ONE minute of extraordinary excitement followed 91 minutes of minimal goalmouth action as Southend United continued their winning run in thrilling fashion with a 1-0 victory at Exeter City on Saturday.

Blues were well below par in the first half before slightly improving in the second.

But they still seemed to be heading for a 0-0 draw until Michael Timlin popped up to score a last gasp winner deep into stoppage time.

The midfielder’s well taken effort was fired home in front of the Shrimpers’ travelling supporters and was celebrated wonderfully by both players and fans who all realised the significance of the strike.

For not only did Timlin’s late winner secure Southend a fifth successive victory it also kept alive their chances of winning automatic promotion this season.

Phil Brown’s side remain fifth in the League Two standings but are now just three points behind third placed Wycombe Wanderers with a game in hand they play at fellow high-fliers Bury tomorrow night.

The match is therefore of major importance as the outcome will have a huge say on destiny the Shrimpers’ destiny this season.

Victory at Gigg Lane would see Southend move level on points with Wycombe heading into the remaining two matches of the season while defeat is likely to see them ending the campaign in the play-offs.

Much is therefore at stake against the Shakers and Southend could not be heading into the showdown in much better shape.

Saturday’s victory made it 15 points out of a possible 15 and means Blues have been beaten just once in their last 11 games.

Adding to that, they have now kept six clean sheets in succession, meaning they have gone 540 minutes without conceding a goal.

A blossoming partnership between Adam Barrett and Cian Bolger has been largely responsible for the superb defensive record in recent weeks and they again both stood firm against Exeter.

However, going forward Blues were not at their best and lacked any kind of spark until Brown’s trio of substitutions changed the game.

The Shrimpers chief has been criticised for his use of replacements at times this season, none more so than when his side last tasted defeat at table topping Burton Albion in mid-March.

But, on Saturday, Brown got it spot on with Jack Payne, Myles Weston and Barry Corr making a big impact after their introductions.

Payne provided the Shrimpers with a spark going forward, ensured they saw more of the ball in the final third of the pitch and also showed great composure to tee up Timlin’s match winning strike.

The in-form Corr added more aggression to the side to put increased pressure on a tiring defence while Weston, who has struggled to make much of an impression so far this season, also caught the eye with his pace and direct running in the closing stages.

Brown will now be hoping his forthcoming changes can make a similar impact in the final few games of the season and his future being decided should also enable everything to be focused on the push for promotion.

Rumours linking the Blues boss to Portsmouth amid the uncertainty surrounding his new contract could have come as a slight distraction, especially for players whose own deals expire at the end of the current campaign.

But with Brown adamant the contract will soon be signed, everything is geared towards continuing the fabulous winning run which has kept the Shrimpers in touch with the top three.

The manner of Saturday’s victory will also have increased the belief that maybe automatic promotion is meant to be for Blues this season.

And everyone connected with the club will now be hoping the wild scenes which followed Timlin’s late winner can be the sign of things to come.