ECHOSPORT talks to Maidenhead United fan Shay Bottomley ahead of this afternoon's match at Roots Hall

Maidenhead are currently 19th in the table. What have you made of the season so far?

"I was quite optimistic going into the new season. We remained unbeaten throughout pre-season; we'd retained more players than perhaps expected; we'd finished the previous season on a good run of form; and, of course, there was the news relating to our sell-on clause with Max Kilman's transfer to West Ham.

"It's safe to say the first few games produced some difficult results, but Rome wasn't built in a day! We've had some good performances, and if luck evens out over the course of a season then we can expect some in our favour over the coming months."

You’ve won the last two now. How confident are you of that signalling a change in fortune?

"I'm hopeful. The Vanarama is a tough league, where anyone can beat anyone - our first victory over Barnet for 61 years in August proves that very point! Our form suggests the good results will keep on coming, but it would be wrong to assume we can beat 'X' because we can beat 'Y'. Fortunately, we have an experienced manager with a strong team behind him, and we have a track record of stringing together good results when we need to."

What are your hopes for this season?

"Look, we have to be realistic. We're one of the few part-time teams these days, and the league isn't getting any easier. Survival, and anything else is a bonus,” is my usual motto, and I don't think this season is any different. Last season was a challenging one for a myriad of reasons not necessarily related to the football - I'm sure I won't be alone in saying that I just hope this season is more enjoyable than the last."

Who is the dangerman and who have been the stand out players this season?

"Injuries can make it difficult for a player to find their stride, even if they're not necessarily spending their season on the treatment table. We've seen a fair bit of squad rotation due to a number of injuries - a challenge when our squad is not renowned for its size. Tristan Abrahams and Shawn McCoulsky have regularly featured on the score sheet, so they may be the ones to watch. But, there's a lot of talent within our squad, so picking a stand out would be tricky!

What’s the team news?

Given that our record against Southend is W1 D1 L4, I think I'll let the team sheet answer that one at 2pm - I've a feeling the scouts read these articles ahead of the match itself! We had National League Cup obligations during the week, and there may be one or two returning from injury; truth be told, I couldn't give you an accurate indication even if I wanted to!"