Southend secured their spot in the League One play-offs after a last minute goal from Lee Barnard handed them an impressive 2-1 win at Carlisle United.
It put the seal on a fast and furious encounter and saw the Blues continue their remarkable run of form to extend their unbeaten run to 13 games and inflict a rare home defeat on Carlisle.
The action was end to end, as a long punt forward by goalkeeper Keiren Westwood almost put Danny Graham in the clear, but the defence was able to track back in time to help deflect his low strike wide of the right-hand post.
It was Southend who took the lead inside seven minutes though with Charlie Mulgrew curling a delightful free kick into the far corner of the net from 25 yards out.
The ball deceived everyone, as the Scotsman swung it in with his left foot through a crowd of bodies for his first goal for the club.
Southend looked sharp and incisive in the early exchanges, but Graham thought he had equalised for the hosts only to have his close range effort ruled out for offside.
A marauding run from Tommy Black saw him cut in from the right flank and arrow two strikes at goal that were both blocked; the latter a vital stop from David Raven inside his own penalty box.
Mark Gower kept up the pressure with a vicious shot from distance, which needed Westwood at full stretch to push the ball around his post.
The Blues continued to get forward at every opportunity with Lee Barnard racing inside the box, but only able to shoot straight at Westwood, before James Walker was inches away from connecting with Gower's cross in front of goal.
Southend had been the better team during the first half and were full value for their lead, but were pegged back just seven minutes into the second half when Carlisle levelled through a free kick of their own.
It was a strange goal to concede in the least, as positioned near the corner flag Simon Hackney somehow managed to curl the ball past Darryl Flahavan at his near post, with the goalkeeper appearing to be unsighted by the presence of Scott Dobie in front of him.
The tide began to turn in Carlisle's favour and Flahavan had to make a precise block to deny Graham, as the striker roamed in on goal.
A counter forward from Southend involved some swift passing that allowed Walker to hand Gower an opening, but his shot was deflected over.
Yet Carlisle were reduced to 10 men in the 67th minute after the referee deemed Raven's sliding tackle on Nicky Bailey to be a red card offence, but they still almost took the lead with Graham somehow heading wide from a couple of yards out.
In an attempt to up the ante, Simon Francis raced into the box, but missed the chance to cut the ball back inside the box, as he instead ballooned it up and over.
Barnard fizzed an ambitious effort narrowly off target and then went as close as you like when his delicate shot cannoned off the inside of the post and rolled agonisingly across the line.
The numerical advantage eventually paid off though with Barnard not to be outdone a third time, as he met Gower's left wing cross at the far post to head in his ninth goal of the season.
Immediately though, Barrett needed to make a crucial body block to deny Dobie inside the box, but the Blues held out to secure a dramatic win that guarantees their place in the top six.
Southend: Flahavan, Francis, Clarke, Barrett, Mulgrew, Black (Revell 80), McCormack, Bailey, Gower, Walker, Barnard.
Carlisle: Westwood, Raven, Bridge-Wilkinson, Livesey, Lumsdon, Graham (Thirlwell 83), Hackney, Reid (Murphy 46), Horwood, Smith (Madine 46), Dobie.
