Latics earned their first back to back wins this season, and rose to 8th in League One, thanks to a seventy sixth minute penalty from Pawel Abbott, following a foul on Keigan Parker.

Parker had raced into the area and been dragged down by George Friend, before the Polish striker stepped up to smash the ball straight down the middle past former Latics 'keeper Steve Mildenhall.

There was some confusion before the game, with Southend naming only 6 substitutes, due to a vast collection of injuries, whilst Latics boss Dave Penney named the same starting eleven that beat Carlisle United last Saturday.

Blackburn loanee Alex Marrow returned to the squad, having overcome the illness which has already afflicted many members of the first team, but was forced to wait out much of the game on the substitute's bench.

The game got under way in glorious sunshine and Latics had the ball in the net after just 10 minutes, when neat play by Chris Taylor and Alan Sheehan, who were so productive against Carlisle, found Keigan Parker free 6 yards out.

The Scot mad no mistake in firing through the legs of the onrushing Mildenhall, but the Referee's Assistant was quick to raise his flag for offside.

In a scrappy contest Athletic were the side generating the better of the chances and less than after Parlers effort Pawel Abbott almost made the break through, his audacious chip from 40 yards tipped over by a full stretch Mildenhall.

From the resulting corner Mildenhall again saved the home side, this time from Rueben Hazell's header at the near post, which he was able to parry away under pressure from Whitaker.

Referee Hill disallowed a second goal in the game, on 41 minutes, when he adjudged Friend to have had hold of Gregan's shirt before he fired past Brill, from 4 yards out.

The second half started much as the first did, with an opening 10 minutes of scrappy and uneventful football, in front of 6,979 (171) at Roots Hall.

With the tie level at 0-0, on 57 minutes, Dave Penney replaced Joe Colbeck, who'd been ineffective for much of the game on the Latics right, with Alex Marrow.

Athletic played some exquisite possession football early in the second period, some neat one touch football back and forth across the edge of the Southend area allowed Alan Sheehan to unleash an unstoppable drive, which passed an inch over the bar with Steve Mildenhall well beaten.

Latics were again inches from taking the lead on 72 minutes, when Alex Marrow broke up the play on the half way line and sprinted forward, before laying the ball off to Keigan Parker on the overlap.

His ball-in was sliced an inch over the Southend bar by Grant, when it looked to the entire crowd he would fire into his own goal, with Abbott ready to pounce on the ball behind him.

However Athletic were not to be denied a deserved lead when they were awarded a penalty on 73 minutes.

For the second time in 5 minutes Parker broke into the right hand side of the area, before being dragged down by Friend half a yard short of the dead ball line.

Abbott stepping up to smash the ball straight down the middle of the goal, Mildenhall diving away to his right hand side.

Keigan Parker was replaced by Kieran Lee on 85 minutes, as Dave Penney looked to freshen the side up for the final 5 minutes, before an astonishing 4 minutes of time was added on by the officials, despite the goal being the only stoppage of note.

However a Dean Furman yellow card, for a lunching challenge on Moussa, was thankfully the only mark on the referee's notebook, despite the fact that Francis Laurent should have levelled the game.

Somehow, under little pressure, the substitute lifted the ball over the bar from 4 yards after fellow sub Freedman had set him free, 6 yards from goal.

Despite being forced to defend hard for the last ten minutes of the game 3 points was nothing less than Athletic deserved for an energetic and battling performance.

Check back with Latics Player later this evening for more post match analysis and exclusive interviews with several members of the Athletic team.