BLUES boss Steve Tilson was quick to praise his team's character following the 1-1 draw at the Vetch Field on Friday.

"It's a hard place to go - with a hostile crowd - and they are on a roll at the moment," he said.

"We did well to bounce back so quickly and it was great for Wayne Gray to score because he worked so hard out there."

Gray again partnered Lawrie Dudfield in attack, with top scorer Freddy Eastwood among the subsitutes.

Explaining his reasoning for leaving Southend's top scorer on the bench, Tilson said: "Away from home against a side going well I just thought we would try and contain them in the first half and then bring Freddy on for the final 20 minutes."