Southend were made to fight every inch of the way before beating 10-man Hartlepool 3-2 at Roots Hall.
Hosts hang on to boost play-off hopes
Southend were made to fight every inch of the way before beating 10-man Hartlepool 3-2 in their League One clash.
Goalkeeper Arran Lee-Barrett was sent off for bringing down Theo Robinson as he chased a long ball from Franck Moussa.
Lee Barnard converted the penalty in the 17th minute and moments later Franck Moussa scored a spectacular second when, following a blistering run from inside his own half, he found the net with a low drive from the edge of the box.
Hartlepool got back into the game when Joel Porter was successful from the penalty spot in the 32nd minute after he himself had been upended by Damian Scannell.
Southend scored a third just before the break through Robinson but if they thought they would be able to coast it in the second half, they were sadly mistaken.
Hartlepool displayed great spirit and pulled one back in the 62nd minute when Richie Jones provided the finishing touch to a cross from Andy Monkhouse. But Southend hung on to celebrate their 10th victory from their last 13 games to keep alive their hopes of forcing their way into the promotion play-offs.
