MAHER AIMING TO CONJURE A MOMENT OF PURE MAGIC

A NONDESCRIPT mid-January morning in 2023 in a hotel a corner kick off the M25 and Southend United boss Kevin Maher has just finished chatting to The NLP.

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While we’ve been reflecting on his career, the challenges at Roots Hall and trying to restore pride among all the off-field carnage, the Shrimpers have been in court receiving a 42-day extension to pay off their tax bill.

It’s the latest — and not the last — instalment in a long-running saga that would go on to have more ups and downs for more than a year yet before, finally, the club’s takeover by Justin Rees’ consortium.

Those days, full of stress and worry for fans, players and staff alike, and how a club refused to die, will no doubt come into sharp focus at Wembley this afternoon.

“You don’t get much time to reflect on all that because you’re onto the next job after every game,” Maher says at Southend’s training ground on Tuesday lunchtime. “There’s so much work to be done and you want to get your preparation right.

“But there obviously is that story of the club that nearly went under. And not long ago, by the way.

“So for what we’ve done and what the players have done is an unbelievable feat...so far. We're not done yet.”

That’s been a theme during these play-offs but it’s easy to forget how much hard work has been put in to get to this point since the takeover was eventually sealed last summer.