TOM Clifford bagged the winning goal on his 22nd birthday to fire Southend United to a 1-0 win at promotion chasing Newport County tonight.

Clifford bagged a deflected free-kick 16 minutes from time at Rodney Parade.

And the win was also enough to move Mark Molesley’s side off the bottom of the League Two table.

The match was played in freezing conditions but took a while to warm up as neither side registered a single shot on target in the first half.

However, six minutes into the second half, Newport threatened with Priestley Farquharson heading over a fine left wing cross from Ryan Haynes.

In a bid to make opportunities themselves moving forward, Shrimpers boss Molesley made his first change of the night in the 59th minute with Simeon Akinola replacing Greg Halford in attack.

Akinola dropped down onto the bench after suffering a hamstring injury last time out in the 5-1 defeat at Port Vale.

And, shortly after his introduction, Blues wasted a good opportunity to take the lead.

Timothee Dieng, who was making his 100th appearance for the Shrimpers, charged into the penalty area before playing in Ashley Nathaniel-George.

The winger had Akinola free to his right hand side but went for goal himself and saw his low effort blocked by the legs of Newport goalkeeper Nick Townsend.

Moments later, a fine right wing cross from Elvis Bwomono was well cleared by David Longe-King before Akinola headed Jason Demetriou’s left wing corner wide of the right post.

Blues were not to be denied though and, in the 74th minute, they made their spell of pressure count with set-piece specialist Clifford on target for the third time this season.

The game again came from a dead ball situation as the defender unleashed an effort from 25 yards out which deflected off the wall and flew into the centre of the goal.

The Shrimpers soon threatened again with Clifford teeing up Reeco Hackett-Fairchild only for Mickey Demetriou to get across and divert the effort wide of the right post.

A shell-shocked Newport soon replied with skipper Josh Sheehan sending an excellent opportunity wide of the left post.

Ryan Taylor then fired wide of the same upright after good defending from Shaun Hobson had delayed him unleashing an effort towards goal.

The Shrimpers responded by making their second substitution of the evening as centre-back Tyler Cordner replaced the attacking Hackett-Fairchild in a bid to shore things up at the back.

But Newport still threatened right at the death with an unmarked Nicky Maynard seeing his close range effort blocked by the boot of Mark Oxley as Blues dug deep to end a run of four successive defeats.

Southend United: Oxley, Bwomono, White, Hobson, Clifford, Demetriou, Dieng, Ferguson, Hackett-Fairchild (Cordner 89), Halford (Akinola), Nathaniel-George Substitutes not used: Seaden, Goodship, Howard, Acquah & K Taylor