Southend's fine form continued with an emphatic 4-1 victory at promotion rivals Peterborough lifting the Essex club up to fifth in Sky Bet League One.

Posh were counting the cost of last Saturday's defeat at Walsall which deprived manager Grant McCann of three of his first-choice midfielders to injury and suspension.

Lively front men Craig Mackail-Smith and Junior Morais toiled for the hosts but found Southend's defenders in miserly mood.

Yet the match between the two play-off hopefuls soon followed the pattern of the respective clubs' progress of recent weeks, with Southend slowly turning the screw on their faltering opponents.

Ryan Inniss had just hit a Posh post after a smart turn and shot when Jason Demetriou broke the deadlock on the stroke of half-time.

The Cyprus international full-back glanced home Marc-Antoine Fortune's deflected cross to bag his first goal for the Shrimpers.

Phil Brown's men came on even stronger after the break and Fortune slotted home a through ball from Anthony Wordsworth on the hour.

The points were all but sealed four minutes later when Wordsworth took advantage of Posh's dithering defenders to crash in Southend's third goal from 18 yards.

Peterborough substitute Tom Nichols hit a classy consolation from Marcus Maddison's pass, yet Michael Timlin fired in a fourth for the visitors in time added on.