Oh dear, this wasn't in the script! A dismal display by the lads only 48 hours after a 4-1 away win!
Blues boss Paul Sturrock has made two changes to his starting line-up, and they were both upfront, as new signing Elliot Benyon joined the returned from suspension Liam Dickinson in a ne look attack.
Striker Neil Harris dropped to the bench joining defensive midfielder Jean-Paul Kalala in a more attack minded 4-4-2 formation, not that you would have noticed it!
A neutral really would have wondered who were the promotion chasers and who were struggling at the bottom so poor were Southend in long spells throughout the a game that was littered with errors from the home side.
If the Daggers had been more effective in front of goal the home side could have been three down at half-time, in fact they were one up!
In only the first quarter on loan West Ham striker Cristian Montano for Dagenham saw his effort from close range picked up by the soon to be returned West Brom loanee keeper Luke Daniels, before a criminal miss by Jon Nurse, who Montano had set up to head home from 12 yards, it went wide!
The Daggers were also unlucky when former Shrimpers skipper Kevin Maher limped off with a suspected broken foot to a standing ovation, the last time we see ex-Captain Kev at Roots Hall?
Who knows, he may get that testimonial at Fossetts Farm, some day!
Then Nurse turned provider for the busy little Hamster loanee who also decided to head wide obviously in sympathy for his striking colleague!
Ryan Hall was renaining as busy as ever for the Essex boys but was reduced to trying his luck from 30 yards with free-kick, easily saved by Daggers shot stopper Chris Lewington.
Just after the half-hour from another set piece Anthony Grant found Ryan Leonard in a well-practiced rotuine right off the btraining pitch that nearly paid off, as his shot from well outside the box struck was deflected on to against the top of the crossbar.
So we were getting a foothold in the game, which was confirmed in the 37th minute by the only way we were probably going to score, from long range, but what a goal!
The ball fell to Michael Timlin 25 yards out who struck such a vicious volley in to the bottom left hand corner of the net that Lewington did well to see enough to make a token effort at a dive!
It all went horribily wrong after that though as the Shrimpers visibily relaxed, probably, and wrongly, believing they had the points in the bag.
You need another couple before you can do that lads!
And only two minutes before half-time Montano, who else, chested down Green’s pass before seeing his volley bounce wide from eight yards.
Followed by the first of a few surprise errors from Shrimpers skipper Chris Barker, maybe not fully fit after his recent absence before only returning against the Dons Saturday, as he headed Nurse’s cross right in to the path of Brian Woodall but Mark Phillips did well to get in the way of his goalbound shot and it was deflected wide.
Southend did chance to grab that second goal immediatly after the break when new boy Elliot Benyon, a decent debut, found Dickinson with an accurate pass, but the hitnman could only smash the ball over from 12 yards, lucky it wasn't a penalty.
Early days for the former Swindon striker obviously, but the skill is plainly there and he's busy enough, but concerns that we may not have the game plan suited to his talents may prove accurate, he may be a 'fox in the box' but we've got to find him first, and a continued barrage of high crosses are not going to do it, not when he's 5 foot 10.
Still, promising.
What follows in the final half-hour is the Daggers show which ended up with them finishing with a deserved point.
Another Barker slip allowed Woodall to be one-on-one with the advancing Daniels, but rather strangely, instead of going round the keeper, he squared the ball to Montano which allowed the captain's saviour once again, the one and only Mark Phillips to win the ball cleanly in the penalty area with a superb tackle, which it had to be!
Daniels was then called upon to keep out Nurse’s header from Green’s corner but on 72 minutes, the custodian could only become a spectator when Montano's snap shot from 20 yards went millimetres wide!
Nurse again, with another header from yet another Green corner, sorry, no equaliser, a goal-line clearance by Sean Clohessy saving the day.
And no bananas again, Nurse’s chipped cross clearing Montana who had a clear sight of an open goal in front of him.
Ha, we're going to get away with this, cliche lines of 'good teams win when playing badly' already in the PC, when, with three minutes left of the 90, Dag & Red did finally equalise, and, of course, to sum up Southend's day, it came from a cock-up.
The hero Timlin of all people, a super game up to this point, decided to pick this time, and right in front of his own penalty area, to get caught in two minds, and pass directly to the Daggers Billy Bingham!
Not a good idea.
He found Brian Woodall quicky and accurately and the 23-year-old striker said 'thanks very much', and from 12 yards out let loose with an excellent shrike hard and low past Daniels which ended up in the bottom left hand corner.
Four minutes of generous stoppage time was given allowing Dickinson to head Hall's right wing cross straight at Lewington, as well as having a shout for hand ball against a startled Daggers defender turned down, correct call, and Grant saw his effort blocked by Oluwafemi Ilesanmi, say that after a few beers, let alone write it, before the referee ended the agony for the home faithful.
Yet another Bank Holiday game in front of a big crowd ending in disappointmen; well, for those from south-east Essex that is!
Roll on Saturday and Micky Adams mercurial Port Vale, it may be a cracker, it might be a goalless draw. Who knows with this Shrimpers side at the moment.
Luggy has some work to do, along with another new signing or two, again!
Southend player markings: Daniels - 7, Clohessy - 7, Barker - 5, Phillips - 8, Prosser - 4, Leonard - 5 (Ferdinand 66 - 5), Grant - 6, Timlin - 7, Hall - 6, Dickinson - 5, Benyon - 6 (Harris - 81).
Referee - Mr. L. Coote - 6.