Southend United are holding an open night for their matchday staff, both old and new, tonight (Wednesday).

Current stewards, turnstile operators and other workers are asked to attend Roots Hall's Shrimpers bar at 7.30pm to prepare for the start of the Shrimpers' new Third Division campaign.

Blues safety officer George Wright said: "We'd like to see as many people as we can here on Wednesday.

"We need to speak to the people who worked on our matchday staff last season, as well as any new recruits who may be interested in working at Roots Hall this year."

George added that it was vital to attend on Wednesday, as all staff would be photographed for their security passes.

"We need to get everybody's picture for their matchday pass and it would save a lot of time if we could do it all on the same night," he added.

A kit of all right - the new Southend United home (left) and away shirts were modelled at Monday's Meet the Blues day by Mick Maddocks, a director of the Shrimpers' main sponsor Rebus, and Seasiders' youth development officer Ricky Duncan.

The event was held at the club's Boots and Laces training ground in Eastern Avenue and attracted hundreds of fans.

Picture: MIKE BELLENIE

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