Southend manager Steve Tilson knows his side must beat bottom-three rivals Luton next week following their 2-1 defeat at Plymouth.

Argyle's 34-year-old striker Barry Hayles scored an 89th-minute winner after being put in on goal by substitute Kevin Gallen as the Greens hit their relegation-threatened visitors on a late counter-attack.

Tilson admitted: "It's quite straightforward; if we don't win next week then I think that's it. We must get a result next week.

"There's no ifs or buts about it. Now we have got to beat Luton.

"I can't fault the players today for effort and commitment and I really think we deserved something from the match. But that's how it has been going for us lately.

"We tried to push for the win, lost the ball on the edge of their box and they hit us on the counter and went on and got the winner."

Hayles took his tally to 13 goals with his winner as Ian Holloway's in-form side made it three wins in a row and moved up to 12th in the Championship.

The home side got off to the perfect start when Hayles' young strike partner Sylvan Ebanks-Blake scored after six minutes.

Hungarian winger Peter Halmosi won the ball from Peter Clarke and set up Ebanks-Blake to convert his eighth goal of a productive first Championship season for the 21-year-old former Manchester United striker, who was later replaced by substitute Gallen.

Victorious Argyle boss Ian Holloway beamed: "I was thinking about leaving Sylvan on because I thought Sylvan was quite good but I always know that the old fox might get one. The old fox in the box hadn't had that many chances and he gets at least one.

"I thought he was ever so unlucky in the first half where a lesser man wouldn't have been able to hold those two people off and get a shot in, he is so strong. He's the ox in the box!

"I was delighted with how we played, the same as all the season, the commitment was there and both my strikers scored. You've got to be happy haven't you?"

Southend levelled in the 25th minute when central defender Clarke headed in Steve Hammell's curling free-kick.

The pair combined again early in the second half, with Clarke flashing a header just wide from Hammell's right-wing corner while Argyle put Shrimpers goalkeeper Darryl Flahavan through his paces.

The goalkeeper made a handful of outstanding saves to keep the Greens at bay although could do little about the goals or an Ebanks-Blake volley which smashed off a post and Akos Buzsaky's crossbar-skimming free-kick.