Southend kept their footing in the League One play-offs, despite being pegged back in a 1-1 draw at home to Nottingham Forest.
Hal Robson-Kanu's first goal for the club looked to be the platform needed to take the three points, as the Blues made good on acclimatising to the windy conditions better than their opponents at Roots Hall.
But a second half goal from substitute Matt Thornhill put paid to such hopes, even though the Blues will look back on a succession of chances they failed to convert in their favour.
Southend made a bright start to the night with a surging run from Tommy Black allowing him to bypass the Forest midfield, before he set Robson-Kanu up with space on the edge of the box, but he could only arrow the ball over the top.
Robson-Kanu tried to turn provider with a teasing delivery from the left turned behind by Ian Breckin, but the danger wasn't over for the visitors, with Mark Gower's corner swirling towards goal and needing stationary goalkeeper Paul Smith to punch it to safety.
Forest provided little threat in the first half with only Julian Bennett offered a sight of goal when winning the ball from a corner and directing the ball narrowly past the left-hand post.
Eventually, Southend's pressure paid off in the 20th minute when they opened the scoring with a clever finish from Robson-Kanu, following off a simplistic move that worked like a charm.
Darryl Flahavan kicked the ball up field and James Walker was able to beat the attentions of Kelvin Wilson to the ball and flick it into the on-rushing path of Robson-Kanu, who did the rest with a calm and collective finish into the bottom corner of the net.
The Blues may well have ended the first half in a stronger position with Franck Moussa hitting the post from an acute angle and Peter Clarke forcing Smith to leap in the air to keep out his header.
Southend continued to hunt for the decisive second after the break with a Walker strike turned around the post by Smith, but gradually the momentum switched in Forest's favour.
With 64 minutes on the clock, Forest sprang forward and as Nathan Tyson sped down the left flank, his low cross was turned into the roof of the net by an unmarked Thornhill at the far post.
Tyson was a threat again, as he raced up field into a similar position before rifling a low shot inches wide of the left-hand post.
With the game reaching the closing stages, Southend made a gung-ho approach in attack with a threaded pass from Moussa allowing Gower to get beyond the defence, only for Smith to parry his shot before Julian Bennett cleared off the line.
Walker tried his luck with a curling shot not far off the target before Gower had the final chance with a rasping drive that caught Smith off guard, but even then was still turned over the top.
Southend: Flahavan, Francis, Clarke, Barrett, Mulgrew, Black, Bailey, Moussa, Gower, Robson-Kanu (Grant 75), Walker.
Nottingham Forest: Smith, Wilson, Morgan, Breckin, Perch, Holt (Tyson 46), Cohen, Clingan, Ormerod (McGugan 81), Agogo (Thornhill 46), Bennett.
