Cheltenham Town 0 Southend United 1

Conor Clifford was in the thick of it as he scored a stunner against gutsy ten-man Cheltenham

Substitute Clifford drilled in a low 22 yard shot through a crowded box for his second of the season in the 52nd minute.

But Clifford was the victim seven minutes before the break when midfielder Jason Taylor was shown a red card for lashing out at him as both players grappled on the deck.

Keeper Trevor Carson beat away a shot from Spurs loanee striker Shaquile Coulthirst and winger Kevan Hurst rattled the bar, but Southend could not add to Clifford's strike.

Mark Yates was furious with referee James Linington after he red-carded midfielder Jason Taylor for elbowing Southend substitute Conor Clifford.

Robins boss Yates fumed:

"The game got ruined by the official. Our supporters are the most mild-mannered in the world and the reaction they gave during the game and at the end said it all. I thought it was very harsh. It was a good game until then.

"We paid the price for giving the referee a chance to send one of our players off. It made it extra tough for us, but the effort and commitment is there."

Southend manager PhilBrown saw the incident differently and said:

"Conor's gone to ground and he's been elbowed on the ground. Conor's not a soft boy, but he stayed down.

"The referee was five yards away and so if he hadn't of given it he'd have bottled it. There were a lot of other decisions he didn't get right.

"When circumstances go for you - and they did tonight - you've got to grab them with both hands and we did."