NATHAN Thompson is relishing the physical challenge from Southend United at Roots Hall tomorrow.

Town are used to their style clashing with more physical opponents and Phil Brown’s newly promoted side will be no different.

In David Mooney the Shrimpers have a big six-foot centre forward with plenty of battle experience against League One defences.

The Irishman struggled in the Leyton Orient side relegated last term, but the season before was a big part of the team that reached the play-off final, scoring 21 goals.

With the likes of Noel Hunt and Kevan Hurst, also in the side Thompson will have to steel his defensive colleagues for battle.

Having come up against one of the divisions most notorious powerhouses the skipper feel his teammates can handle it.

“Southend will be a good outfit,” Thompson told the local media.

“They are a physical team and we look forward to it.

“Going down there will be a tough task but we will be well briefed, well prepared and it will be important that we try to get back to winning ways.

“Every team is physical but I don’t think you can get much bigger than the likes of (Bradford’s) James Hanson and I felt we dealt with him on the opening day of the season.

“It will be a test but it’s one that the boys are relishing.”

Part of Thompson’s challenge this season has been trying to foster relations with new teammates. Raphael Branco and Jordan Turnbull are familiar faces, they are the exceptions in the defensive ranks.

The captain drew parallels with the early part of last season, when the play-off final side were still coming together, to demonstrate where he feel this season’s class is at.

“It’s difficult (to rebuild the team’s identity with new players), it takes time,” he added.

“I think if you remember last year when we went away to the likes of Gillingham, drawing there – Crawley, another one where we lost the game itself, but we were happy with the performance “It takes time for those results to come, but we said in the dressing room if the performances are good we know eventually the results will start to come as well.”