After the debacle at Aldershot I was really concerned that the Gods were against us, and then we miss a second minute penalty, and a real cock-up by Mark Phillips and we're one down!
Shouldn't have worried, there was the man in black Trevor Kettle, who couldn't wait to get a red card out of his pocket, he looked positively excited as he marched over, but he was given no choice here, a stupid tackle by the back from injury Dons striker Jolley, who will now have more time sitting in the stands, and as we had already equalised, that action was to end the game as an even contest, and Blues a run of six successive winless matches.
Blues boss Paul Sturrock has made three changes; the good news that skipper Chris Barker had recovered from a calf strain and was back, graham Coughlan having to wait for that 500th league appearance, and Ryan Hall and Neil Harris were both recalled.
Hall came in for Kane Ferdinand, a January bid from the Hamsters on the way, or he's just been playing crap, and the more obvious one of Bomber for the suspended Liam Dickinson.
It was Michael Timlin who was brought down by Sammy Hatton inside the box to give Bomber a chance from the spot in Dickinson's absence, but instead of his previous effort against Shrewsbury that he smashed down the centre and high into the roof of the net, he kept this one lower and it caught the ankles of Dons keeper Seb Brown, who had started to dive to his right, and was cleared.
Cue predictible shouts from a small minority in the 700-odd sell out Shrimpers section, of which only about half could probably see the whole pitch, of 'rubbish Harris' and 'He can only score from three yards' (!), I moved away!
And the inevitable happened on seven minutes with the game under control for the away side, the ball bouncing off Phillips' chest who was trying to clear, right into the path of former loanee Jack Midford 16 yards out, it really couldn't have fallen any better, who gave Luke Daniels no chance with a well struck shot.
There then followed a short period where the London side could have easily doubled their lead with Christian Jolley heading wide and then Daniels saving his team with Jolley again working his way into the area to only find the loanee West Brom goalkeeper's legs, brilliant work, and soon after he was quick off his line to stop Ricky Welland from making more of the chance.
So Southend survived, and only one down your always in the game, which they confirmed on the half-hour after a trademark run down the right from Sean Clohessy.
Down the touchline he went, his cross deflected towards the Dons goal and Brown could only parry out in to the path of Ryan Hall who volleyed home ball from close range to silence the boo boys for something he had done while at Bromley!
That's double figures for the recalled Ryan, not quite before Christmas as promised, but not bad!
AFC did not want to just fade away, that came later, and Luke Moore saw Daniels save well from his skimming shot, and with Midson ready to pounce on the rebound, the travelling faithful were happy to see the linesman's flag raised for offside.
Then the early bath for Jolley on the stroke of half time, a ridiculous two-footed challenge on Timlin that gave the annoying Kettle little choice but to show the Aldershot born boy a red card.
And six minutes after the break they took the lead after good work by the fully recovered Timlin, why he was booed when he was nearly cut in half was beyond me, who burst into the box but there seemed little danger but the ball was bouncing around, al la the problem with Phillips in the first half, (an uneven part of the pitch?), and suddenly it balloned into the back of the net, apparantly of another ex-Blue in Dons defender Jamie Stuart for an own goal, whatever Ryan thinks! Bizzare!
Hall was up for it as the boos were back, though a local plod told me what had happened, Ryan lobbing the ball back to the keeper in that Dons-Bromley game, and it went in, making it 2-2 in the 90th minute. (You tube action up later!)
Lots of local anger and Hall marked for life in the south-west of the capital. Not that it seemed to be bothering him, best game for weeks, and the old swagger was back when his 20-yarder fell just wide.
However, a third seemed inevitable and it came four minutes after the hour when Mark Phillips reminded us why he had already scored six goals already this campaign, as he rose brilliantly to head a right wing cross from Clohessy past Brown for No. 7; classic!
On 70 minutes, the Shrimpers brought on the soon-to-be out of contract Blair Sturrock for the yellow craded Hall, and eight minutes after that Kane Ferdinand replaced Ryan Leonard.
The New Years' Eve party at the Kingsmeadow was complete on 79 minutes when Stuart and Mitchel-King both failed to clear, and the experienced Neil Harris, from 12 yards ironically, hope that twat from earlier was still in the ground, spotted that Brown had wandered away from his line, and lobbed him, 4-1!
A sighting of another former Shrimper in striker Charles Ademeno, a Midson shot delt with well by Daniels, and captain Chris heading off the line from Wellard header, all as United took the foot of teh gas a touch, completed the excitement for the day and the Essex boys said farwell to 2011 still in third place, but a welcome eight-point gap from Oxford united in 8th place with a game in hand.
Bring on the Daggers, a birthday treat for me!
Southend player markings: Daniels - 7, Clohessy - 7, Phillips - 7, Barker - 7, Prosser - 6, Leonard - 5, Grant - 6, Kalala - 7, Timlin - 7, Hall - 8, Harris - 6.
Referee - Mr. T. Kettle - 6. (Think that's the first time I've given him over 5!)