However, despite their poor home record in the League, Steve Tilson's Southend side were still odds-on favourites to overcome the non-leaguers oin their own patch, but a determined performance from the Seadogs, who overwhelmed United with their five-man midfield, fully deserved their chance to take the tie back to the McCain Stadium.

Southend were back to full strength following the 1-0 home defeat against Oxford United six days earlier with Tes Bramble, Mark Gower and Jay Smith all returning from suspension, and with the returning trio giving the home side a boost it was Southend who started the brighter of the two sides and Neil Jenkins had already scuffed a shot off target following a Duncan Jupp cross before, in the tenth minute, the Third Division side took the lead. Gower's right flank corner was flicked on by the head of Leon Cort and Smith got down low to superbly turn and volley a shot past goalkeeper Leigh Walker and into the bottom right hand corner of the North Bank net.

Southend really should have gone on from that early goal to extend their advantage, but something just wasn't clicking and United found it hard to keep possession of the ball with Scarborough biting at Shrimpers heels every second. The Yorkshire side werte determined to win every ball, and unfortunately for their Essex rivals, on almost every occasion they did so.

However, Bramble came close to a second when he knocked the ball just wide of the near post after a fine move involving Jenkins and Leon Constantine.

The visitors first chance arrived on 22 minutes when Wayne Gill smashed a shot well off target from the edge of the penalty area before a fine Jenkins run and pass saw Bramble touch the ball back to Gower who drove a fierce effort over the top of Walker's crossbar.

However the turning point of the match arrived about eight minutes before half time when referee Brian Curson failed to ward the Shrimpers a penalty when Bramble was violently barged to the ground by Steve Baker, and then as a direct result of the foul Bramble had to make way for Drewe Broughton seconds before half time with what looked like an ankle injury.

The second half then saw almost complete domination from the visitors from the Conference, although the first real opportunity didn't arrive until sixty seconds after the hour mark when Darryl Flahavan made a great diving save to push Ashley Sestanovich's curling effort around the post. However within moments the same player caused somewhat of a controversial moment when he knocked the ball out of Flahavan's hands and poked into an unguarded net. Referee Curson blew up for a foul but Sestanovich claimed that Flahavan only had the ball in one hand and to be honest he may well have had a point.

Then, on 75 minutes, the equaliser which had been coming for half an our finally arrived. Sestanovich - a loanee from Sheffield United and the hero at Vale Park - knocked a neat pass into the path of Clint Marcelle who in turn touched the ball back to Scott Kerr who placed a neat low finish past Flahavan and into the bottom right hand corner from 15 yards.

Southend, obviously shaken by the equaliser then suddenly burst into some kind of life and had a second spot kick appeal turned down when Colin Cryan appeared to handle a Gower centre, but as Curson waved away the shouts United were left seeking an opportunity from open play. Constantine's 25 yard curling shot brought the best out of Walker before Smith fired acrobatically over the top from lively substitute Michael Kightly's cross.

However, it was the visitor's who could have stolen the tie late on when firstly Tristram Whitman shot over after a speedy run and then the same player, on as a late substitute, saw his snapshot well held by Flahavan.

In the end Southend can actually count themselves quite lucky to even be in the Fourth Round draw, which will be made at one o'clock Monday lunchtime, but they have another chance at the McCain Stadium on Wednesday, 14th January.