Wanderers return to Burnden tonight determined to show that their Southend surprise was just a misfire in their drive to become a major promotion force.

No-one has minimised the damage but Colin Todd is refusing to even contemplate a major overhaul in the wake of Saturday's 5-2 Roots Hall defeat.

The Burnden boss may make a slight adjustment, possibly in defence, for the visit of Grimsby but he gave his players an unqualified vote of confidence with a timely reminder of the form and the results that took them to the top of the table.

"Okay, we came down to earth with a bump but it's worth remembering what had gone before," Todd stressed.

"We had four positive performances and four positive results before Saturday's upset. So there's no call to make hasty changes.

"I think it is only right to ask the players who got us up there in the first place to put it right. We set high standards in our first four games and the players were bitterly disappointed after Saturday's defeat. But it's up to them to reach the heights again, which they are capable of doing."

But the manager is in no mood to let things slide further. He will keep faith with the players who made a flying start to the season but, such is the competition for places, he will not hesitate to ring the changes if things aren't quickly back on an even keel.

Wanderers have two home games in five days to re-establish themselves among the leading lights of Division One and a victory over the Mariners will put them in confident mood for Saturday's visit of Portsmouth.

Skipper Gudni Bergsson has proved his fitness after missing the start of the season with an achilles problem but he may have to be patient before he gets his first start while there's further frustration for Scott Sellars, who continues to be hampered by a thigh injury.

Todd may tinker slightly with his starting line-up but he is more likely to name an unchanged team which would be: Branagan, McAnespie, Phillips, Frandsen, Taggart, Fairclough, Johansen, Lee, Blake, McGinlay, Thompson.

Unless Scott Green is declared fit, the substitutes will be selected from: Bergsson, Taylor, Todd and Ward.

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