PHIL Brown is determined to lift the gloom at Southend United by making a successful return to his old club Wanderers.

Shrimpers fans have given the 57-year-old a hard time after the club failed to sign a striker on deadline day and they arrive at the Macron with just one win from their first five league games.

Brown has kept tabs on events at Bolton and was strongly linked with the job over the summer, only for a £300,000 buy out clause in his contract at Roots Hall to make a deal impossible.

He is hoping to give Southend’s supporters something to lift their mood by taking three points back down to Essex.

“It’s a big test for us, no doubt about it, they're the league leaders and they’ve had a fantastic start to the season,” he said.

“They’ve still got their problems off the field of play but I’m not here to focus on that, I’m here to focus on what’s going to be up against us on the field of play.

“There are lots of things to admire about Bolton at this moment in time, but we can never forget what we are.

“We are a team that came into this division last year and gave a good account of ourselves and found ourselves in a similar kind of position four or five games in last year.

“We then realised that when the transfer window closes there is nothing to fear, and there isn’t anything to fear. We’re going to go to the Macron Stadium with a game plan and hopefully that game plan will get us three points.”

Phil Parkinson worked with Brown at Hull City and is wary of an unpredictable opponent.

“You know that a Phil Brown side is going to be organised and this side has the potential to beat anyone on their day. They showed that by going three up against Sheffield United in 20 minutes.”