Southend United's players couldn't help lift the gloom hanging above the crisis club at Roots Hall as they crashed to a friendly defeat against Gillingham.

However, Seasiders boss Alan Little said his men were trying to shut-out the off the field problems and get on with their jobs in a professional manner.

"We can't let what's happening behind the scenes affect us on the field, we've got to get on with our jobs," he said.

"It's obviously hard to switch off from what's going on because we've all got feelings, but we've got to try and be professional."

New Southend left-back Damon Searle fired Blues into an early lead on Tuesday night, before new £450,000 striker Paul Shaw levelled for First Division newboys Gillingham.

Gillingham then took control in the second-half, with one of Little's former York City players Rodney Rowe grabbing an impressive brace.

"I only had 11 fit senior players before the match, but I thought we played with confidence against a very strong Gillingham side," he said.

"But as soon as Gillingham took the lead the game became a typical friendly, with both sides swapping around their personnel, and I decided to give some of our kids their heads.

"It was nice for the youngsters to get a taste of the action at Roots Hall, but at the end of the day Rodney Rowe came back to haunt me by grabbing two decisive goals."

The Shrimpers didn't muck around against their Kent opponents and took the lead after just five minutes in spectacular fashion.

Searle collected a long pass from Mark Tinkler, who was playing in a new sweeper role, and teed up Martin Carruthers for a vicious 18-yard drive.

Gillingham's trialist keeper Frank Talia blocked the Southend hitman's effort, but the rebound fell nicely to Searle, who marked his first Roots Hall appearance with a sweetly curled shot from 20-yards.

Blues midfielder Scott Houghton came close to doubling the Seasiders' advantage on a couple of occasions, before Gillingham grabbed an equaliser two minutes before the break from the penalty spot.

Southend defender David Morley brought down Mark Saunders and Shaw blasted the ball into the centre of the net past jittery Shrimpers keeper Mel Capleton.

Gillingham carried on where they left off in the second-half, as substitute Rowe played a neat one-two with former Southend frontman Andy Thomson and planted a shot inside Capleton's left-hand post from ten-yards.

And the diminutive marksman scored an almost identical goal five minutes from time when he finished off a strong right-wing charge and cross from Nicky Southall.

However, Morley came close to reducing Blues' deficit with the clock ticking down as he crashed a thunderous 25-yard drive against the underside of the Gillingham crossbar.

Southend: Capleton, Searle, Roget (Perkins), Tinkler (McDonald), Morley, Booty (Cross), Maher (Hunter), Lee (Edwards), Houghton (Forbes), Tolson (Fitzpatrick), Carruthers (Johnson).

Gillingham: Talia (Bartram), Gooden (McGlinchey), Patterson (Nosworthy), Ashby (Bryant), Hope, Butters, Smith (Southall), Hessenthaler (Lewis), Saunders (Brown), Shaw (Thomson), King (Rowe).

Past and present - Blues midfielder Kevin Maher skips past a tackle from ex-blue Paul Smith

Picture: ROBIN WOOSEY

Converted for the new archive on 19 November 2001. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.