And a glowing report from a Plymouth rag ;
"THE CONTINUED success of midfielder Ryan Leonard is a constant reminder of the folly of Plymouth Argyle's decision to release him in the summer of 2011.
Leonard, now aged 24, made his 200th first team appearance for Southend in their 2-1 League One home win against Oxford United on Tuesday.
And he marked the occasion by scoring the opening goal, reaffirming his importance as one of the Shrimpers' key performers.
Leonard has twice won the club's Player of the Year award, including last season, and has been an ever present this term.
Born in Plymouth and a product of Argyle's youth set-up, it has been great to see, albeit from afar, the development and success of Leonard's career.
It is a shame, though, that it has come on the opposite side of the country, by the Essex seaside, rather than at Home Park.
Leonard made his one and only Argyle first team appearance as a substitute in a 1-0 home Championship defeat by Blackpool in March 2010.
Peter Reid took over as manager that summer, after the Pilgrims were relegated to League One, and did not use Leonard the following season, during which time the club plunged into administration.
Leonard was released that summer and, in hindsight, it was the best thing that could have happened to him.
Rather than being caught up in the financial chaos at Argyle, he earned a contract at Southend after impressing during a pre-season trial and has not looked back ever since.
Leonard has been successfully converted from a right-back to a central midfielder who must be one of manager Phil Brown's first names on the teamsheet each match.
During his time at Roots Hall, he has made a total of 180 starts and 20 substitute appearances, scoring 21 goals.
Leonard was promoted with Southend in 2015 after they won the League Two Play-Off Final at Wembley and has continued to excel at the higher level.
With 200 appearances under his belt for Southend, and at the still young age of 24, Leonard looks to have a bright future ahead of him.
Their gain has been very much Argyle's loss."