CHERRIES fans hoping to forget about off-field difficulties were reminded in no uncertain terms about their team's perilous plight on the pitch as Southend ran riot at Dean Court.

With the club's financial problems heavily publicised in the build-up to Saturday's game, supporters must have been looking forward to switching their focus to matters on the park, rather than behind the scenes.

But they will have taken little comfort from what unfolded in front of their eyes at the weekend, with a deadly cocktail of poor finishing and woeful defending again proving the downfall for Kevin Bond's relegation-threatened side.

There was reason to be cautiously optimistic as the hosts began the game in impressive fashion against a Southend side that had not recorded a League One victory since December 8.

Not for the first time this season, Max Gradel provided the vast majority of Cherries' attacking threat in the early stages.

But even with the tricky Leicester City loan man in fine form on the flank, visiting keeper Darryl Flahavan was only called into serious action once.

And he comfortably saved Sam Vokes's looping header after Gradel's cross had picked out the Welsh under-21 striker, who started as a lone forward at the expense of former Blues player Lee Bradbury.

Cherries' promising opening was undone in the 18th minute when excellent play by Southend forward Gary Hooper created the first goal.

He outpaced Jo Tessem and evaded the challenge of Russ Perrett to break clear. And when Gareth Stewart could only parry Hooper's shot, ex-Tottenham trainee Mark Gower was on hand to coolly volley into the unguarded net from 12 yards.

Things took a turn for the worse five minutes later when Simon Francis scored Southend's second.

The midfielder found space 20 yards from goal and hit a powerful low shot, which Stewart looked to have covered, only for the ball to slip from his grasp and roll agonisingly into the net to double Southend's lead.

Despite this further setback, Cherries continued to create chances and, with more composed finishing, the League One basement boys could have been on level terms in the space of three minutes.

Warren Cummings's 32nd-minute free-kick was cleared only as far as Danny Hollands but, despite the ball dropping perfectly to the midfielder's favoured left foot, his scuffed shot from 15 yards failed to test Flahavan.

Vokes was guilty of squandering just as easy an opportunity three minutes later when his close-range attempt drifted harmlessly wide after good work from the persistent Jo Kuffour.

Cherries were made to pay for their wasteful finishing as Southend compounded the hosts' misery in the final minute of the first half.

Tessem gifted possession to Nicky Bailey and he combined with Hooper to set up makeshift striker Tommy Black, who hammered home the visitors' third and his first for the club via the crossbar.

A huge chorus of boos greeted the half-time whistle, but the mood was enhanced - albeit briefly - when Cherries pulled a goal back four minutes after the interval.

A neat move opened up an opportunity for Vokes and, when his effort was blocked, the ball fell to Cummings, whose cross was deflected in for an own goal by Lewis Hunt to give the home side a glimmer of hope.

The joy was very much short-lived as controversy - and some kamikaze defending - struck at the other end three minutes later.

Josh Gowling's mis-placed backpass meant Stewart could do little more than keep the ball in play and, from the resulting left-wing cross, Hooper took a tumble under a challenge from Perrett and referee Paul Melin pointed to the spot on the advice of his assistant.

The decision mattered little in the end as the otherwise impressive Gower missed the chance to bag his second by casually putting the penalty wide.

With the hosts visibly lifted, Vokes powered a 20-yard drive just over. But any hope of an unlikely comeback was dashed in the 65th minute.

Hooper, who was a constant menace to Cherries' defence, capitalised on indecision by Gowling to race clear and he rounded an out-of-position Stewart before slotting home Southend's fourth.

Stewart's day was made worse when he limped off in the 72nd minute to be replaced by youth team debutant Ryan Pryce.

Black missed a good chance from 10 yards before Hollands did likewise at the other end as both teams tried to add to the scoreline late on.

And as if the afternoon had not been painful enough for Cherries fans, they had to endure seven minutes of stoppage time, during which ex-Eastleigh star Damian Scannell came close to scoring as the rampant visitors finished the match where they had spent the majority of it - on the front foot.

  • Daily Echo merit marks.

Cherries: Stewart 4.5 (Pryce, 72), Young 5, Gowling 4.5, Perrett 5.5, Cummings 6, Gradel 7*, Tessem 5 (Bartley, 62), Hollands 5.5, Cooper 5.5 (Pitman, 90), Kuffour 6.5, Vokes 6.5. Unused subs: Pearce, Bradbury.

Booked: Gradel, Young.

Southend United: Flahavan, Hunt (Scannell, 81), Clarke, Barrett, Hammell, Francis, McCormack, Bailey, Gower, Black, Hooper. Unused subs: Maher, Richards, Moussa, Collis (g/k).

Referee: Paul Melin (Surrey).

Attendance: 5,419.