The 5ft 11ins tall custodian put pen to paper yesterday on a one year extension to his current deal, which still has a year to run. The new deal effectively means that from now, we can expect to see another two seasons of the 27-year-old goalkeeper.
Flahavan was delighted about the faith being put into him by Ron Martin and Steve Tilson and was out to suggest that there was ‘no sweating it' over signing the new deal, explaining to the clubs official website: “I had another year to run on my current contract but I didn't need to think twice about signing on for another year.
“Playing at the highest level you can is what it is all about and now I'm looking forward to the challenge that Championship football will offer.”
“Last season I felt was my best yet and hopefully I can continue to improve with Southend.”
This will surely be a big boost for Steve Tilson and his team – Flahavan has been such a vital asset for the Shrimpers over the last couple of years and has improved incredibly over the last three seasons specifically. Equally for the Shrimpers manager, hopefully the problem of players hesitating over whether they would sign on the dotted line that happened last season is a thing of the past that will not be back, at least not this summer, to haunt the club.
Tilson himself seemed happy at the contract agreement: “Darryl was a consistent for us last season so its great news that he's going to add another year to his contract.”
Flahavan was first signed by David Webb back in the year 2000 from Non-League Woking, and slowly began to make himself a household name with Southend supporters for his superb agility and shot-stopping ability. However others loved to hate the then 22-year-old for his lack of confidence, or arguably, inablility to come and gather crosses – even in his own six-yard-box! After being released by Steve Wignall in the summer of 2002, it appeared to be the end for the custodian in a Southend shirt, but he was handed a lifeline when later that year the same manager who released him made the controversial decision to re-sign him.
From there Flahavan grew. Not in height (unfortunately, he he), but in faith in his own ability, and as well as securing the Shrimpers number one jersey for the second time in his career, also learnt to catch crosses. Goalkeeping coach Lee Turner has now taken the goalkeeper to a whole new level altogether, and perhaps he was the reason Flahavan was so important in earning his side two promotions in recent years.
Having won the League One Goalkeeper Of The Year award and also being named in the League One Team Of The Year alongside team mates Kevin Maher and Adam Barrett, the 28-year-old really doesn't look the like the goalkeeper that was released from the club just under four years ago.
Adam Duffill
www.thelittlegazette.com