Ilford put in a solid performance to see off Southend Manor with a 3-0 victory at Southchurch Park to keep them seventh in the table.

George Whitelock, Liam Burgess and a gifted own goal guided the Foxes to the three points and helped them bounce back from their 1-0 defeat to Great Wakering Rovers.

Joint-manager Billy Cove admits the performance was exactly what he wanted after asking for a dominant performance ahead of the clash.

“That’s the the sort of performance we were waiting for,” he said.

“Every single one of the players turned up with the right attitude and enthusiasm, and they took that into the game.

“We totally dominated the game from start to finish, and Fenny (Allan Fenn) and I were really pleased for the boys as it’s nothing less than they deserve, for their hard work and dedication.”

The boss praised Whitelock and Burgess for getting on the score sheet in the match against Southend.

“It was great to see them both on the score sheet, it’s been a long time coming for Liam, so we are expecting double figures from him now he’s found his range.

“George had a tough week leading up to the game too, so it was a very nice moment when his volley hit the back of the net.”

Cove also feels they played really well and their new system is really paying off after switching their style for the last two matches.

“I thought we played really well, we changed our system for the Great Wakering game and were very unlucky not to get at a draw, so we kept that shape and the players implemented it very well.

“There were so many good performances on the day.”

The former Maidenhead United striker also revealed the club received an email this week from the league.

“We were sent an email in error from the league, which contained evidence of them wanting to remove us from the ESL next season, so that was very disappointing to read, as we think we are a huge asset for them.”