Barnard scored his second goal of the season against Hereford

Southend striker Lee Barnard believes the club have turned the corner after their slow start to the season.

The Blues returned to winning ways against Hereford at the weekend, having lost their four previous games.

The 24-year-old scored the decisive goal on Saturday and told BBC Essex he hoped they could now climb the league.

"We were a bit sharper and the lads looked good, so we were confident and now hopefully we can build on this," said the former Crewe man.

Barnard added he was hopeful of forging a goalscoring partnership with new striker Dougie Freedman.

"He's class, he's clever and he's always talking to me," said Barnard.

"I'm learning off him, which is great and hopefully we can form a new partnership."