Mixed feelings for Brown

Phil Brown admitted Southend made it hard for themselves before making it three league wins in a row with a 2-1 victory at Tranmere.

A close-range effort from Jack Payne and an own goal from Will Aimson gave the Shrimpers a 2-0 lead and ultimately secured all three points, despite a 53rd-minute penalty from Max Power. But despite dominating the clash, Southend could not add to their two early strikes and that made it an awkward wait for the full-time whistle according to Brown. "I'm delighted with the win but it should have been easier than what it was in the end," he said. "We were comfortable but I would much rather be sat here with us having scored three or four goals. We gave away a sloppy penalty and that meant it was closer than it should have been. "The front four were a real threat all afternoon and, if we can get our attacking end right, like we did today, then we've got a great chance of doing something this season. "Tranmere are fighting for their lives so it's hard coming here. Micky will get it right here too, there's no doubt about that. "They were undefeated in five games before the Luton game which they were unlucky to lose. "We knew we had to stand up against them and that's what we did. I'm very happy with the win." Southend went in front after 16 minutes when the lively Payne bagged his fifth goal of the season. The youngster reacted sharply inside the penalty area and made no mistake with a fine finish. Seven minutes later, the Shrimpers doubled their lead when Kevan Hurst's brilliant cross-field ball sent Worrall through on goal. The winger's low shot was saved by the legs of Peter Brezovan but he could only then look on in horror as Aimson headed the rebound into his own net. Tranmere hit back eight minutes after the break with Power chipping home a penalty after Cian Bolger had brought down Shamir Fenelon. But the Shrimpers stood firm to secure their first win at Prenton Park in 19 years and leave Rovers still searching for their first league win since August. "I think we've learnt today that we just can't afford to give teams starts like we did Southend," Tranmere boss Micky Adams said. "They're a good side but we made them look even better in that first half by how we performed ourselves. I can make excuses but we need to be defending better than that. "We got back into the game with a penalty and after that I thought we might be able to get something but it wasn't to be. "It's up to me to turn things around and I'm fully aware of the task in front of me. I came to the job with my eyes wide open and we're not good enough at the moment." Breaking news, transfer gossip, line ups and goal alerts from your football club - delivered direct to your mobile. Sign up for Sky Sports Alerts