Leyton Orient made it four wins on the trot at the Hall with a 4-2 win over their Essex neighbours as Southend's defensive woes continue, that's eleven goals now scored against us in three matches! If you keep buying strikers you should make sure you score more than the opposition.
Blues opened the scoring after 13 minutes through Lee Sawyer when he met Hal Robson-Kanu's lay-off and fired the ball into the bottom right hand corner of Jamie Jones' goal from the edge of the box.
But the lead lasted just seven minutes before Orient were on terms when Simon Dawkins teed up strike partner Ryan Jarvis who slotted home from 17 yards after taking a touch.
The Shrimpers nearly took the lead through a powerful Captain Adam header that went just wide, but it was the O's who went 2-1 up after 25 minutes.
Dawkins passed to JJ Melligan on the right flank and his centre was headed home by Adam Chambers from 12 yards.
Lee Barnard fired narrowly wide for Blues, who then leveled through on-loan Chelsea midfielder Sawyer in the 34th minute.
Good approach play from Robson-Kanu set up James Walker who crossed for Sawyer to head past Jones from six yards.
It was all set up for a storming second half but the wind was taken out of the home side's sails when Orient regained the lead just three minutes into the second half. Loik Pires' pass found Melligan on the right of the box. He slammed a rising left foot shot into the top left hand corner.
The O's made sure of their progresss to the second round when substitute Adam Boyd fired a penalty low into the left hand corner of the net after he was brought down by Jean-Francois Cristophe.
Dissapointed Blues boss Steve Tilson said after the game: "I thought we played ever so well in the first half and we should have been leading because we dominated and controlled the game. But we came out and a couple of minutes later were a goal down. When you score two goals at home you should win a game, but we are conceding too many goals. You look at our back five and you think it should be solid, but we have let in nine goal in two games and it is something that I will have to look at.
Trying to look for positives he continued: "On the plus side Lee Sawyer scored two good goals for us. He's a young player and will improve, which is why he is on loan with us from Chelsea, but you can't ask more than to score two goals from midfield."
Meanwhile, the obviously happier Orient manager Martin Ling was delighted to see his young side add to Southend's problems at the start of the season.
"It was a really pleasing result because our starting 11 was possibly the youngest team I have put out. I think they stood up to the test well, especially having gone behind. I thought that we needed to get the first goal, and once Southend got it I wondered how we were going to react and we reacted well.
He now looks forward to the weekend more than the Blues faithfull are at the moment: "The goals were all good, with Melligan's being the pick of the night, but the others were good and Boyd does what Boyd does. We have not made a bad start to the season and it gives me renewed hope ahead of our trip to Walsall. The performance tonight gives me food for thought."
For Tilly and Southend Carlisle just became a longer trip than it already was, we are suddenly putting a lot of faith in Dougie's scoring skills. The lack of investment in a decent central defender, after advice given from many quarters and mentioned in Ron's statement that one was on the way, could turn out to be a costly error.
Southend: Mildenhall, Francis, Clarke, Sankofa, Barrett, Betsy, Grant (Christophe 46), Sawyer, Robson-Kanu (Scannell 76), Barnard, Walker (Laurent 80).
Subs Not Used: Masters, Furlong.
Booked: Grant, Barnard, Sawyer.
Goals: Sawyer 13, 34.
Leyton Orient: Jones, Cave-Brown, Ashworth, Saah, Palmer, Melligan, Chambers, Demetriou (Bradley Gray 90), Pires (Terry 69), Jarvis, Dawkins (Boyd 45).
Subs Not Used: Morris, Purches.
Booked: Palmer, Cave-Brown.
Goals: Jarvis 20, Chambers 25, Melligan 48, Boyd 86 pen.
Att: 3,499
Ref: Graham Scott (Devon).