Southend United boss David Webb has urged his men to make a solid headstart against Brentford during tonight's (Tuesday's) LDV Vans Trophy southern area final first leg at Roots Hall.

Victory against the Second Division Bees is all that stands in Blues' way of making a high-profile trip to Cardiff's Millennium stadium in April.

However, the Shrimpers need to pull off an aggregate two-leg success over Brentford, with the return match at Griffin Park taking place next Tuesday, to finally make the first major final of their 95 year history.

"We're very close to getting to a big cup final - something which hasn't been achieved at this club before," said Webb, who was both manager and chief executive of Brentford during the mid 90s.

"But we have a lot of work to do against my old club and a good start against Brentford would be a huge boost tonight.

"It didn't bother me whether we were drawn at home or away first. But we are at Roots Hall first and we need to make home advantage count with our fans behind us, before travelling to Brentford next Tuesday."

Full match report and pictures in tomorrow's Evening Echo

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