From the side that started the 0-0 draw with Macclesfield Easter Monday Blues boss Paul Sturrock decided to bring back Kane Ferdinand in midfield for Lee Sawyer, while up front Blair Sturrock took the place of Harry Crawford in a match where both sides were on the back of four match unbeaten runs so a draw was a good bet, and sure enough, it was former Southend loanee from Wolverhampton Wanderers Scott Malone who made sure the Brewers left Roots Hall with a point and a place confirmed in the Football League next season!
Centre-back, and sometime left-back, Chris Barker was announced as the Southend United player-of-the-year for his consistent and sometimes outstanding displays in a defence that struggled early on but one that if it remains far more injury free than we've seen will be tough to break down next time around. (With a week to go CB is already well ahead in the S24 voting as well, go here to make you're choice: www.southendunited-mad.co.uk/interactive/voting_polls.asp.)
At first it didn't look as if Burton would leave with anything in only the third minute, with a few strugglers having stayed a touch longer in the pub than they should have done still not in their seats, Ryan Hall, who else, sent over a corner from the left and as Captain Craig Easton made sure a couple of Albion defenders had their minds on him, top scorer Barry Corr was left on his own to stoop low and head home from eight yards for his 21st goal of the campaign. A well-rehearsed move that has come off a few times for the Essex boys.
This was followed up by some bright attacking play by the Shrimpers who looked likely to at this early stage to follow up with a second, Easton's deflected volley going close, then Corr's 20-yarder was fumbled by Burton keeper Adam Legzdins but his left-back, and S24 Brewer-to-watch, Aaron Webster, made sure the ball was cleared and not spinning back into the goal!
However, at last the Staffordshire side realised that defeat could mean their relegation fears going on for another week and on the half way mark of the first period raised their game; first, Shrimpers shot stopper Glenn Morris making an excellent save from Greg Pearson's effort from only eight yards out.
Second, and more decisively, left-back turned left-winger Scott Malone, who I'd forgotten was even playing for the Brewers and let's face it, did bugger all for us in his 17 games last term, became Ryan Giggs on 28 minutes and skipping around Blues defenders with ease struck superbly passed Morris from 12 yards, the first time the former Orient keeper had been beaten at the home of football for 460 minutes!
United were not helped by midfielder Anthony Grant limping off on 41 minutes, to be replaced by Lee Sawyer.
Not surprisingly the away side were now enjoying increased possession with Jaques Maghoma trying his luck from 25 yards out just before the break testing Morris.
The second half begun well for the Shrimpers with a low cross from the right by Sean Clohessy who found centre-back Bilel Mohsni, who was having a bizzare match, but his effort was kept out by the legs of Legzdins!
Then a downward header by Corr struck Brewers defender Darren Moore who was relieved to see the ball go inches over his own bar!
Up the other end a poor clearance by Mohsni, not his first, found Maghoma who, on one his last actions of the game, struck another long ranger to see it go inches wide of the right post.
With the French Tunisian defender looking likely to do something stupid at the back Luggy decided to move him out of harm's way into a striking role after making a substitution with 12 minutes left on the clock, Graham Coughlan for Craig Easton, earlier Harry Crawford had replaced Blair Sturrock.
A strange incident on 84 minutes that ended up with Maghoma seeing red for making an obscene gesture and a few obscene words towards those good-natured Southend supporters in the East stand!
This led almost immediately to Corr, who led the line well without any reward, forcing Legzdines to make a double save that kept the scores level.
In the third minute of stoppage time the referee decide to even things up on the pitch and give Sawyer a second yellow for an innocuous challenge on Albion's John McGrath but there was little action after that, in fact there was little in the whole 45 minutes as Burton closed the match down to make sure they will be seeing League action at the Pirelli Stadium for 2011/12 and your correspondent will get another decent pub crawl in, there's a good reason why they are nicknamed the Brewers!
For the Shrimpers it was a lap of honour where Bilel looked as if he was trying to enter the Guinness book of records for shaking the hands of more fans than at any time in the history of the football league while Burton players went to receive the applause of their travelling faithful for a decent job done.
So on to Wycombe next Saturday for the final action of a league season that has ended up far better than many predicted last summer and optimism for the future remains relatively high, for now!
Southend player markings: Morris - 7, Clohessy - 6, Mohsni - 5, Barker - 7, Prosser - 4, Ferdinand - 5, Grant - 6 (Sawyer 41 - 5), Easton - 6 (Coughlan 78 - 6), Hall - 6, Sturrock - 5 (Crawford 66 - 5), Corr - 8.
Referee - Mr. R. Madley - 6.