Lawrie Dudfield has good reason to hope his rich vein of goalscoring form continues at his former Northampton Town side tomorrow.

Not only would a goal prove vital as Blues search for a win against their fellow play-off hopefuls, it would boost the Southend striker's bid to win a bet with former club-mate and fellow forward Martin Smith.

"I still speak to a few of the boys there, but Martin's the main one I talk to," said Dudfield.

"Every year we have a little £10 bet on who can score the most goals and at the minute I'm winning 7-5.

"He was injured at the beginning of the season, then I was out for a while as well so it got off to a very slow start but it's getting better now."

The goal-getting forward neatly netted at Bristol Rovers on Tuesday night and is hoping for more of the same at the Sixfields Stadium.

"It's always nice to play your old team and it's always nice to score against them as well," said Dudfield, who joined Blues from the Cobblers last February.

"I got one against them in the LDV and it would be great to get another one tomorrow because this is a massive match for both teams - a real six pointer."

Dudfield has scored seven goals in 15 starts during the current campaign.