Steve Arnold: Southend keeper says 'us against the world' mentality keeps team going

Kevin Maher's Southend side are eighth in the National League table

Southend goalkeeper Steve Arnold says an "us against the world" mentality has kept the players going despite major off-field issues this season.

The club avoided being wound up last week after paying a £1.4m debt owed to HM Revenue and Customs.

But they are still subject to a transfer embargo and are now outside the National League play-off places after Tuesday's defeat by Chesterfield.

"All we can do is play football and not let it affect us," he told BBC Essex.

"We've used that to motivate us, it's been us against the world basically. Now we've just got to kick on, no excuses."

Arnold continued: "There's nothing we can do [about off-field situation], it's out of our hands.

"You almost use it as a release to get out there training for two and three hours a day and forget about it. Saturdays, forget about it, it's all about football."

Arnold was pressed into service for his first game since last August against Chesterfield, after loanee Blondy Nna Noukeu was recalled by Stoke City earlier on Tuesday.

"Ideally you'd have had a couple of games coming back from such a long injury but I found out this morning and that's it, you get on with it," the 33-year-old said.

"When I did the injury, we couldn't get to the bottom of it, we thought it was my back, it was radiating pain but a scan came back clear and it was a long situation to find out the cause. But we got there in the end and full credit to the physio and fitness coach who got me back playing."

Despite the injury situation easing, manager Kevin Maher lost defender Kacper Lopata earlier this week when he opted to leave the club.

He is frustrated by the embargo, which is still in place as the club still have outstanding football-related debts.

And he admitted his side needed "a little bit of help" to make sure of finishing in the top seven.

"If we keep everyone healthy, then great, but no club in the league does that. No club keeps everyone fit all the season, but what they can do is add [players]. We get so much thrown at us, we've got to keep responding," Maher said.

Southend's loss to Chesterfield followed another home loss to Barnet, another play-off rival, on Saturday and Harry Cardwell's goal proved to be only a consolation after they fell 2-0 behind.

"When you go two nil down it's so easy to give in. I saw a Man United team the other day capitulate, we didn't do that," he added.

"It's unbelievable character from the players despite being hit with everything that we have been hit with. They keep going and going and I am so proud of them. What they don't do is ever chuck the towel in.

"We've got to win a certain amount of games to end up in the play-offs now - if we end up in the last spot, then so be it. We keep believing that we are good enough to do that."