Southend climbed into the League One play-offs on the back of securing their fourth successive win at Roots Hall after a 2-0 defeat of Luton.
Nicky Bailey's 11th goal of the season got the ball rolling in the first half, before James Walker finally made sure of the three points by scoring with virtually the last kick of the game.
Luton had an early chance to steal a march on Southend when Steve Robinson's free kick was played forward to Keith Keane, who in turn crossed for an unmarked David Bell, but from in front of goal, he miss hit the ball when shaping to shoot.
Slowly but surely Southend got into their own rhythm of play, but while free-flowing football was hard to muster, chances did fall the way of the hosts.
Tommy Black met Simon Francis' cross at the back post, only for a deflection to send his header around the post, but it was from the resultant corner where the Blues should have taken the lead.
In fact, they had three chances to do just that, as Mulgrew and Hal Robson-Kanu both had low shots cleared off the line, before Francis had a final bite of the cherry when he struck a fierce volley from a tight angle that Brill blocked to safety.
The opening goal arrived in the 37th minute though, when Black cut in from the right and drilled the ball towards goal, where Bailey was on hand to stab in from close range.
Black could have added his own name to the score sheet just before half-time, when he met Charlie Mulgrew's in-swinging cross from the left, with a forceful header that only a brilliant one-handed save from Brill kept out.
Richard Jackson made a vital invention at the far post to deny Mark Gower scoring after the break, while shortly after Franck Moussa rose to meet the winger's cross from the right, but could only direct his header straight at Brill.
Luton rarely threatened, with a Chris Perry header sailing into the arms of Darryl Flahavan, although Peter Clarke's slip in bringing the ball out nearly presented Calvin Andrew with the chance to score, only for an excellent last ditch tackle from Damian Scannell clearing the danger.
Matters could have been played out in more of a comfort zone, as we reached the closing stages with Gower and Walker exchanging passes outside the box, to allow the former to race through, only to crack his shot on to the left-hand post.
Yet Walker had the last word by taking advantage, as Brill struggled to deal with a back pass and kicked the ball straight into his path, leaving the striker to punish the mistake, as he slotted home his second goal for Southend into an empty net.
Southend: Flahavan, Francis, Clarke, Barrett, Mulgrew, Black, Bailey, Moussa (Grant 82, Hunt 90), Gower, Robson-Kanu (Scannell 74), Walker.
Luton: Brill, Jackson, Perry, Keane, Spring, McVeigh, Bell, Goodall, Robinson (Charles 62), Furlong (Parkin 81), Talbot (Andrew 72).
