TRANMERE ROVERS..............1

SOUTHEND UTD....................2

(Att: 4,621)

TRANMERE manager Micky Adams was "frustrated and disappointed"with his side's performance as Rovers fell to a 1-2 home defeat against promotion-chasers Southend United.

After suffering consecutive losses in the league, leaving Rovers in the division's bottom two and six points adrift of safety, Adams said: "We've got to pick ourselves up. We can't start like we did today against anybody."

The manager made four changes to the Tranmere line-up which began at Luton last weekend. Cole Stockton returned to the side following injury, while the three new loan signings Shamir Fenelon, Will Aimson and Calaum Jahraldo-Martin made their Tranmere debuts.

Southend opened the scoring with a quarter-of-an-hour gone. A deep cross from the left found midfielder David Worrall at the back post who nodded back across goal. Jack Payne running in tapped the ball home past Peter Brezovan.

The Shrimpers doubled their lead on 23 minutes and Worrall was again the architect. He picked the ball up on the right wing and beat Liam Ridehalgh before his low shot was saved by Brezovan only for the ball to be turned into his own goal by Will Aimson.

Ten minutes after the break, Tranmere were awarded a penalty after Cian Bolger brought down on-loan striker Fenelon. Max Power duly stepped up and halved the deficit.

With Rovers pressing hard, Southend remained dangerous at the other end with substitute Conor Clifford sending a shot flashing across the face of the goal and Brezovan making a superb save with his legs to deny Payne.

Adams made a double substitution on 72 minutes with Jason Koumas and Kayode Odejayi replacing Ridehalgh and Jahraldo-Martin.

On 81 minutes, Odejayi did well on the right and his low cross was blocked by Luke Prosser before the ball landed to the feet of Rovers central defender Michael Ihiekwe, whose shot was turned away by the Shrimpers' keeper Daniel Bentley.

Despite continued pressure on the Southend goal, Tranmere couldn't muster an equaliser and it was the visitors who took the points back to Essex, leaving the home side without a win since August.

Adams said: "I'm disappointed, particularly with the first half performance. We never got going at all. We looked nervous which I've not seen before.

"They hit a lot of long balls up to Barry Corr and what surprised me was how deep we went.

"With the greatest respect to Corr, he's not going to run us so I couldn't see why the fear factor was there. Yes, he's going to win headers, a man that size is, but we had enough people there to deal with that.

"I'm disappointed, certainly with the first goal. My left back shouldn't be beaten in the air by a five foot seven right winger.

"We got off to a bad start and were always chasing the game.

"In the second half we did things that were in the game plan, pass with a bit of tempo and get it into the front men. At the start of the second half it worked and we got a goal back.

"You think: 'let's get another goal and get something from the game.' But it wasn't to be.

"We'll work dilligently on the training ground next week and try and put this right. It's not over by any means, there's a long way to go and we know where the problems are. We've just got to try our best to address them on the training ground and put it right on the pitch.

"Some of the boys who have not featured here today will get a run out in a behind closed doors friendly on Tuesday. If they're bright enough, they've just seen the first team get beaten and they'll put in a performance and give me something to think about."

Next Saturday, Rovers host tenth-placed Portsmouth.

The former Premier League club, FA Cup winners in 2008, will travel to Prenton Park on the back of a 3-0 victory over Morecambe.