The Shrimpers season stood at the crossroads, defeat and the bottom four would be staring at them down a barrell, and there didn't seem a way back here.
Whatever Tilly said in the changing room, and maybe the odd Red Bull, had a miraculous effect on his side as they came out with renewed energy and attacking intent that gave the Monkey Hangers little chance, in fact, after they ended the game with ten men, the victory could have been by a far wider margin.
As expected Jean-Francois Christophe returned for a suspended Simon Francis, in fact a straight swap at right-back allowing Granty to stay in mid-field, though in a very defensive role.
Francis Laurent started by going on on one of those runs that only he can do, a great cross just avoiding Lee Barnard in the box.
However, on 8 minutes, it was an old nemisis from the Borient who gave Hartlepool the lead. Southend had several chances to clear on the edge of their own area, didn't, the ball fell to Adam Boyd with his back to goal, he turned with speed, and volleyed the ball brilliantly past Big Steve Mildenhall.
That was a bummer, and worse was to come after a couple of token efforts from the Moose and Macca at the other end.
On the half hour the lanky Andy Monkhouse turned in the Blues penalty area, hit a shot with little venom, but it did hit Anthony Grant and deflected past Mildenhall into his own net.
"If we get one back before half time, we'll win this", said mate in front of me, who turned out to be more accurate than the score on 45 minutes should have allowed him to be.
Yet if Barnard, after another mazy run from Laurent down the right wing, had put the ball into the goal instead of over it, we would have been asking him for his lottery numbers at the final whistle, instead of just a pint.
That was the third decent chance the good Lord had missed in three games, the previous two ending in defeat and scoreless. And as the Shrimpers drifted off the pitch at the end of the half it was hard to see how this would change.
So in the cliche of teams a couple of goals behind as you start the second period, if your gonna make a comeback, you have to get an early goal. 49 minutes early enough?
They had already shown that whatever Tilly had put in the tea was working with a couple of attacks that should have pulled one back even earlier than the Shrimpers actually did.
Scott Flinders in the Money Hanger goal was looking increasingly dodgy, a header off the line saving his blushes as he failed to hold on to one cross from the left that was headed goalwards, loanne left back Scott Malone at last finding his range.
Malone found it perfectly soon after with a free-kick that Laurent got to first heading over Flinders, tha ball being cleared but already over the line according to an eagle eyed linesman.
Captain Adam Barrett and the other defensive loanee Sean Morrison were coping well with anything the North East side threw at them, the teenage Swindon defender had a great game, but the force was with Southend and they pulled level on 56 minutes.
Alan McCormack, now back to his terrier like best, forced a Pool defender in giving the ball away back to him, he put in a great cross that allowed Barnard to slot the ball home and bring the Blues level. Relef for team and supporters, Barney was back!
There was only going to be one winner now, as Kevin Keegan famously said once, but he would have been right this time.
Tilly had made two substitutions; Damien Scannell in for a straight swap for Laurent whose exciting wing play makes him an easy target for embarrassed defenders, I doubt the Frenchman will last the season, while James Walker replaced Anthony Grant, who had started the road to 15 yellows with a booking.
A tactical decision that allowed Franck Moussa to join Macca in his favoured central midfield position, Walker to join Barney up front, while the striker loanee Jabo Ibehre was moved out wide as he was doing very little in the centre.
Tilly didn't have to be Spider-Man to sense victory, it was there for the taking, and on 74 minutes it was.
Scannell sent over a brilliant cross from wide on the right touchline, yet it still gave Barnard a bit to do, as he bent his back to powerfully head past Flinders for his 16th goal of the season and the points to Southend.
Boyd had a free-lick well saved by Mildenhall before the away side were reduced to ten men by one of the more brainless sending offs.
Monkey Hanger substitute Ben Clarke had already seen yellow for fouling Captain Adam with a needless challange when he repeated the offence, this time on Macca, and another booking and a red, plain daft, maybe Chris Turner shouldn't pay some of his own players.
Ibehre then had a great chance to open his account when he took the ball well past a couple of Pool defenders, was one on one with Flinders yards from goal, but hit the ball wide. Taxi for Mr. Ibehre, back to stadium:mk.
To be fair, he then hit the bar with a header from another Malone cross, and the game was won, far more easily than the score, at both half and full time, suggests.
Suddenly getting up at six in the morning next Saturday for that long trip to Exeter doesn't seem that horrible.
Southend player markings: Mildenhall - 7, Christophe - 6, Morrison - 8, Barrett - 7, Malone - 6, Laurent - 7 (Scannell 61 - 7), Grant - 6 (Walker 70 -5), McCormack - 7, Moussa - 6, Ibehre - 5, Barnard - 7.
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