Southend United and Torquay did their best to send both sets of supporters to sleep during a low-key opening to Tuesday night's FA Cup first round replay at Roots Hall.

After a slug-like start to the game, Blues finally stirred the watching fans out of their slumber as striker Ben Abbey turned smartly on the edge of the box and had a shot deflected over the bar on 17 minutes.

And the hitman nearly got the spectators out of their seats a few second later when he met a right-wing corner from Scott Forbes on the volley at the far-post, only for Torquay's teenage debutant fullback Simon Lyons to block the effort on the goal-line.

But the game soon slipped back into its cheerless lull with Torquay having to wait until the 35th minute to finally register an effort on goal as front-runner Tony Bedeau half-hit an 18-yard shot off the mark, which Blues keeper Darryl Flahavan easily gathered.

A minute later, Torquay boss Wes Saunders hauled off striker Habib Sissoko in favour of another Frenchman, Jules Mendy, and the sub was denied a certain goal almost immediately after entering the fray.

Southend midfielder Kevin Maher surrendered possession in the centre of the park with a poor square pass, which Torquay defender Steve Tully prodded into the Shrimpers box for Mendy to chase, but Blues stopper Leo Roget denied the forward with a sliding tackle.

Torquay were beginning to take the upper hand and on 40 minutes another French import, midfielder Khalid Chalqi, hit a close range shot wide after Forbes had fluffed his clearance.

But midfielder Russell Williamson soon replied as he burst into the Torquay penalty area and unleashed a blistering 16-yard drive, which Gulls keeper Stuart Jones turned over the bar.

Before the restart, Shrimpers boss David Webb replaced head wound victim Martyn Booty with David McSweeney, after the right-back had hurt himself in a challenge with Torquay defender Matt Hockley.

McSweeney, who enjoyed a composed performance, flung over a superb cross from the right-flank after 47 minutes which Carruthers looked favourite to meet, but Hockley intervened with a well-timed header.

And the 19-year-old was in the thick of the action at the other end of the pitch with 50 minutes gone as he cleared a dangerous cross from Bedeau past the right-post. Lyons tested Flahavan with a 30-yard drive soon after.

Southend took the lead after 58 minutes following a piece of dreadful defending from Torquay's sloth-like centre-half Jimmy Aggrey.

The giant made a complete hash of his clearance, allowing Blues wideman David Lee to find Carruthers on the right hand side of the Torquay penalty area. The Southend forward broke into the box and drew Jones sufficiently before rolling the ball across the goalmouth for Williamson to run in behind the Gulls' static rearguard and grab his second strike of the season from close range.

But Williamson was not finished there and two minutes later he dribbled past three challenges and burst into the penalty area, only to be denied a certain goal by Chalqi's lunging block on his shot.

Substitute Torquay midfielder Mick O'Brien, whose free-kick knocked Blues out of the cup last year, drifted a dead-ball drive well past the right-post after 66 minutes.

And after 78 minutes Lyons again found Flahavan's hands in the way of his shot as he cut inside McSweeney and tried his luck from 20-yards. But Torquay only had to wait another 60 seconds to get back on level terms.

Bedeau latched on to a long clearance from defender Alex Watson down the right flank and with Maher having no chance of catching him up, the Torquay forward raced to the by-line and whipped over a low cross which Chalqi slid past Flahavan at the near-post.

The busy Williamson nearly snatched a late winner nine minutes from time as he raced past Torquay's defence again to meet a pass from Lee, but after rounding Jones, his tight angled drive was cleared off the line by Watson.

So extra-time it was! But Southend settled the match in the first period of the additional 30 minutes, thanks to a piece of cheeky intervention from Roget. Blues' substitute striker Trevor Fitzpatrick, who had replaced Abbey, won the Seasiders a free-kick 30-yards from goal after 98 minutes as he was tugged back by Watson trying to shield the ball.

And with Lee standing over the ball as Torquay goalie Jones tried to arrange his defensive wall, Roget appeared from nowhere to curl an unexpected effort inside the left-post to give the Shrimpers an advantage they never looked like losing.

In fact, Southend could have grabbed a third goal in the last minute of the second period when Blues sub Leon Johnson's great break down the left-wing found Carruthers, but the hitman somehow missed the target from six yards.

Left Letting rip - Shrimpers forward Ben Abbey fires a shot while midfield team-mate Kevin Maher looks on

Left Going up - man of the match Phil Whelan rises to deal with an incoming ball in the Southend area

Right Duel - Blues striker Martin Carruthers battles with Torquay centre-half Jimmy Aggrey

Pictures:MAXINE CLARKE

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