After three successive defeats for Southend there was a preview of how the home team might perform after a great second-half at Bury last weekend, and this time they kept it up for the whole 90 minutes, founded on the work of the excellent midfield trio of Simpson, Grant and Timlin.
As early as the fifth minute a great run by Josh Simpson down the right allowed him to swap passes with Sean Clohessy followed by a great cross that was chested into the back of the net by Blair Sturrock off the inside of the left-hand post.
Wow, we didn't see that coming, and we didn't see our much-criticised defence keeping the much vaunted Rotherham attack in their pockets for the majority of the game.
Well regarded Millers winger Nick Law did send a 20 yard free-kick over the bar, and their was the odd scary moment at the back for the Essex boys, but on the whole the United in Blue should have the points in the bag well before the end.
After 21 minutes the South Yorkshire side's loanee from Arsenal Mark Randall went off, another young Gunner finding the going tough in the lower leagues, we've had a few of them!
On the half-hour Sturrock shot just wide from the edge of the area, but soon after Anthony Grant was put through by a lovely pass from Michael Timlin, he hesitated a moment too long, a Millers defender charged in, and Snoop Dog's shot went wide, should have done better.
There was some occassional Rotherham pressure, usually from big punts up field along with several tough challanges, this was a Ronnie Moore side after all, that went unpunished by a leniant referee.
However, what did come his way was well dealt very well by newly confident Southend keeper Glenn Morris and a much safer looking back four in front of him, not taking away from the odd scary moment of madness mixed with brilliance from Bilel Moshni, what a find by Luggy there.
The first of a few Barry Corr misses came just before the break, no one is doubting his workrate along with his partner Blair, they have also been truly missed, yet you wonder where 20 goals are going to come from, shooting wide from six yards after partner Blair had hot the bar!
The second 45 started with Corr nooded wide from a much better Ryan Hall cross, some efforts in the first half were just terrible, but for all that great to see him preferred to Louie Soares for all his youthful enthusiasm.
Then Mohsni also also went past the left post with his head, following good work by Peter Gilbert.
This was followed by more Corr blimey, as there was only one team that looked like adding to the scoreboard, but Barry was doing his best to rob the faithful of leaving early, first by heading a Hall free-kick over the bar, then, far worse with only ten minutes left, put through by a marvelous Sturrock pass, one-on-one with the Millers keeper Andy Warrington, he allowed him to push it away for a, er, goal-kick, another error by a poor ref on the day.
Inbetween, Hall volleyed a left wing cross from the hard working Grant past the post.
A trio of substitutions saw defender Chris Barker limp off allowing Coughlan to get some match time after all, while Soares and Harry Crawford replaced Hall and a tireing Sturrock respectively, and it killed some time as the game entered five minutes of stoppage time.
It wasn't enough for the Millers to stop a deserved three points staying in Essex allowing it to be a not very scary Halloween weekend for the Shrimpers, who must now try and keep this level of play up for the trip to Cheltenham Tuesday evening and continue the welcome rise up the table.
Southend United Markings: Morris - 7, Clohessy - 7, Barker - 7 (Coughlan 80), Moshni - 8, Gilbert - 6, Simpson - 8, Grant - 8, Timlin - 8, Hall - 7 (Soares 86), Sturrock - 7 (Crawford 86), Corr - 6.
Referee: Mr. P. Crossley - 5.