League One top scorer Lee Barnard put a smile on the faces of everyone at crisis club Southend with an injury-time winner against Gillingham in a 1-0 victory.

The Blues are due in the High Court next week over a tax bill of £690,000 million. But those worries were temporarily forgotten when Banard tapped into an empty net from six yards after Simon Francis' long cross had been headed back across goal by Alan McCormack.

It was tough luck on former Shrimpers goalkeeper Simon Royce, who otherwise had a good night between the sticks.

But the 38-year-old keeper saved his best to superbly turn over a 25-yard Simon Francis shot.

The Gills had a John Nutter free-kick ruled out for shirt-pulling before Andy Barcham saw his effort headed off the line by Southend skipper Adam Barrett.

And Mark Bentley fired over from six yards following a free-kick from six yards that saw every Southend player lined up on the goal-line.