Saints completed the season with a 3-1 win over Southend United at St. Mary's.

A rare final day game with little to play for on either side, saw a spirited and largely open contest which took time to warm up as the first goal of the match didn't arrive until ten minutes into the second half.

The opening strike was worth the wait however, albeit from the opposition, as Franck Moussa shaped a delicious curling shot into the far corner of Kelvin Davis' net to put Southend in front.

But the visitors could only hold their lead for three minutes, as Rickie Lambert powered home a headed response from a corner on the right.

The game appeared to be heading for stalemate until the hosts were awarded a penalty six minutes from time which Lambert converted for his 37th goal of the season in all competitions.

Then Adam Lallana added gloss to the win with a cool finish inside the area to pass his own impressive milestone of 20 strikes for the campaign as he and the team ended the season on a high.

Saints: Davis, Otsemobor, Jaidi, Martin, Harding, Antonio (Papa Waigo 46), Hammond, Puncheon (Oxlade-Chamberlain 81), Lallana, Connolly (Wotton 63), Lambert. Subs (not used): Bialkowski, Seaborne, James, Mills.

Southend: Mildenhall, Francis, Baldwin, Herd, Grant, McCormack, Moussa, M'Voto, O'Keefe (Milner 87), Crawford, Paterson. Subs (not used): Sankofa, Vernon, Woodyard, Smith, Bentley.

Referee: Mr. R Shoebridge (Derbyshire)

Attendance: 25,289 (including 1,105 away)

Rickie Lambert and Michail Antonio were restored to the starting line up, whilst young defender Aaron Martin began his second successive match, this time alongside Radhi Jaidi in the middle.

The last game of the League One campaign bizarrely began in rainswept conditions as the hosts got a lively encounter underway attacking the Northam End with newly crowned Player of the Year, Rickie Lambert relishing the last opportunity to add to his own record goals tally for a season.

Steve Tilson's Shrimpers were equally busy going forward as they lined up with former Saint Matthew Paterson in attack, who created some nervous early moments for Kelvin Davis as he put crosses in from either side that the 'keeper had to deal with.

Jean Yves M'Voto headed the first clear chance for the visitors down and wide and on 19 Franck Moussa saw a low drive smartly kept out by Davis as his effort skidded across the slick surface.

In the 22nd minute Dean Hammond eyed up a volley from the edge of the area from Lambert's knock down, but the shot flew just over. In the next attack Connolly put the team captain through, and this time the midfielder saw his well struck effort fly across the face of Steve Mildenhall's goal.

The home side were now becoming more adventurous as Connolly saw a firm strike from the edge of the box gathered by the 'keeper before the Irishman was thwarted at his feet by Mildenhall as Harding put him through on the half hour mark.

A last ditch header from defender Simon Francis nicked the ball off Connolly's head as he threw himself at Lambert's cross into the box, and Francis was then denied at the other end when Hammond headed away his goalbound free-kick from 20 yards out.

The last action of note in the opening 45 minutes saw Lambert's central free-kick whistle past the post as a breakthrough remained elusive.

Half Time: Saints 0-0 Southend United

Papa Waigo was introduced for Michail Antonio at the start of the second half, with the Senegalese taking up the right wing role.

The visitors continued to make a fist of it, as they dishearteningly saw Paterson and then McCormack blaze high and wide from inside the area, prompting strained cries of, "That's why we're going down" from the already relegated side's own supporters.

Mildenhall beat out Lambert's direct free-kick, and the 'keeper was alert on 52 to keep out Otsemobor's strike at the end of a patient move from the hosts.

However, a total of ten minutes after the re-start, Southend went into a shock lead when John Herd cut the ball to Moussa who hit a superb curling effort into the far corner of Davis' goal to make it 1-0.

Harry Crawford almost doubled the advantage immediately with a low strike that went just wide of Davis' left hand post.

Saints responded perfectly though, being behind for just three minutes as Puncheon's run and cross from the right picked out Lambert, who made it 36 in total for the campaign with a powerful close range header to level the scores.

On 63 minutes Connolly was replaced by Paul Wotton as the hosts sought a fresh impetus from midfield in a match which had briefly stalled in its momentum.

Puncheon set out to change that and having already gone close from Lallana's cut back on the left, he then forced Mildenhall into a diving save at his near post with a firm strike from the other side of the area.

Dan Harding fired wide before Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain replaced Puncheon for the last ten minutes or so.

Oxlade-Chamberlain's first involvement saw him hit a low strike in at the near post which the Shrimpers stopper pushed out for a corner.

The hosts weren't to be denied a winner though, as with six minutes remaining they were awarded a penalty when Lambert was hauled down by M'Voto inside the area presenting the top scorer to dispatch his 37th of the season into the bottom right.

Southend replaced Stuart O'Keefe with Marcus Milner on 87 but Saints wouldn't let the game peter out as Harding's clever reverse pass put Lallana through one on one with Mildenhall and the youngster made no mistake to celebrate his 20th strike of the campaign and seal the win.

The players then happily returned to the pitch for a lap of honour to thank the fans for their terrific support all season long.

Full Time: Saints 3-1 Southend United