Phil Brown has agreed a deal to remain as Southend boss, the club have announced.

Brown returned to Roots Hall, where he previously managed from 2013 to 2018, last month, succeeding the sacked Mark Molesley with the Shrimpers six points adrift of safety at the bottom of Sky Bet League Two with six games to go.

While unable to save them from relegation to the Vanarama National League, he oversaw two wins, three draws and a defeat.

And Brown said in a statement on Southend’s official website on Tuesday: “I’ve signed a two-year deal which is geared towards promotion and then it becomes a third year automatically, which I shook hands on and I’m going to back myself to do.”

He added: “Uncertainty is a big word in the game of football. To kill any uncertainty, to give clarity to everybody and show people which direction we are going in at this early stage is key.

“Everything has been agreed in principle and I’m a man of my honour, and I’m sure the chairman (Ron Martin) is too. As far as we’re concerned, we’ll go forward together.

“We need to move things on quickly and relegation is never a nice feeling.”

Former Hull boss Brown’s first stint as Southend manager included guiding the club to promotion to League One in 2015.