| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Aaron Adam Flahavan | ||
| Date of birth | 15 December 1975 | ||
| Place of birth | Southampton, England | ||
| Date of death | 5 August 2001 (aged 25) | ||
| Place of death | Bournemouth, England | ||
| Height | 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) | ||
| Playing position | Goalkeeper | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 1992–1994 | Southampton | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps† | (Gls)† |
| 1994–2001 | Portsmouth | 93 | (0) |
| * Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only. † Appearances (Goals). |
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Aaron Adam Flahavan (15 December 1975 – 5 August 2001) was an English football goalkeeper who played for Portsmouth.
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Flahavan played for the Southampton youth team[1] before turning professional with Portsmouth at age 18 in 1994. He had to wait until 1996 before making his first-team debut as he was understudy to Pompey legend Alan Knight.
In the late 1990s, Flahavan gradually began receiving increased playing time, and became the team's first-choice goalkeeper. Overall, he played 105 first-team matches for Portsmouth.
Flahavan twice had blackouts during matches; the first was attributed to a virus, and the second to a drop in his blood pressure.[2][3]
Flahavan died in a car accident near Bournemouth in August 2001.[4] An inquest heard that Flahavan died as a result of a fractured skull, and his blood alcohol level was nearly three times over the legal limit when he lost control of his BMW sports car.[1]
Following his death, Portsmouth and Southampton retired his number 1 jersey for the 2001–02 season as a mark of respect.[5]
Flahavan's younger brother Darryl is also a goalkeeper, and has a son named Aaron in memory of his brother. His brother is currently playing for League 1 team AFC Bournemouth.