FORMER Southend United centre back Spencer Prior is willing the Shrimpers to succeed in the League One play-offs.

But so hectic has his life been switch moving to Australia at the end of last season it seems strange he still has time to keep an eye on their progress.

The 37-year-old, who made 245 appearances and won four promotions during two seperate spells with the Shrimpers, is now based near Sydney.

And he has adjusted well to working and living down under after opting to hang his boots up last May.

"It's certainly a different way of life over here and we've been finding our feet," Prior told the Echo from Australia.

"It's been just under a year now but it's been good and we really like it.

"We've had friends and family over to visit and had lots of challenges, but it's been fun.

"I'm doing my A license at the moment in Canberra. It's run by the Australian Football Feder-ation but is recognised by Fifa, so instead of coming back to England to do it I thought it would be better here even though it isn't the most exciting of places."

That is not Prior's only involvement in the game these days however as he has also become a star of the screen.

For the ex-Greensward School pupil, who also played for Manchester City, Leicester and Norwich during his successful career, now works for television station Fox Sports who cover the English Premier League.

"I'm doing the analysis and I'm enjoying that side of things even though I have a face which is more suited for radio," he joked.

"I would like to think that I put a different angle on the games and it's definitely something I like doing."

On top of that however, Prior has begun coaching and that is an area he is keen to continue working in.

"I've been coaching at Sydney Grammar School which is beautiful and have also been getting involved with a local non-league team in Mossman," he said.

"I'm the director of coaching there now and we have 1,500 kids on the books which is fantastic.

"I want to try and help improve the standard of coaching for the youngsters in this area if this is where I'm going to be living.

"We need to start the coaching when they are as young as six and start getting more of them into football."

But, despite switching countries, Prior has remained close to his roots and regularly tracks Southend's results online.

"I still keep up to date with what's happening through the internet," he confirmed.

"They had a terrible start but thankfully it's going much better now and it's brilliant they have got into the play-offs again and hopefully they will go up.

"I still speak to Mark Gower and Adam Barrett left a voicemail message for me the other day but there have been a lot of changes since I left.

"It was great news about the stadium though and I hope the club keep on doing well on and off the pitch."

Prior, who was in the Shrimpers side when they won the League Two play-offs in 2005, will be back at Roots Hall in August for his benefit match, but he has yet to confirm the opponents.

"It's hard to organise from the other side of the world but it looks like it will take place on either Friday, August 1, or the following Saturday," he said.

"It would be great to get a big team down because lots of the money raised is going to Little Havens and they're a wonderful charity."