KYEL Reid was the injury time hero as Charlton came from behind to edge out 10-man Southend at Roots Hall on Friday.

A fairly balanced game was sparked into life after 25 minutes when a tangle between Nicky Bailey and Jean-Francois Christophe resulted in a yellow and red card respectively.

With Bailey’s old club incensed at the decision, the disadvantaged Shrimpers kicked it up a gear and took the lead through Matt Paterson via an unfortunate error by goalkeeper Rob Elliot.

But the visitors dominated the majority of the second half in search of an equaliser, and found it courtesy of Akpo Sodje’s close range effort.

And although the hosts came close on several occasions to regaining the lead, it was a stoppage time surge from sub Reid which turned the game on its head and sent three points back to SE7.

As they had during their visit to The Valley in December, the Southend support were on the back of Bailey from the get-go.

But the skipper, operating out on the left flank, had the first good chance of the game when he cut inside to force a good parry from Steve Mildenhall 20 yards out.

On sixteen minutes the Shrimpers had an opportunity of their own from a similar distance when errors from David Mooney and Johnnie Jackson teed up Paterson to slice one well off-target.

Moments later, Lloyd Sam embarked on a magical run from the right flank and into the danger zone courtesy of a one-two with Akpo Sodje only to be thwarted by a vital toe poke from Christophe.

The action continued to zip from one end to the other, however, and only a full-stretch parry from Elliot denied Arsenal loanee Sanchez Watt from close range.

However, the game took a major twist halfway through the first period after Jose Semedo had felled Scott Vernon inside the D.

An altercation prior to the resulting free-kick saw Bailey booked and Christophe sent off after the Addicks skipper appeared to make a meal out of an altercation with the Frenchman.

Perhaps aggrieved at the turn of events, the 10-man hosts took the lead as a long distance drive from Paterson squirmed under the arms of Elliot and behind the line, triggering mass chants of “Bailey, what’s the score?”.

The error was unbecoming of the young keeper’s performances all season, and could well replace Llera’s own goal at Colchester as the Charlton representative on the many football gaffs programmes on TV and DVD.

And while Bailey was receiving an increasingly hostile reception out on the left, Sam was becoming the visitors’ most dangerous player on the opposite wing as he twice came close to levelling but for the assured hands of Mildenhall.

An extended spell of pressure from Athletic on the stroke of half time saw efforts from Jackson and Therry Racon closed down before Mildenhall stopped Semedo’s decent curling effort.

Within a minute of the restart, Akpo managed to head the ball down to the feet of Mooney clean inside the box, only for the Irishman to scuff his shot miles wide.

Charlton continued to pressure for an equaliser, and Mildenhall continued to keep them out with a simple save from Racon’s low drive and a crucial hand to Bailey’s goalbound cross from the left.

And after Semedo had made way for Kyel Reid, allowing Bailey to return to central midfield, Frazer Richardson’s umpteenth foraging run down the right ended with a cross met well by a high Mooney volley but again saved just as admirably by Mildenhall.

And with 65 minutes played, pressure levels hit ten as Sam found acres of space to drive in a low cross which required a parry from Mildenhall, and then a superb goalline block from Simon Francis to deny Mooney on the rebound.

Though the 2,297 frustrated travelling fans couldn’t believe how their side hadn’t drawn level by now, the players continued to search and Reid’s slinking advance into the box beat two men before the resulting shot was again well parried by Mildenhall.

And with little over fifteen minutes to play, the goal finally came as Bailey’s clever ball out to Reid on the left allowed the substitute to whip in a cross converted by Sodje from three yards for his second goal in as many games.

The equaliser actually proved to be United’s cue to rediscover their attacking form.

They almost went straight back into the lead after Francis rattled the crossbar with a free-kick from 20 yards and only a pair of excellent blocks from Elliot and Bailey prevented rebounds from being put away.

But it was the Addicks who found the late winner, as the dynamic Reid surged into the box on the break and finished low past Mildenhall.

Charlton: Elliot, Richardson, Llera, Dailly, Jackson, Sam (Wagstaff 86), Semedo (Reid 61), Racon, Bailey, Mooney (McKenzie 74), A. Sodje. Subs not used: Randolph, Shelvey, S. Sodje, Solly. Att: 9,724.