AFTER weeks of rare positivity at Roots Hall came something of a reality check for Southend United on Saturday.

Blues have come a long way off the pitch in recent times and, at long last, are being run properly and professionally.

But there remains no given right to pick up points in the National League.

And the weekend’s 1-0 defeat to Gateshead was a timely reminder of that.

Gateshead themselves are a good side.

They create problems on the ball and are well-organised off it which made life tough for the Shrimpers.

Yes, Blues were below their best but they were often nullified by their opponents who posed more problems in the final third until the closing stages of the game.

By then, you sense Gateshead had sat back more in a bid to protect their narrow lead but the Shrimpers kept going in search of a late leveller and came desperately close to earning a draw with both Harry Cardwell and Nathan Ralph hitting the woodwork from Jack Bridge corners in stoppage time.

But just while victory should not bring immense elation, defeat should not bring despair or devastation either.

Being honest, talk of the play-offs after everything that has happened off the pitch this season was hugely optimistic.

And equally now you do feel the Shrimpers will not be dragged into a relegation dogfight despite sitting just two points above the drop zone as things stand.

The truth of the matter is that Blues are a club finally moving in the right direction after the most torrid time in their history.

But there is still a lot of hard work to be done.

The signs are already promising where that is concerned and it is so refreshing to see key members of the squad signing new contracts.

Not only does it speak volumes for the spirit in the squad but it also shows a significant improvement in how the Shrimpers have been run.

Too often in the past, contract negotiations have been left too late in the day.

That delay has alerted other clubs, created uncertainty for players and sometimes led to Blues having to splash out more on wages to fight off advances from elsewhere.

Those scenarios are diminished by early discussions and it is also pleasing to see the right kind of recruitment continuing.

There were not too many positives from the weekend but recent acquisitions Adam Crowther and James Morton both looked strong off the bench and Danny Waldron also showed glimpses off what he can bring to Blues.

Despite that it was a disappointing day and of course that deserves to be criticised.

The Shrimpers were below the high standards they have set so far this season and are now also playing with added expectation given the off field improvements.

But playing for Southend United in the National League should bring that kind of pressure and it should be seen as a positive given the size of problems faced during the first half of the season.

However, Blues are not going to win every week.

They will not play well every week either but it is about having more good days than bad and, on the pitch, that has certainly been the case this season.

With added competition for places, Blues boss Kevin Maher will now be seeking the best possible combinations in key areas of the pitch.

He will now carefully consider whether or not to continue with the Marcus Dackers/Harry Cardwell partnership up top or whether or not to look at the alternative attacking options he now finally possesses.

However strikers are often only as strong as the service coming their way and that should also be considered when assessing the current level of performances.

Thankfully brighter days now do seem to lie in store for Blues and it should not be forgotten just how far the club has come.

The Shrimpers were just 10 minutes from not being able to kick off the season and deserve immense credit for their form on the whole this season.

Personally, I see the current campaign as a real springboard for a sustained promotion next season.

But even then nothing will be achieved without the odd hiccup or poor performance.

This is an unforgiving league full of contrasting and competitive challenges.

And it is also Southend United so you already know nothing will be achieved the easy way too!