As I pinched a last minute pint in the Railway, work didn't allow me the chance to take advantage of the cheap beer on offer at the club sadly, the team selected for the game shot up on the screen, and Blues boss Paul Sturrock has done what was expected, if not hoped for in some quarters, no change from the 4-0 win over Rotherham.
Brave decision, and justified, just, as both last week's suspended players were on the field when the points were confirmed late on, the hariest Shrimpers side ever were already leading by a another Dickinson penalty, his fourth of five goals this season and Southend have now been awarded six, we can't complain about ref's there!
And enough to see the Essex boys go top of League Two for the first time in five years in front of their biggest gate of the season, 6,394, around 240 having travelled down from Shropshire, and a fourth successive victory without any goals conceded.
Overall they deserved it, especially after a strong first half showing which after 13 minutes saw Jean-Paul Kalala, eventual S24 man-of-the-match, found Dickinson whose diving header was kept out by Shrews keeper Ben Smith.
Next, up came Mark Phillips to head over a trademark cross from right-back Sean Clohessy over the crossbar 12 yards out before, on 21 minutes, the best chance of them all, a Leonard strike was well saved, but the rebound should have been put away by Dickinson, yet he allowed Smith the time to recover and conceded only a corner.
However, the ex-Derby forward made amends with his spot-kick, given by referee Ward when he saw Jermaine Grandison appear to push over Neil Harris in the area, wouldn't have given it myself, but fair enough, and Liam Dickinson placed it brillinatly in the opposite corner than Smith's desperate dive for goal No.5 and hold on to the Blues top scorer spot.
He was on song now, and a great 25 yarder was kept out by Smith who ended a busy half easily the Town's best player, both sides playing direct stuff with the ball given away far too easily, but it was Southend who, bar Shrews dangerous striker Marvin Morgan fighting a lone battle with Barker and Phillips up front at times, not sure who at times under all that hair, looked the most dangerous going forward.
For most of the opening quarter of the second 45 Shrewsbury showed why they started the night in second place, as they kept the ball and passed it around with more confidence, United going into away mode and sucking up the pressure relatively easily.
James Collins tried his luck from 25 yards out but Shrimpers No.1 did his job well enough, yet not so well when Sean McAllister's low shot was just pushed around the post by the former Borient man.
It wasn't all the away side though, inbetween these efforts Dickinson has a strike saved by Smith easily enough, before Neil Harris headed over a good free-kick from the hard-working Michael Timlin.
Around the hour mark Harris was set free to the right-hand edge of the penalty area, but looking up to Leonard unmarked in the box, hit his pass high and the ex-Plymouth youth couldn't control his volley well enough to trouble Smith, poor decision making by the experienced striker.
Then, after Dickinson saw his shot blocked by Grandison, the ball fell nicely to kane Ferdinand only eight yards out, 2-0, no, the young Irish starlet didn't realise he had enough time to place the ball with his favoured right foot only eight yards out, he rushed a left footer, and it went wide past an inviting gap allowed by Smith to seal the points.
That should have come when Ward decided to even up any doubt over his opening half penalty decision, by turning down a far more obvious one, Harris v Grandison again, this time the former Millwall man not getting the decision.
So, with 13 minutes left, Anthony Grant replacing, Ferdinand, and Shrewsbury felt they had equalised, the busy at both ends Grandison smashing a six yard strike over Morris and, as the Roots Hall faithful held their breath, on to the underside of the crossbar bouncing out to safety. Phew!
Grant himself saw a fair effort go wide when on 85 minutes Ryan Hall replaced Leonard, who did his job once again, he is more defensive than the exciting wideboy but, along with Kalala, the reason we look much safer when the opposition go forward, the form of the two centre-backs also a factor there.
We are much more a Luggy side of the the past that he's got out of this crap division, it's not pretty out there, but let's be careful about what we wish for, if the law allowed a side to select 12 players to start Hall would be in there like a shot, but until something goes wrong let's keep it as it is, if anything Snoop Dog for Ferdy, or even Lee Sawyer when fit, Kane looks better in the JP role, and that's certainly not going to change any time soon!
Anyway, with a few of the home crowd starting to leave, the Shrimpers did eventually make sure they would end the night looking down on the rest of the bottom tier, with a rather flattering three goal advantage, but hey, we've been on the other side of the fence, and I know which way I want to be facing!
And inevitably it was Hall who had an assist in both of the goals that did eventually made the victory secure, whatever my views I don't envy Luggy's choice for next week's trip to Crewe or even Tuesday evening's JPT trip to take on the Daggers..
First, a typical whipped in free-kick from the left, defensive mayhem, and there's goal machine Mark Phillips, his fourth, on hand to get something on to the ball, his head, his back, his beard, and there it was in the back of the net.
Well, that was it now, mass exodus, personally with the train twenty minutes away, might as well stay, and at the end of a strange four minutes of stoppage time, don't think the trainers were on once and Glenn, bless him, is not as good as little Darryl on the time wasting front.
Second, a great run by Hall and he's in the box, Shane Cansdell-Sherriff bundles him over, similar to the one not given, Ward points to the spot this time, and Dickinson gives the ball to Neil Harris who relived childhood dreams by smashing the ball into the top of the net dead straight centre, blimey I thought it was going over at first, but he wasn't going to miss this one!
Shrimpers of a certain age have all believed that one day they would score in front of the North Bank for Southend, usually after the third pint in the Spread, Bomber has actually done it now on what must have been an emotional night for him, as the Echo has revealed that Friday was five years to the day that Neil's Dad passed away, the man who took him to Roots Hall to have those dreams in the first place.
Bring on the Railwaymen, the future is bright, the future is Blue, or Cherry Voltage.
Southend United player markings: Morris - 7, Clohessy - 6, Barker - 7, Phillips - 7, Gilbert - 7, Kalala - 8, Leonard - 7 (Hall 85), Ferdinand - 6 (Grant 77 - 6), Timlin - 7, Harris - 6, Dickinson - 7.
Referee - Mr. G. Ward - 5.