SOUTHEND United were made to wait for their win at Eastleigh on Saturday – in more ways than one.

For not only did Bim Pepple’s match-winning strike come deep into added on time but the victory was also the Shrimpers’ first in the FA Cup in more than 1,000 days.

And the hard fought victory also saw Blues get back on track having previously suffered two defeats in succession.

Those defeats meant there was no hiding it had been a frustrating period for a Shrimpers team now in an unexpected transition period looking to rediscover its identity.

But there were positive glimpses from Southend at the Silverlake Stadium that the work-rate and determination, which had been a huge part of positive results in recent seasons, was back on display.

It wasn’t pretty but it very often isn’t at this level and it does not need to be either.

Put simply, Blues won at the weekend by producing a committed performance and digging deep when needed when other sides may have been settling for a replay.

Yes, there was an element of good fortune surrounding Pepple’s last gasp winner which somehow squirmed through the grasp of embarrassed Eastleigh goalkeeper Joe McDonnell.

But you often make your own luck in football and without the work-rate from Pepple to out-sprint and outmuscle his opponent McDonnell would not have been forced into action.

And the same can be said of the positivity Pepple showed in going for goal in the first place.

Many games involving National League teams can swing on the tiniest of margins and Saturday was no different.

Tyrese Shade had by far the best chance of the first half when he raced clean through on goal, only to see his shot impressively saved by the outstretched boot of Shrimpers shot-stopper Collin Andeng Ndi.

Had that gone in, the tie could well have gone in a completely different direction and this after-match analysis would probably have taken on a much different tone too.

But Andeng Ndi stood strong and there was no denying the importance of that save for a variety of reasons.

The stop kept the game goalless and ultimately led to helping Blues make it through to the first round of the competition for the first time since 2021.

But, perhaps even more importantly, it provided a much-needed positive moment for Andeng Ndi who has endured an indifferent start to the season.

The 21-year-old shot-stopper has been below his best between the sticks during the first real loss of form in his career.

Andeng Ndi has not been helped by the defence changing in front of him and he most certainly has not been helped by suffering abuse online either.

Blues boss Kevin Maher made a point of pushing Andeng Ndi towards the travelling supporters for his own cheer during the after-match celebrations and revealed after the game that the keeper had opted to delete his social media due to the abuse coming his way.

Now, nobody has an issue with opinions in football and criticism is part and parcel of the game too.

Being entirely honest, I wrote on these very pages a fortnight ago how Andeng Ndi may benefit from coming out of the side if a suitable replacement could be sought.

But there is never any excuse for subjecting a player from the team you support to any kind of over the top abuse for the way you feel they may be performing.

Offering critique is the beauty of football and, again being honest, I was slightly concerned by how Macauley Bonne played at the weekend.

But I would much rather focus on the positives.

Joe Gubbins was cool, calm and collected on his return to the back three while James Morton also played an important part in a midfield which had much better balance than in recent weeks.

Oli Coker played a key part where that was concerned and the importance of his return from an ankle injury which has kept him sidelined since late August cannot be emphasised enough.

Of course, Blues now need to build on the win and the basics of Saturday’s battling performance must be produced on a consistent basis.

But after a tough period and, after so long without an FA Cup win, sometimes it is nice to just take in the moment.

The celebrations which followed the late winner will live long in the memory.

However, the aim must now be to make sure the dramatic victory is the turning point of the season to ensure even more joyous scenes, just like Saturday’s.