Tolaj’s second-half strike eased the visitors into the top half of the table.
Moors’ striker Mark Beck headed wide from Kade Craig’s early cross, and the Shots’ defence did well to prevent Josh Kelly from reaching Beck’s chip over the top to ensure it remained goalless at half-time.
Callum Maycock went close for the home side four minutes after the interval when his scuffed close-range effort was cleared off the line by Haji Mnoga, and Gus Mafuta’s shot from the resulting corner was blocked.
However, it was the visitors who took the lead after 61 minutes when Ryan Glover controlled Mnoga’s crossfield pass, beat his marker and squared for Tolaj to score.
Midfielder Solomon Nwabuokei struck midway through the first half for the visitors, heading home at the far post from a corner.
Woking hit the bar with a header of their own at the end of the first half as they sought a route back but, despite putting Eastleigh under intense pressure during five minutes of stoppage time at the end of the game, they could not force an equaliser.
The visitors are now six points clear of the bottom four.
Chris Conn-Clarke’s 17th goal of the season got the visitors off to the perfect start, the forward slotting home from Alex Newby’s pass.
But Southend responded well and two quickfire goals had them in front at the break.
Harry Cardwell made it two in two games as he turned in Marcus Dackers’ knockdown after 40 minutes, with Wes Fonguck firing in a second in stoppage time.
Cardwell was inches away from a third early in the second half, but noteworthy chances were few after that as Altrincham slipped to a fourth consecutive defeat.
Hours before the National League clash, the Shrimpers announced a takeover deal with a consortium led by Australian businessman Justin Rees had been agreed a day before the club is due in High Court to face a winding-up petition.
On the pitch, the players ensured the fans celebrated the news with three points thanks to first-half goals from Harry Cardwell and Jack Wood.
Cardwell scored his 10th league goal of the season in the 31st minute when he converted Gus Scott-Morriss’ far-post cross.
Wood grabbed his first goal for the club seven minutes later when he knocked in the rebound to his initial effort, which was saved by Oxford City goalkeeper Chris Haigh.
The Shrimpers went close when Dan Mooney’s early effort was finger-tipped away by Craig Ross before the game was briefly held up after objects were thrown onto the pitch.
Southend continued to hold the upper hand after the interval with Oli Coker clipping the woodwork from a free-kick before Ross once again denied Mooney.
After Casey Pettit blazed Maidenhead’s best chance over the bar, Bridge opened the scoring from the penalty spot after 72 minutes and Fonguck made sure of the points in stoppage time.
The defender provided the cross from which Harry Cardwell opened the scoring and then added the second himself to secure the three points.
In an even start, Padraig Amond headed wide for the home side and Cav Miley took aim from distance for the visitors, and it was they who went ahead with 15 minutes gone.
Noor Husin, Oliver Coker and Scott-Morriss combined down the right before the latter crossed for Cardwell to glance a header into the bottom corner for his 11th goal of the season.
Scott-Morriss doubled the Shrimpers’ lead 10 minutes after the restart with a deft flick after Cardwell had headed Coker’s corner back across goal, and Jack Wood thought he had made it 3-0, only for an offside flag to spoil his celebrations.
The Shrimpers saw Nathan Ralph dismissed 11 minutes from time for two bookings but held on and sit out of the relegation zone on goal difference – but have three games in hand on Ebbsfleet. City are seven points adrift of safety at the foot of the table.
City came closest to breaking the deadlock six minutes before the break but Collin Andeng-Ndi produced a superb save to turn away Aaron William-Bushell’s effort.
Josh Ashby then saw a shot for the hosts hit the crossbar with 64 minutes on the clock and another Andeng-Ndi save denied Andre Burley from close range.
The hosts could not make the extra man count after Ralph was shown his second yellow card.
The Daggers went ahead in the first half when Ryan Hill coolly converted from Dion Pereira’s cutback in the 14th minute.
The visitors then had a raft of chances to extend their lead, with the best of them falling to Josh Rees, who saw his shot tipped onto the crossbar.
Southend hit back two minutes after the break as Danny Waldron slotted home from close range after a darting run down the right from Harry Cardwell.
The Daggers went ahead in the first half when Ryan Hill coolly converted from Dion Pereira’s cutback in the 14th minute.
The visitors then had a raft of chances to extend their lead, with the best of them falling to Josh Rees, who saw his shot tipped onto the crossbar.
Southend hit back two minutes after the break as Danny Waldron slotted home from close range after a darting run down the right from Harry Cardwell.
HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC) has issued a winding-up petition.
A judge in a specialist court was told on Wednesday that the sale of the National League club was in progress.
Judge Sally Barber, who oversaw an Insolvency and Companies Court hearing at the Rolls Building in central London, said the case would be reconsidered in six weeks.
She was told by Southend chairman Ron Martin that more time was needed to complete the sale of the club and clear the debt.
Another judge had adjourned a hearing in May after being told that the sale of the National League club was under way. The size of the debt emerged at the hearing in May.
Martin represented the club at Wednesday’s hearing and he told Judge Barber: “We are seeking an adjournment for 42 days to complete the sale.”
HMRC has issued a number of winding-up petitions against Southend over unpaid tax in recent years.
Southend, who dropped out of the Football League at the end of the 2020/21 season, featured in an Insolvency and Companies Court hearing in March, after HMRC issued an earlier winding-up petition over unpaid tax. Another judge heard how that debt had been cleared.
Despite the on-going financial issues, the Shrimpers finished eighth last season – just missing out on a place in the National League play-offs.
The hosts took the lead after 27 minutes when Cardwell was fouled on the edge of the area by Jimmy Muitt, who was booked.
Scott-Morriss stepped up and lashed the free-kick past Wanderers goalkeeper Harrison Male.
The Shrimpers wrapped up the points after Noor Husin’s shot was saved and Cardwell snaffled the rebound five minutes from time.
The visitors had to come from behind after Manny Duku had scored midway through the first half to give struggling Wealdstone the lead.
At that stage they looked set to put three points between themselves and the relegation zone, but they remained clear only on goal difference after Southend struck back to win.
Nathan Ralph netted on the stroke of half-time to level before fellow defender Cavanagh Miley won it after 64 minutes.
The Blues, who were battling relegation earlier in the campaign, started the day four points behind seventh-placed Halifax but had to wait until the second half to break the deadlock.
Danny Waldron opened the scoring in the 52nd-minute before Harry Cardwell wrapped up the victory to help Southend move within a point of Halifax, although they have played twice more than their play-off rivals.
Waldron looked set for a frustrating afternoon after he had two first-half efforts cleared off the goal line.
Fylde did hit the post through Owen Evans but Southend went ahead seven minutes into the second period when Waldron headed home a Harry Taylor cross.
Chances kept on coming for Southend and Cardwell sealed the victory in the 72nd-minute when he glanced home from Cav Miley’s centre to earn Kevin Maher’s team a hard-fought win.
With 11 sides separated by only four points, the visitors earned a crucial win that left their opponents with just a single-point cushion on safety.
Defender Kevin Lokko’s goal just before half-time had drawn Maidenhead level as they tried in vain to avoid a fourth consecutive league defeat.
Earlier, Southend’s Adam Crowther had given his side the lead en route to claiming a first league win since January 13.
Taylor O’Kane gave Fylde the lead just two minutes into the game with a free header from a corner and Gold Omotayo nearly doubled the advantage but fired wide.
Southend were forced to make a goal-line clearance from Jonathan Ustabasi’s shot and Jack Wood had a chance for the Shrimpers saved by Theo Richardson, but Harry Cardwell levelled for Southend in the 56th minute, beating the goalkeeper in a one-on-one.
Ustabasi then netted the winner for the visitors just 12 minutes later.
Shrimpers boss Kevin Maher was only able to register 15 players for their Vanarama National League opener due to a transfer embargo that has been in place since September due to money owed to HMRC.
But they got off to a flying start when Callum Powell managed to squirm an effort in after Oldham struggled to clear their lines from a corner in the eighth minute.
The visitors were reduced to the 10 men in the 57th minute following Will Sutton’s lunge at Nathan Ralph.
Oliver Coker scored just seconds after coming on as a substitute with a 83rd-minute strike from 25 yards before Dan Mooney added to their lead with a calm finish four minutes later.
Southend fans were in dreamland when Coker turned provider as Harry Cardwell nodded home in the sixth of 10 minutes added time for a convincing opening win.
The Shrimpers, who this week dropped to the foot of the National League after being deducted 10 points for breaching financial rules, struck twice in the opening 25 minutes to take a lead they never surrendered.
The match was briefly halted after 10 minutes when Southend fans threw hundreds of tennis balls onto the pitch while calling for chairman Ron Martin to leave the club.
Once play resumed, Noor Husin put the hosts ahead in the 17th minute when he slotted home following good work by Jack Bridge and Gus Scott-Morriss.
Harry Cardwell then doubled Southend’s lead soon after with his fourth goal in five games this season, with Bridge heavily involved again.
Eastleigh, still looking for their first win of the campaign, threatened through Aidan Barlow and Chris Maguire but they were also indebted to goalkeeper Joe McDonnell for preventing Dan Mooney making it 3-0 on the stroke of half-time.
Maguire tested Collin Andeng Ndi as Eastleigh sought a way back into the game in the second half but Southend held firm to claim their third win of the season, moving them back up to minus one point.
In the 19th minute Lorent Tolaj saw his shot blocked but Josh Stokes was well placed to put away the loose ball and give the Shots the lead.
Aldershot lost a man in the 50th minute as Rollin Menayese fouled Danny Waldron on the edge of the area to deny him a goalscoring opportunity and earn a red card. From the resulting free-kick, Harry Cardwell pounced to notch on the rebound.
The game was soon flipped on its head as, six minutes after their equaliser, Southend went ahead through Ollie Kensdale’s close-range finish. During nine minutes of stoppage time, Jack Wood and Marcus Dackers killed off the contest with their goals.
Wealdstone led from the fifth minute after Sean Adarkwa accepted Max Kretzschmar’s pass to finish with conviction.
Tarryn Allarakhia went close to doubling Wealdstone’s lead but Collin Andeng-Ndi produced a smart save in the Shrimpers’ goal.
Time was fast running out for Southend when Jack Bridge found space and his ball across goal was turned in by Henry Sandat.
Chances were few and far between during a drab first half, but the match came to life seven minutes after the break when Harry Cardwell broke the deadlock.
Noor Husin opened up the Kidderminster defence with a delightful ball and Cardwell made no mistake with the finish for his fifth goal of the season.
Harriers looked set for a fourth successive match without scoring, but Amari Morgan-Smith equalised in the 80th minute when he converted the rebound after Barry Maguire struck a post with a fierce shot.
Nathan Ralph went close to a winner for Southend when his long-range shot flew just over the crossbar, but Powell then struck with a cool finish in the third minute of stoppage time.
