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 | Wigan Athletic | 46 | +38 | 92 |
2 | Rotherham United | 46 | +37 | 90 |
3 | Milton Keynes Dons | 46 | +34 | 89 |
4 | Sheffield Wednesday | 46 | +28 | 85 |
5 | Sunderland | 46 | +26 | 84 |
6 | Wycombe Wanderers | 46 | +24 | 83 |
7 | Plymouth Argyle | 46 | +20 | 80 |
8 | Oxford United | 46 | +23 | 76 |
9 | Bolton Wanderers | 46 | +17 | 73 |
10 | Portsmouth | 46 | +17 | 73 |
11 | Ipswich Town | 46 | +21 | 70 |
12 | Accrington Stanley | 46 | -19 | 61 |
13 | Charlton Athletic | 46 | -4 | 59 |
14 | Cambridge United | 46 | -18 | 58 |
15 | Cheltenham Town | 46 | -14 | 56 |
16 | Burton Albion | 46 | -16 | 53 |
17 | Lincoln City | 46 | -8 | 52 |
18 | Shrewsbury Town | 46 | -4 | 50 |
19 | Morecambe | 46 | -31 | 42 |
20 | Fleetwood Town | 46 | -20 | 40 |
21 | Gillingham | 46 | -34 | 40 |
22 | Doncaster Rovers | 46 | -45 | 38 |
23 | AFC Wimbledon | 46 | -26 | 37 |
24 | Crewe Alexandra | 46 | -46 | 29 |
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