CIAN Bolger and Stephen McLaughlin both bagged their first Southend United goals to secure the Shrimpers a fourth successive win with a 2-0 triumph against Newport County tonight.

The Irish duo scored either side of half-time to clinch an entertaining victory for Phil Brown’s side at Roots Hall.

And the well deserved win also kept alive Blues’ chances of automatic promotion.

Southend started the evening brightly and, after just two minutes, the recalled Joe Pigott sent a deflected 12 yard shot wide of the right post.

Moments later, Gary Deegan fired wide of the same upright from long range before Newport hit back with defender Andy Sandell unleashing a well struck 30 yard shot which Shrimpers’ goalkeeper Daniel Bentley parried to safety.

Southend immediately hit back with skipper John White coming agonisingly close to breaking the deadlock when he charged into the right hand side of the penalty area before slamming an angled effort against the outside of the right post.

With Blues remaining on top during a lively opening, Will Atkinson saw a deflected 16 yard shot impressively parried to safety by Newport goalkeeper Joe Day before the visiting shot-stopper denied Atkinson again, tipping away the midfielder’s well struck left footed shot from just inside the penalty box.

A free flowing move from the Shrimpers then resulted in a sliding Pigott volleying over McLaughlin’s left wing cross and, in the 34th minute, McLaughlin created an even clearer chance.

The on loan Nottingham Forest winger fired in an acrobatic centre from the left hand side of the penalty area but Jake Cassidy could only prod the ball over the crossbar from close range.

However, Southend finally made their pressure count right on the stroke of half-time when Atkinson’s right wing corner was met by a diving Bolger who sent a bullet higher into the roof of the net from 12 yards.

The effort was Bolger’s first since signing for the Shrimpers in the summer and was also the first netted by a Blues’ centre-back since John Egan scored at Scunthorpe United in March 2014.

The Shrimpers then doubled their lead six minutes into the second half when Deegan’s defence splitting past picked out McLaughlin who steadied himself well before netting a low, left footed shot from close range.

Blues initially remained on top after the second goal before Newport made a trio of substitutions, one of which led to David Tutonda entering the action and he almost got the visitors back into the game with a rising shot which struck the outside the right post.

Newport continued to enjoy more of the ball and, in the 68th minute, they again came close to getting back into the game when former Grays Athletic striker Aaron O’Connor somehow headed the ball against the right post with the goal gaping.

In a bid to improve, Blues boss Brown made a double substitution six minutes later with David Worrall replacing McLaughlin and Ryan Leonard coming on for Will Atkinson.

A third change soon followed with Jerome Binnom-Williams taking the place of the injured White the new look back four stood firm to secure a club record for Bentley who kept an 11th successive clean sheet at Roots Hall.