Oxford only seemed to wake up after Southend striker Barry Corr had scored the opener and by half time they were a goal to the good following a first senior goal from Tyronne Marsh and another from strike partner Tom Craddock. At this point I felt that Oxford looked as though they could book their way into the area final with a degree of comfort.
Oxford started the second half brightly, but then wobbled when Sean Clohessy took advantage of a weak header from O'Brien.
Within five minutes former Swindon hit man Corr had put Southend ahead prompting another re-write from 'yours truly'.
At least it wasn't going to go to penalties I thought ... seconds before Sean Rigg's 89th minute equaliser.
At this point my finger moved from the 'send' button to the 'delete' button and I was on the phone to the sports desk when Southend boss Paul Sturrock made what appeared to be one of the strangest substituions I have witnessed.
In the 93rd minute and with the game obviously moving towards penalties (they don't do extra time in the JPT), Sturrock hauled off keeper Paul Smith and sent on rookie Daniel Bentley, 19.
Bentley had - it turned out - saved three penalties in an earlier round, but it still seemed to be a real slap in the face for Smith, 33, who Sturrock signed in the summer and who had once been acquired by Nottingham Forest for a fee of £500k.
Fortunately for Sturrock, Bentley came up trumps and saved Alfie Potter's penalty allowing sub Elliot Benyon to send Southend through.
So was it good management? A good decision on the night, no doubt. No-one can say whether Smith would have done better and Sturrock pointed to Bentley's save to give weight to his decision, but will it stand the test of time. How much damage has Sturrock done to his relationship with Smith?
When I asked about Smith, Sturrock admitted that he should have probably "marked his card" as he had been thinking about making the substitution if it came to penalties.
I also saw Smith after the game, but he politely declined to say anything ... unsurprisingly! I spoke to a friend of his though who said that while he was angry, Smith was also pleased that the team had won the game and so - in my opinion - was already showing what a good pro he is.
Sturrock didn't leave on the team bus and so both he and Smith have had time to collect their thoughts, but it's now down to Sturrock to show his talent as a manger and make sure Smith is onside as they focus on promotion from League Two ... which is arguably more important than an area final of the JRT.
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