NATHAN Ralph is ready to kick on with Southend United.

Ralph joined Blues last week after leaving Scottish Premier League side Dundee.

And the left-back is looking forward to lining up against Exeter City today in his first appearance in a Shrimpers shirt.

“Hopefully I’ll get a few minutes because I’m looking forward to my first game with Southend,” said Ralph.

“I’ve really enjoyed the training camp we’ve been on and I think it’s definitely been successful.

“I was glad I was able to come in before the camp because it’s helped me settle in and get to know everyone.

“But things start to kick on when the games start so it’s going to be good.

“The Weymouth match was just a little bit too soon because I had only had one day of training.

“But we’ve done a lot of work here and I feel ready to play now.”

Ralph trained on the pitch ahead of Blues’ friendly with Weymouth on Friday night.

And he already feels settled in his new surroundings.

“It’s been really good and everyone has been very welcoming,” said Ralph.

“We have a lot of young and hungry players and it’s been good to see. We have some experience too so it’s a good mix that we have and I’m happy to be here.”

Ralph turned down interest from elsewhere after an excellent season in Scotland which saw him named Dundee’s player of the year.

But he opted to join Blues after holding talks with manager Kevin Bond.

“I had a couple of options but once I spoke to the manager and he told me about how he wanted to play my mind was made up,” said the 26-year-old.

“I don’t like to look too far ahead but I’ll be my doing my best in every game we have and if we all do that then I really do feel like we can have a successful season.”