Southend ended a run of three successive draws with a 2-0 win against play-off chasing Rotherham at Roots Hall.
The Shrimpers, who had been beaten 5-0 by the Millers in August, went ahead after just seven minutes when Simon Cox played in Stephen McLaughlin to score with a neatly controlled left-footed shot.
Millers goalkeeper Lewis Price then stopped Marc-Antoine Fortune making it 2-0 when the striker was clean through on goal, before David Ball fired wide for the visitors on the stroke of half-time.
After the break, Rotherham stepped things up and Southend goalkeeper Mark Oxley denied Richie Towell from long range.
But the Shrimpers recovered strongly and doubled their lead in the 80th minute when Cox beat Semi Ajayi in the left-hand side of the penalty area before netting with a low shot for his first goal since Boxing Day.
The Millers still threatened, with Michael Smith having a header cleared off the line by McLaughlin before Towell hit the crossbar late on.
English League One Standings
POS | Team | GP | GD | PTS |
---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Wycombe Wanderers | 19 | +14 | 40 |
2 | Ipswich Town | 17 | +15 | 35 |
3 | Peterborough United | 18 | +17 | 31 |
4 | Rotherham United | 18 | +12 | 30 |
5 | Coventry City | 18 | +3 | 30 |
6 | Oxford United | 17 | +18 | 29 |
7 | Fleetwood Town | 16 | +9 | 29 |
8 | Blackpool | 18 | +5 | 29 |
9 | Bristol Rovers | 17 | +1 | 28 |
10 | Portsmouth | 17 | +8 | 27 |
11 | Sunderland | 17 | +5 | 26 |
12 | Burton Albion | 17 | +3 | 24 |
13 | Shrewsbury Town | 17 | -3 | 24 |
14 | Doncaster Rovers | 15 | +7 | 23 |
15 | Gillingham | 18 | 0 | 21 |
16 | Rochdale | 19 | -12 | 19 |
17 | Accrington Stanley | 18 | -4 | 18 |
18 | Lincoln City | 17 | -4 | 18 |
19 | AFC Wimbledon | 18 | -7 | 16 |
20 | Tranmere Rovers | 17 | -11 | 16 |
21 | Milton Keynes Dons | 18 | -14 | 13 |
22 | Southend United | 19 | -35 | 6 |
23 | Bolton Wanderers | 15 | -27 | 1 |
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