Kevin Maher: Southend United head coach says he was not expecting latest winding-up petition

Kevin Maher has been Southend head coach since October 2021

Southend United head coach Kevin Maher says the latest winding-up petition given to the financially-troubled National League club was a "surprise".

The Shrimpers were issued with the petition by HM Revenue & Customs on Thursday.

It followed the previous settling of a tax debt of £1.4m on 1 March.

The club, who would not comment to the BBC on the latest petition, ended the season with non-playing staff going unpaid for the past two months.

In an interview with BBC Essex, Maher said the latest contact from HMRC came out of the blue as far he was concerned.

"It took us by surprise - we knew there's stuff going on at the club that's ongoing but it's obviously got to be dealt with," he said.

"There are issues at the club that everyone's aware of but it's the first I heard of it."

Southend are due in court to face the latest winding-up petition on 17 May and Maher says with the season over, there can be no extra revenue generated that may help towards paying staff that have been working without any wages.

"They're the obvious concerns - the staff who've done a brilliant job throughout the season and are incredibly loyal and professional so they're the ones you think about and the club itself," he said.

"All I can think about is how brilliant they've been and how lucky we are to have them. They still turn up to work and do some brilliant things despite no pay."

'We're very close to being able to take off'

The latest action from HMRC adds to the recent troubled financial history of the club which was put up for sale by chairman Ron Martin in March.

Maher says he has not heard of anything regarding a potential sale but is convinced the Shrimpers would be an attractive proposition for any buyer.

"I'm sure there will be people looking to buy it because it's a brilliant football club and in a great position on the football side," he said.

"It's a team with assets, a fanbase that gets over 8,500 through the gate - I think it gives you a great opportunity to really take the club forward.

"I think we've got the chance to do that if we can work properly. We're very close to being able to take off and if and when that happens, we'll take some stopping."

Maher not thinking of quitting

Under Maher, the Shrimpers came close to making the National League play-offs this season, missing out on a place by two points, despite winning their last two games.

The 46-year-old said getting so close gave him "immense pride" and that he was not considering his future at the club, despite the financial uncertainty and the current transfer embargo.

"I haven't thought about that [leaving]. We want to work properly and I want to do it at Southend," he said.

"I've got a great connection with the club and the fans and if we could add to the players we've got we're a good enough team to get to the right end of the table.

"We can't hide away from that fact [transfer embargo]. We went through a big rebuilding programme last summer, we don't need to do that this year, we need to fine tune what we've got.

"But there is that element that the players will know and their agents will know where the club is at and that makes it difficult to build a squad."