IN a game where a strong wind proved problematic, Southend United eventually blew Gillingham aside with two Simon Cox goals in quick succession on Saturday.

With the gusty conditions behind them in the first half, Gillingham enjoyed periods of pressure and possession.

But the Kent club crucially failed to break the deadlock on their newly relaid pitch before the Shrimpers took control at the start of the second period with Cox scoring twice in the space of three minutes.

Cox broke the deadlock with a deflected left footed shot before doubling his tally with a fine finish following a powerful surge forward from Dru Yearwood.

The quick-fire brace continued Cox’s fantastic form in front of goal as he took his tally to five goals in his last five games.

Prior to that, the striker had netted just six times in his previous 29 outings but since working his way back onto the score-sheet against Fleetwood Town in mid-September the striker’s luck has started to change.

The forward had often been left frustrated in the final third and, towards the end of last season, he appeared to unselfishly sacrifice himself for the team by dropping deeper and working incredibly hard.

However, this time around Cox was clearly keen to make more of an individual impression and even hired a personal trainer while on a summer holiday in Dubai.

The striker also turned down offers from elsewhere to stay with the Shrimpers and spoke of his determination to impress.

But, despite the usual high work-rate, Cox’s season started slowly and he scored just once in his first 10 outings.

That, combined with the free-scoring form of Tom Hopper and the cup goals scored by Shawn McCoulsky, saw sections of the Shrimpers support criticise Cox and suggest he should not be selected.

However, Blues boss Chris Powell continued to stand by Cox who he stressed always did a good job for the team.

But Powell’s faith in the forward is now being rewarded as Cox’s intelligent play is currently resulting in him hitting the back of the net on a far more frequent basis.

Both of Cox’s goals were created by the fit-again Yearwood who is now also starting to get back to his best in the midfield.

The 18-year-old burst onto the scene last season before suffering a hamstring injury on the final day of the campaign.

The setback meant Yearwood was forced to drop out of England’s under-18 squad and also saw him miss the first 11 games of the current campaign.

However, the youngster has now featured in Blues’ last five games and Saturday was his strongest showing yet as his energy levels and aggression continually caught the eye along with his determined drive forward for the second goal.

But there were plenty of other positives for the Shrimpers, including the performance of Stephen Hendrie.

The Scotsman has failed to nail down a regular starting role since returning to Southend on a permanent basis at the start of last season and he actually ended the previous campaign on loan at Motherwell in pursuit of more first team opportunities.

But, on Saturday, Hendrie was handed his first Shrimpers start in the League in 10 months and he responded in professional fashion by producing a solid performance out of position.

Hendrie has been an attack-minded left-back throughout his career and selecting him in a more central role was a calculated gamble from Powell, especially as Blues were coming up against the awkward Tom Eaves.

But the Shrimpers defended doggedly both in the first half and late on when under pressure to secure their second clean sheet in succession and their third away victory in a row to five it match League One matches unbeaten.

As a result, Blues have now taken 13 points from the last 15 on offer during a positive run of results which has seen them work their way up to ninth in the League One table.

The return from injury of centre-back Harry Lennon was another plus point for the Shrimpers who will soon also be boosted by the return of other key players.

Those options could very well be needed during the tougher tests to come.

But right now Blues and their 1,037 travelling supporters are revelling in an upturn in fortunes and just a second win at Gillingham in the last 12 visits.