IN the grand scheme of things, Southend United’s 2-1 win against Lincoln City will ultimately count for very little this season.

But try and tell that to anyone associated with the Shrimpers on Saturday.

For, after months of misery, a succession of humiliating home defeats and below par performances, Blues finally bagged a victory at Roots Hall.

And, after a 272 day wait for a home success, the ecstasy which greeted Elvis Bwomono’s last-gasp winner was easy to understand.

After all, the season so far has been nothing short of horrific and, prior to Saturday’s success, the Shrimpers had triumphed just twice in 27 games and sat 15 points from safety having conceded more goals than any other club in the country.

In fact, even this week there had been cause for more concern as Blues failed to add to their squad before the closure of the transfer window, during which eight players had departed.

The most influential – Tom Hopper – was back with Lincoln at the weekend.

But, despite the pre-match fears and Blues having just seven senior players available, what ultimately transpired was one of the most memorable Southend victories in recent times.

For 90 minutes gone was the pain and frustration and, at long last, it was enjoyable to watch the Shrimpers again.

Supporting Blues, no-one expects an unbeatable season or even always the best of performances.

What is always required is effort, enthusiasm and endeavour and a young Southend side had that in bucket loads on Saturday.

And that made it a memorable day for the club’s academy, which is superbly headed up by Ricky Duncan.

Duncan and an array of coaches have helped transform Blues’ youth set-up and 11 of the matchday squad on Saturday came through the club’s academy.

Both goalscorers – Charlie Kelman and Bwomono – were among those to work their way through the ranks at Roots Hall.

But there were success stories all over the park.

Left-back Tom Clifford – who has been with Blues since the age of eight – was handed his first start and responded by producing an incredibly impressive performance.

Further forward, Harry Phillips – another to have been with the Shrimpers since a very young age – again showed glimpses of his talent in the centre of the park.

Miles Mitchell-Nelson also came off the bench for his first team debut along with 16-year-old Kenny Coker who is currently in Year 11 at school and has yet to take his GCSEs.

But, while the youngsters deservedly earned the attention and hit the headlines, the more experienced players also played a pivotal part.

The only downside to the day were the injuries suffered to Phillips and John White, both of which looked quite serious.

White is believed to have suffered a broken arm for the third time in the past 10 months while Phillips will today undergo further assessments on his knee.

Those setbacks further expose a depleted squad which, despite Saturday’s welcome win, still needs to be strengthened.

Blues remain in talks with goalkeeper Ted Smith as well as two other transfer targets who were able to negotiate their exits from Macclesfield Town last week.

More additions would increase the chances of the Shrimpers being able to build on Saturday’s win and help to enable them to slowly start moving in the right direction.

Tougher tests will soon lie in store as Lincoln - who have lost more away games than anyone else in League One - looked rather ordinary against Blues.

But, despite that, the Shrimpers still had to show good character to come out on top as the Imps seemed to have secured a share of the spoils just a minute from time when Harry Anderson headed home.

At that stage, Blues seemed set for yet more misery and so did their long-suffering supporters who deserve immense praise for the way they have continued to back their side.

However, for once, it went the way of the Shrimpers and there was no more deserving match winner than Bwomono, who has been Southend’s most consistent performer this season.

The defender headed home the first League goal of his career to seal all three points and Blues must now dig in to try and restore the pride which has been lost this season.