Southend were caught cold on their return to action after a spell of freezing weather as Eastleigh claimed a 3-1 Vanarama National League win at Roots Hall.

Charlie Carter forced Shrimpers goalkeeper Blondy Nna Noukeu to make one of two critical errors in the 32nd minute, with Alfie Lloyd following up after the ball was spilled back into the danger zone.

Carter doubled the lead after play-off chasing Southend struggled to clear a long throw into the box in the 72nd minute, but the hosts soon rallied and halved the deficit when Harry Cardwell found the back of the net following good work from Rhys Murphy.

But it was not to be as Nna Noukeu somehow failed to deal with a sighter from substitute JJ McKiernan that squirmed past him with four minutes remaining.

Don't miss a moment with our Saints morning briefing email.

A message from the Editor

Thank you for reading this article on the Daily Echo. Your support means we can bring you the latest breaking news, exclusive Saints features and coverage - and much more.

Digital subscribers get unrestricted access to all of our stories, our dedicated app including e-version of the newspaper, and an advertising-light website.

If you want all the latest articles delivered straight to your inbox you can join the thousands of subscribers who are signed up to our newsletters.

They include our popular daily morning news briefing, breaking news, crime and court, and Southampton FC bulletins - plus business, heritage and our what's on newsletters.