DAILY MAIL (January 8, 2007)</p> Roots Hall's public address announcer captured the mood at sodden Southend with a bitter closing message. "The replay at Barnsley is on Tuesday week, even though their goal was offside and handball," he spat. </p> The aggrieved man with the microphone might have added that goalkeeper Darryl Flahavan was fouled as Michael Coulson bundled in Barnsley's injury-time equaliser, but he perhaps thought better of it as referee Mike Jones trudged by, pursued by the finger-wagging Southend manager Steve Tilson. </p> It was a fitting denouement to a farcical match, played in a ceaseless downpour on a surface which, by the end, resembled the nearby estuary at low tide. </p> Southend coped better with the conditions and would have added to Mark Gower¹s 58th-minute strike but for the puddle on the goalline that claimed Lee Bradbury's header. </p> Gower also shot tamely from 10 yards with only goalkeeper Nick Colgan to beat and Jamal Campbell-Ryce hit the bar with an attempted cross, so Southend¹s frustration was understandable after Flahavan could only push up Sam Togwell's shot and substitute Coulson, arms flapping above his head, touched in the looping ball. </p> "Coulson came off the pitch bragging that he punched it in the net and they were all laughing and joking about it," said Flahavan. </p> "But you've got a linesman right there, the ref's only 10 yards away and apparently they can't spot these things. The referee had already missed three blatant handballs and that last one has cost us a place in the fourth round. We're absolutely gutted." </p> Barnsley had shown more attacking thrust in the first half than their fellow Championship strugglers and midfielder Paul Hayes, a Southend transfer target last summer, connected sweetly with a volley which brushed the post. </p> Southend centre back Peter Clarke headed straight at Colgan from a corner, Martin Devaney slithered an effort narrowly wide for the visitors and Danny Nardiello wasted another Barnsley chance after leaving Adam Barrett on his backside. </p> At 45 minutes, the waterlogged pitch was declared unfit for the half-time dancers, and twinkling footwork was hardly the order of the day when the game continued, either. The ball would not run more than a few yards and players foolish enough to dribble were engulfed in spray. </p> Just before the hour-mark, referee Jones, having penalised Togwell for fouling Barrett on the edge of the Barnsley area, appeared to discuss a possible abandonment with the fourth official. </p> He decided to play on and Southend were immediately grateful when Freddy Eastwood's low free-kick whistled through the wall and past the unsighted Colgan, via a deflection off Gower. </p> The scorer later offered to donate the goal to Eastwood, whose dream of a move to the Premiership has faded with his form in recent weeks. </p> "Freddy lives for his goals and he hasn't scored for a while, so he can have that one if he wants," said Gower. </p> The winger was not in such a generous mood about the prospect of a 420-mile round trip for the replay. "Barnsley on a Tuesday night - can't wait," he muttered sarcastically.</p>
RE: Cant wait to see the goal definitely an own goal by Flahavan-note it's him who's saying Coulson handled it!! trying to deflect blame
