JACK Midson came back to haunt the side where he was on loan two years ago by scoring with his second touch after coming on as a first-half sub.
It was the first time Dons have been in front against the Shrimpers in five attempts over the last couple of seasons, and they recorded fabulous back-to-back wins for only the second time this season at a chilly Roots Hall.
They might want to thank a gang of Southend supporters who included one from Belfast who flew over to shovel away snow along with his mates.
It meant the game could go ahead and the end result edges Dons closer to safety.
Jonathan Meades cleaned out Britt Assombalonga when the AFC midfielder charged through the back of the United striker to earn a card the same colour as his yellow shirt for the game’s first drama.
The referee had his notebook out a minute later when new man Kelly Youga also felled Sean Clohessy that left the defender writhing on the ground.
It was AFC left feeling sore with the very next kick.
Kevin Hurst sent over a corner and Pim Balkestein was unlucky to have his hand in the air as the ball struck it.
Clohessy took revenge by planting the penalty beyond John Sullivan’s despairing left hand.
But if Balkestein was harshly treated at one end – he made amends at the other on 32 minutes.
Sammy Moore swung in a corner met by the unmarked defender to head home high into the net even if keeper Paul Smith got a hand to the leveller.
Balkestein’s eventful night came to an abrupt halt when he went down in his own box with no-one near to get replaced by Midson a minute before half time.
The sub forward’s first touch put in the busy Kevin Sainte-Luce whose low drive was diverted by the legs of Smith.
But barely a minute into the second half it was Midson himself who powered home a close header to put Dons ahead for the first time when he crashed into Gary Alexander’s cross from the right.
Harry Pell nearly made it three and easy four minutes later, but a desperate foot from a defender diverted the ball back into the grateful arms of Smith.
Sainte-Luce got the better of left-back Straker and was inches wide with a fierce ground shot that whistled past the far post.
And on night of a first-time touches, sub Jesse Darko laid the ball back to sub Luke Moore’s whose cracking left-foot shot on 69 minutes flew into the far bottom corner from 15 yards for the goal of the night.
Sullivan denied Neil Harris at the death to fist over, and there were 313 very happy fans in the away end, and at least 40 or so with one from Belfast cursing their keenness to pick up a spade.
DONS: Sullivan, Meades, Mitchel-King, Balkestein (Midson 44), Bennett, Pell, Sammy Moore, Sainte-Luce (Darko), Youga, Dickenson (Luke Moore 68), Alexander.
Subs (not used): Cummings, Long, Yussef, Jaimez-Ruiz.
