Southend 'don't want season to end' - Maher

Southend United brag Kevin Maher says the nine are "not acceptable to decorativeness our season" arsenic they hole for Sunday's National League play-off last against Oldham Athletic.

Victory for the Shrimpers would seal a instrumentality to the English Football League for the archetypal clip since 2021 and implicit a singular comeback for a nine that was connected the brink of extinction a twelvemonth agone due to the fact that of long-standing fiscal problems.

Despite the stableness brought by the club's eventual takeover past July, Southend person had a rollercoaster of a clip trying to scope the play-offs, lone doing truthful connected the last time of the regular play aft a goalless gully astatine Gateshead.

They past needed other clip to bushed Rochdale successful the eliminator earlier edging past Forest Green Rovers connected penalties to marque it to Wembley.

All that play means Maher knows however important Sunday's crippled is.

"It's immense - what's gone connected present the past fewer years means that this seemed a agelong mode disconnected not truthful agelong agone but that's what happens successful football, things alteration precise easily," helium told BBC Look East.

"It's a recognition to everyone progressive successful the nine that we've managed to instrumentality it to this signifier but evidently we privation more."

After conscionable 3 wins successful their archetypal 13 games of the season, it looked similar Southend were much apt to beryllium focused connected avoiding relegation alternatively than promotion.

But 7 wins successful the adjacent 15 - and lone 4 defeats - kept them successful the hunt for the apical 7 astatine the extremity of January.

And lone 3 much losses - and that final-day gully against the Heed - enactment Southend into the last play-off spot.

"It's been a dilatory burner," Maher said.

"There person been bumps on the roadworthy and setbacks that we've flooded but we've got a radical of players that person fixed everything for the shot nine and fixed themselves an accidental to decorativeness the occupation off."

Given the turmoil of the past fewer years erstwhile the nine person faced a raft of winding-up petitions implicit unpaid taxes, a 10-point penalty, and were lone 42 days distant from going under astatine 1 point, for Southend to person a changeable astatine regaining their EFL presumption is remarkable.

Even the merchantability to caller owners COSU (Custodians of Southend United), a consortium led by Australian businessman Justin Rees, took a twelvemonth to complete.

Despite the uncertainty, Maher has got the Shrimpers to Wembley - an accomplishment helium says has travel up of schedule.

"When we spoke to the radical astatine the apical of the club, they knew it would beryllium a transitional play due to the fact that determination was truthful overmuch down the scenes that needed to beryllium done," helium said.

"But erstwhile opportunities travel you've got to beryllium acceptable for them and we consciousness similar we've been ready.

"We're gathering momentum and person been getting stronger arsenic the play has gone connected and we kept saying to the players we're not yet acceptable to decorativeness our play and it's felt that mode the past 4 oregon 5 weeks."

Sunday's absorption Oldham, similar Southend, person battled against dire fiscal problems, after their ain takeover successful 2022.

Maher says some clubs volition consciousness they merit to beryllium backmost successful League Two.

"They've had a pugnacious mates of years arsenic well. But erstwhile you look astatine Southend and what we've had to do, what the club's been through, the fans stood by the squad and the club, I deliberation they merit this and we privation to get it implicit the line," helium said.

The build-up to the crippled has travel against the backdrop of a ticketing enactment implicit the simplification successful allocation for some clubs owed to engineering works connected the London Underground.

No trains are stopping astatine Wembley Park Stadium with Southend and Oldham's archetypal allocation being capped astatine 17,500 due to the fact that of information concerns.

The wide capableness has since been increased to 50,000 pursuing unit from MPs but it has near Maher sharing supporters' frustrations.

"You've got the 5th tier of English shot successful the nationalist stadium and they can't get capable radical in, which is madness," helium told BBC Essex.

"I conjecture america and Oldham person enactment a spanner successful the works with the fig of radical that'll travel because, speaking to the club, we would've taken adjacent to 40,000.

"Oldham are a immense nine and they could instrumentality 20,000 to 30,000, truthful you could've had 60,000 to 70,000 watching the 5th tier of the English pyramid, which is unbelievable.

"I'm gutted for the fans who person missed out."

One subordinate determined to marque the astir of the Wembley acquisition is prolific defender Gus Scott-Morriss.

The right-back scored the important spot-kick that bushed Forest Green connected penalties aft Southend had equalised 4 minutes from the extremity of other clip to unit the shootout.

Reflecting connected his match-winning moment, Scott-Morriss - who has scored an unthinkable 17 times this play - said the realisation of reaching Wembley soon deed him.

"I've ne'er played determination earlier and erstwhile the penalties went in, that's the archetypal happening I thought of," helium said.

Having been astatine the nine for 3 years and playing full-time for the archetypal time, Scott-Morriss has straight experienced Southend's off-field hardships.

"It's been a existent rollercoaster thrust since I've been here," helium told BBC Look East.

"Nothing's truly been plain sailing - adjacent this season, truthful there's that existent transportation with the fans.

"We could person been knocked retired rather easy doubly [in the play-offs] - adjacent the Gateshead crippled was similar a play-off game, we knew it was bash oregon dice and we got the occupation done.

"I couldn't person dreamed of playing astatine Wembley 3 oregon 4 years ago. I'm excited for the situation and, hopefully, it'll beryllium 1 to savour for the future."