Obviously we would like to see Barrett score as many times as he can for the Shrimpers, and his efforts at Bristol Rovers and Macclesfield Town (twice) have put him in pole position compared to the rest of the Southend squad. However, in relation to our reporting, we are always anxious to give the correct details as regards to who gets booked, sent off, and more especially, finds the back of the net.
With only nineteen seconds of the mauling of the Irthlingborough-based side remaining, Lawrie Dudfield flicked on a Kevin Maher corner and the ball rebounded off of David Bell’s knee and into the goal to complete a 4-1 triumph. To everyone’s surprise, the announcer at Nene Park and the scoreboard gave the goal initially to Dudfield, which would have meant a hat-trick for the former Northampton Town forward. Seconds later, it was ‘amended’ to Barrett.
Despite pressure from the former Orient trainee on midfielder Bell, he clearly did not get a touch onto the ball, and cheekily claimed the strike. The Press Association, who provide the feed to the FLPTV official sites, the FootyMAD network and the likes of soccerbase.com, reported the goal as being down to Barrett.
To make matters worse, the initial report on Southend United’s own website, www.southendunited.co.uk, gave the effort to the 24-year-old defender, as did their equivalent at Rushden, www.thediamondsfc.com. As a result, TLG co-editor Mark Wallis’ efforts to get Barrett’s ‘goal’ given as an o.g. fell on defeat ears at FootyMAD towers in Burnley. He was told that as the two official websites, despite Shrimpers match reporter Lewis Crowe saying own goal in his own report for the official site, had given the goal to Barrett, it had to stay that way.
Today, the former Bristol Rovers captain learned that he had been docked off the goal. “I’m disappointed that the goal has been taken away. If I’m honest I didn’t touch it but you can sure as hell bet David Bell doesn’t want it. I guess that the media will have to call me three-goals Adam Barrett now”, quipped three-goal Barrett to www.southendunited.co.uk.
Robert Craven
www.thelittlegazette.com