SOUTHEND United manager Mark Molesley feels the Shrimpers will be facing a ‘wounded animal’ at Roots Hall tomorrow.

Morecambe have been heavily beaten in their last two outings, conceding 13 goals without netting at the other end of the pitch.

But Molesley believes that will make the Shrimps dangerous opponents.

“Morecambe started the season with a good win but they’ve lost the last couple,” said Molesley.

“Sometimes a wounded animal is a dangerous animal and there’s no easy game in this League.

“It’s going to be a very tough afternoon, they’ve recruited really well and they’ve got some really good experienced players.

“We will give them the respect they deserve but we have to try and impact our game on them.”

Morecambe will also be buoyed by their record against the Shrimpers having not lost any of the 10 League meetings between the two teams.

The Shrimps have won nine of the matches but Molesley wants a different story this weekend.

And he is keen to see a strong reaction from Saturday’s 2-0 defeat at Carlisle United.

“We’re looking for a positive reaction and we’ve had a positive week in training,” said Molesley.

“We’re work in progress and we have to keep improving which is what we’re working hard to do.”

Defenders John White (hamstring) and Harry Lennon (calf) missed out against Carlisle along with midfielders Timothee Dieng (hamstring) and Jason Demetriou (knee).

But Molesley is hopeful of welcoming back at least two of the players this weekend.

“Some are back in training and some are building up to come back into training,” said Molesley.

“A couple will have late fitness tests and some are still a little bit further away. We’ve got to be careful though and make sure they have the right bank of work behind them before they do come back.”