Cheltenham Town ground out another important point in their battle for Coca-Cola League One survival but could have had more.
Play-off chasing Southend deserved something from the game but they were behind for a long time after Steve Brooker's 25th minute opening goal.
Midfielder Nicky Bailey fired Southend level 16 minutes from time and although a draw was probably the fair result on the balance of play, both sides needed the extra two points for their respective aims at either end of the table.
Robins boss Keith Downing made two changes to the side that started last weekend's game at AFC Bournemouth. The alterations were to the wide midfield areas with Ashley Vincent (right) and Damian Spencer (left) replacing Michael D'Agostino and Andy Lindegaard.
With Scott Brown unavailable due to suspension it gave a chance for midfielder Ben Gill to return to the squad as a substitute.
The opening stages provided some untidy fare with Steven Gillespie of Cheltenham and Nicky Bailey of Southend finding themselves booked within the opening 12 minutes for late tackles.
The first meaningful chance arrived in the 14th minute when Spencer was penalised for a tackle on Bailey 25 yards from goal. Left-back Charlie Mulgrew cleverly swerved the ball around the defensive wall but Shane Higgs got across to claw it aside for a corner.
The game entered a calm phase for around 10 minutes but this was shattered by a brilliant piece of individual skill from Gillespie in the 25th minute.
Gillespie won the ball off Southend right-back Simon Francis on the half-way line and burst between two defenders, charging forward with a turn of pace down the left-hand side. Gillespie got all the way to the byline and when his low centre evaded goalkeeper Darryl Flahavan, Steve Brooker was there to score with a tap-in and register his third goal in the last three games.
Cheltenham had to work hard defensively in the minutes immediately following the goal as Southend stormed back in search of an equaliser with wide men Tommy Black and Mark Gower prominent in most of their attacking moves.
But the Robins were able to keep things locked up until half-time, the only chances for the visitors being shots by Francis and Walker that both cleared the crossbar by some distance.
Gillespie went close right at the start of the second half with a cheeky lob from distance that landed just over the crossbar, that being only Cheltenham's second actual shot of the game.
Nicky Bailey sent two shots over the crossbar for the visitors and Shane Duff almost caught out Flahavan with a boot at goal from just inside the centre circle.
Cheltenham were playing a counter-attacking game, defending in numbers but looking to use the pace of Gillespie and Vincent with the hold-up play of Brooker on the break.
Jerry Gill, without a first team goal since joining the club in 2004, forced Flahavan to hold a long-range shot then substitute Michael D'Agostino, on for Vincent just past the hour mark, saw a torpedo of a right-foot shot blocked by Southend captain Adam Barrett with Flahavan stranded.
In came the corner from Bird and when Brooker met it with a far post header, Flahavan was forced to dive to his left and make a reflex save.
Cheltenham could have done with one of those chances going in because Southend stepped up the pace with 20 minutes left and Alan Wright was forced to head a cross from Gower out from under his own crossbar.
Southend's Alan McCormack went into referee Russell Booth's book for a foul on D'Agostino but moments later, Southend got back on level terms.
Higgs was unable to reach Gower's cross from the left, Walker's shot from a 45 degree angle bounced out to Bailey on the edge of the box and his low shot went in off the base of the right-hand post.
Cheltenham tried to respond by mounting a series of attacks but there was no way past a well organised Southend defence. In fact, it was the visitors from Essex who almost grabbed a late winner when Barrett headed a Gower corner just over the crossbar.
CHELTENHAM TOWN (4-4-2): Higgs; J.Gill, Gallinagh, Duff, Wright; Vincent (D'Agostino 61), Bird, Armstrong, Spencer (Lindegaard 90); Brooker, Gillespie. Subs not used: S.P.Brown (Gk), Connor, B.Gill
SOUTHEND UNITED (4-4-2): Flahavan; Francis, Clarke, Barrett, Mulgrew; Black (Harrold 79), McCormack, Bailey, Gower; Barnard, Walker. Subs not used: Collis (Gk), Hunt, Moussa, Grant
REFEREE: R.J. Booth (Nottinghamshire)
ATTENDANCE: 3,859