As S24 reported midfielder Lee Sawyer is out injured and possibily for the season, allowing youngster Jamie Stevens to make his debut.
Alex Woodyard comes in for Cyprus bound Kane Ferdinand, playing for the Irish under-19's, to start also in the middle.
Up front rare starts for winger Louie Soares and centre-forward Harry Crawford as Barry Corr was deemed not fit enough after a bug spread in the camp earlier in the week and the 18-goal Irishman was sent to the bench.
The exciting Ryan Hall, also struggling a couple of days ago but recovered enough to start at left-back, as he was against Hereford once Johnny Herd limped off in the 18th minute.
With Stockport bottom-of-the-table and also having lost a number of key players, including loanee striker from Roots Hall Matt Paterson and their regular starting keeper, and the away side playing with such an inexperienced team, play was expected to be cautious with little chances.
As the game slipped into a free-kick here, an offside there, a hopeful effort easily picked up by either shot stopper, the belief grew that it would be a set piece would break the deadlock, and so it proved.
Approaching the half-hour Shrimpers right-back Sean Clohessy was adjudged to have fouled Daniel Rowe and up stepped our Hatter-to-watch Greg Tansey and he put it away for Stockport to have the lead.
This would have worried the watching travelling faithful that such a young side, and one with Louie Soares in it, would struggle to pull it back, a game they really had to win to keep up any chase for an outside play-off place, and itt certainly looked that way as the half-time whistle blowed with no further clear cut chances to either team.
HALF-TIME: Stockport County 1 Southend United 0.