Referee Simon Hooper was a new face to Edgar Street, and the longer it takes him to make a return journey the better.
Hooper capped an inept display by handing out one of the worst penalty decisions ever witnessed to hand three points to Southend in a match neither side deserved to win. The 432 travelling supporters in an unsurprisingly low crowd of 2,663 celebrated at the end like they'd won the cup, while Bulls coach John Trewick stormed 50 yards across the pitch to confront the hapless official who was branded a cheat by the home support.
The gap to safety remains eight points, with 12 games to go.
Full report later.