantastic cream tea with scones as well!

CHANCE TO HAVE A LOOK AT SHAQ UP TOP 

IT WAS a real shame our development game at Oxford United was called off in the week as we had a few players who really needed a game.

But thankfully we were able to get out on the 4G surface at Waterside Farm on Canvey Island and have a game among ourselves.

Joe Pigott cannot train on that surface so I had a look at Shaq Coulthirst in alongside Jake Cassidy and he did well.

Shaq is certainly a scorer of important goals and the four goals he’s got for us this season have all led to us taking something from the game.

He’s certainly in my thinking for the weekend but I also think there’s far more to come from Jake.

I would like to see him get on the ball a bit more but I think he will improve the more he plays.

And it was great to see both him and Joe come in to train yesterday on what was supposed to be their day off.

NOT A BIG FAN OF THE TRANSFER WINDOW

THE transfer window has now closed and I have to admit I am not really a fan of it.

I never have been and I never will be either because I think it puts a squeeze on everyone involved in the game.

I also think it leads to far too much money going out of the sport and I do not think that’s particularly healthy either.

I’m happy with the business we did during January and we still have the option of making loan signings if we need to when the window re-opens again next week.