Harford fully prepared for tough Shrimpers challenge

The Shrimpers are currently on a run of five wins and five defeats from their last 10 games, as since mid-November they haven't been able to back up a victory with a positive result in the following game.

Harford knows just what United have to offer though, from his brief of watching Town's opponents earlier in the season, as he said: “It’s 11 games now they’ve gone win, lose, win, lose, and you have to respect Southend.

“We played them early on, and I went to watch them the game before we played them and I thought they were at the time they were the best team I’d seen in the league.

“They were 4-4-2 and Chris (Powell) had them really full pelt, and we know what to expect there.

“It’s a difficult little ground, it’s a bit like Kenilworth Road. The atmosphere is quite intimidating and it’s going to be a tough day for us, but we’ll be ready and prepared for them.”

The hosts can go into the match on the back of a superb confidence-boosting 4-0 win at Bradford City last weekend, as Harford continued: “They had a fantastic result last week, they beat Bradford 4-0 and some of the goals were sublime, some of the finishes was amazing.

"(Stephen), Humphrys got two, some of the football they played was exciting, so it’s going to be a challenge for us.”

However, Luton themselves are unbeaten in 15 league game, equalling a run they haven't matched in league football since 1982.

Avoiding defeat at Roots Hall would not only take Town top of the table, above a non-playing Portsmouth, but mean the sequence has only been bettered three occasions in the club's history – two 19 game unbeaten runs in 1968 and 1969/70 and a 23-game run in 1913/14.

Harford could only praise the players for the manner they have gone about their work, adding: "They’re on a roll, they enjoy the way they play, enjoy the type of football they’re playing, they’re playing with a bit of confidence and they’re embracing the challenge.

"They’re a real good bunch, they work hard, you put sessions on for them in certain ways and they just embrace it and get on with their jobs, so they're a pleasure to work with."