Southend United shot-stopper Darryl Flahavan stakes his place for an instant first team recall during tonight's re-arranged Essex Senior Cup quarter-final at Dagenham and Redbridge.

The 25-year-old has missed the last month of Blues' Third Division programme with a thigh injury, but makes his comeback at Victoria Road against Garry Hill's FA Cup giant-killers.

"I hate being injured and I'm itching to get back playing again," said Flahavan, who had been ever-present before his lay-off.

Ready for action : goalkeeper Darryl Flahavan is due to return in tonight's cup match at Dagenham

"But I guess I'm lucky that I heal quickly. I was supposed to be out for six weeks or longer, but I've made a rapid recovery.

"I'd been having trouble with my thigh for three or four matches, but I didn't want to stop playing so I battled on through the pain.

"But wear and tear finally made it unbearable. I felt it go during the second-half of our Boxing Day match at Cambridge. I was kicking hard into the wind and it started to hurt.

"And I decided to carry on playing during the following game against Scunthorpe, when maybe I shouldn't have.

"After the match I got examined and found out I had a big lump of blood and fluid in the top of my groin where I had torn the abductor muscle.

"So I had to sit things out and just let nature take its course. But I've been doing a lot of work with the physio John Stannard in the gym over the last couple of weeks and I'm feeling really fit again.

"Now I want to get 90 minutes under my belt against Dagenham and put myself back in first team contention for our match against Hull City at Roots Hall this weekend."

Published Wednesday, January 29, 2003

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