STEVE Tilson's lucky pre-match shirt looks set to get a whole lot filthier.

The superstitious Southend United manager will not wash his top until his side lose again at Roots Hall but on current form that looks unlikely to happen in the near future.

In fact, this evening the only thing that was nearly taken to the cleaners was Brighton as Blues easily brushed them aside with first half goals from Mark Gower and Adam Barrett, in the space of six minutes, securing a crucial 2-0 win.

That made it 11 games unbeaten for the fourth placed Shrimpers who started brightly and almost netted with two minutes on the clock when Lee Barnard headed over a left wing cross from Mark Gower.

Brighton then also almost opened the scoring when a mis-hit shot from Therry Racon rolled perfectly into the path of Glenn Murray but the forward could only scuff a close range shot at Darryl Flahavan.

The former Rochdale front-runner then fired a flick from Nicky Forster wide of the right post but in the 24th minute Blues broke the deadlock with a moment of magic from Gower.

The Shrimpers winger collected the ball from Simon Francis deep inside his own half, before advancing down the right flank and cutting inside past two Seagulls defenders The 29-year-old continued to run across the outside of the penalty area and unleashed a fantastic left foot shot from 20 yards into the bottom right hand corner of the net.

Gower then fired over from edge of the area and with the home-side still on top an inswinging right wing free-kick from Charlie Mulgrew then almost led to Southend doubling their advantage but keeper Michel Kuipers pulled off a stunning double save to deny his own defender Tom Elphick before also blocking Barnard's follow up effort with his legs.

But the Dutch custodian was left grasping thin air on the half hour mark as Gower teed up skipper Barrett to unleash a superb 20 yard shot, from the left hand side of the penalty area, into the roof of the net for his seventh goal of the season.

Blues carried that advantage into the half-time break and at the start of the second half Simon Francis headed Nicky Bailey's deep cross, from a short Gower corner, onto the roof of the net from a narrow angle at the back post.

In reply, Murray then rose to head a left wing corner from Dean Cox over the crossbar at the near post and with 55 minutes on the clock Cox fired wide of the left post from 20 yards with his left post after a neat piece of skill.

Having survived the slight scares , Southend hit back but their appeals for a penalty, following a mistimed Andrew Whing challenge on Gower inside the area, were waved away by referee Grant Hegley.

Brighton were now enjoying more of the ball and a bright down their right from Nicky Forster resulted in his low cross being deflected onto the top of the net by a sliding Nicky Bailey.

Cox then fired into the side netting from a narrow angle and in a bid to stop the Seagulls getting back into the game Blues boss Steve Tilson introduced Anthony Grant into the game in place of Tommy Black in the 73rd minute.

Seconds after the alteration, the Shrimpers almost made it 3-0 when a jinking run from Bailey ended with the midfielder having a low, left foot shot blocked by the legs of Kuipers from 12 yards.

His midfield partner Alan McCormck then blasted just over after a fine run through the centre of the pitch and in the dying minutes Grant headed a left wing cross from Gower over the South Stand goal.

Substitute Charlie MacDonald then also nodded the ball over the bar but it did not matter as Blues easily held out to record yet another win.