TOWN have hung on for a 2-1 win over Southend at the County Ground.

Scott Cuthbert gave the home side the lead after 20 minutes as the hosts failed to clear a Jon-Paul McGovern free kick.

The visitors were then reduced to 10 men as Jean-Francois Christophe was shown his second yellow card after 34 minutes.

Substitute Tope Obadeyi made it 2-0 with a close-range strike with 11 minutes left before Damien Scannell got one back for Southend soon after.

Here are the key moments from today's game.

8 mins: Jean-Francois Lecsinel sends a weak back pass to David Lucas and the Town goalkeeper slides in just ahead of Alex Revell to clear the ball into touch.

10 mins: Jon-Paul McGovern lifts a free kick well over from 30 yards.

12 mins: Revell heads a deep cross back across goal but does not find a team-mate to finish off the chance.

15 mins: Viisiting skipper Adam Barrett tries his luck from distance but the ball dribbles a yard wide.

16 mins: Lee Barnard swivels in the area and saw his stinging volley tipped over by Lucas.

19 mins: Anthony McNamee swings in a free kick from the left and Lecsinel heads powerfully wide, with the hosts appealing for a corner.

20 mins: Another free kick on the left and this time it is McGovern that delivers. He sends in the free kick and the ball is headed straight to Scott Cuthbert at the back post, who drills across Mildenhall to open the scoring.

26 mins: Simon Ferry makes a crucial flying challenge to deny Frank Moussa a shot at goal from just inside the area.

28 mins: A bit of nonsense on edge of area at a free kick leads to Lecsinel and Jean Yves M'Voto receiving a yellow card apiece.

34 mins: Southend are aggrieved at not gettng a free kick on the right flank and Christophe, booked for a challenge minutes earlier, is shown a second yellow for his protests.

38 mins Barrett heads well wide after rising highest for a cross.

38 mins: McNamee finds space on the flank and drills in a cross-shot which Paynter skies on the stretch, but the Town front man was offside anyway.

46 mins: Amankwaah flicks on a long ball but the angle is too tight for Paynter and his cross-shot flies across goal.

47 mins: Moussa, who has exchanged his own shirt for Christophe's, smacks straight into the arms of Lucas from range.

56 mins: A McGovern corner leads to a game of head tennis in the area and Town skipper Gordon Greer eventually stabs a shot that is saved by Mildenhall.

57 mins: Southend have a decent shout for a penalty as Moussa goes down under the challenge of Cuthbert, but the referee is not interested.

74 mins: A Moussa corner finds Barrett, but the delivery is just too high for him and he can only direct his header wide.

79 mins: Tope Obadeyi doubles the lead after Jean Yves M'Voto loses possession on the edge of the area. Southend thought there was an infringement but Obadeyi carried on and his shot squirmed under the diving Mildenhall to make it 2-1.

81 mins: Town have let the visitors back into it as substitute Damien Scannell strokes home a crisp strike into the roof of the net from just inside the area.

90 mins: Francis lifts well over the bar from range as Southend desperately search for an equaliser.

90+3mins: Obadeyi sees his shot repelled by Mildenhall when he really should have made it 3-1.

TOWN: Lucas, Amankwaah, Cuthbert, Greer (c), Jean-Francois, McGovern, Ferry, Douglas, McNamee, Hutchinson, Paynter

Substitutes: Smith (GK), Timlin (Ferry, 77), Morrison, Kennedy, O'Brien (McNamee, 69), Macklin, Obadeyi (Hutchinson 63)

SOUTHEND: Mildenhall, Francis, Barrett (c), M'Voto, White, Grant, McCormack, Christophe, Moussa, Barnard, Revell

Substitutes: Heath, Walker, Scannell (Barnard, 70) Sankofa, Freedman, Betsy, Laurent (Revell, 70)