To our faithful listeners,
It is with the deepest sadness that we have to inform you that our Mansfield Matters Show, broadcast online and on Takeover 106.9FM is to come to an following tomorrow night’s pre-season friendly with Gainsborough Trinity and will therefore sadly not be returning for the 2013/14 season. It is common knowledge that clubs in the Football League own exclusive rights to online commentary whilst to broadcast even updates only on FM requires a license which neither we nor Takeover can afford. We had hoped to continue on behalf of Stags Player, after providing full commentary throughout pre-season, however for whatever reason that has not materialised and therefore we are no longer in a position to continue with our live show. Since the re-launch of Takeover in February 2011, Mansfield Matters has grown from a small audience show to a popular online brand for this we cannot thank you enough. We began with little equipment or idea on how to deliver a successful radio show and website and now proudly yet sadly walk away having covered over 170 matches up and down the country including pre-season friendlies when overs said it was impossible. We have witnessed some of the worst moments in the club’s history along with those beautiful moments such as winning promotion back to the Football League – all of which were for you, those unable to get to the game were unable to know the outcome. Mansfield Matters has never been about arrogance and self-promotion and has been and will always be for the fans by the fans. On a personal level with Mansfield Coverage not an option we have reached a decision to continue running this website with features including Match Previews, Match Stats and Opinion Blogs however being unable to provide commentary on Stags games has opened up opportunity elsewhere – opportunity which after serious consideration and if truth be told a few tears, has been taken. It is for this reason that the Match Report blogs will take on a shorter and more brief form as more often than not we will be watching/providing coverage on another team, if you would like to write Match Report Blogs then as always feel free to email us on mtfcmatters@gmail.com. The decision to move on and commentate on another team has been the toughest we have ever faced, we sincerely hope that you will respect the choices being made and continue to view this website for its written and statistical content. Whilst it may have been an option to just go and sit in the stands watching our beloved side play we feel we could not have done that without glancing across to the press box and saying ‘what if’. We enjoy everything we do in running this website and commentating on football which is why we thought it best to take the opportunity that has recently come our way – details are still being finalised which is why we will not be revealing the club or radio station we have been signed to. To reiterate there will be no commentary or updates on Stags matches either online or 106.9FM however the website will remain active with various written content. We would like to express our thanks to each and every one of you for sticking with us through thick and thin – we cannot wait to see how Stags fare in League Two and remain hopeful of more success in the future. We would also like to put on record our thanks to the club for their help since 2011, also to the numerous faces that have been part of the Mansfield Matters live team. Enjoy the ride folks, we will miss you! Craig Priest (Creator and Presenter of Mansfield Matters) and Emily Sykes (Website Administrator and Social Media Manager)
2 Comments
Craig Priest writes…
One more pre-season friendly to go and then that’s it, the dream we’ve been having for five long seasons about league two football finally becomes a reality as Paul Cox’s men head for Scunthorpe United. First though as mentioned they’ve one more friendly match to complete, tomorrow night’s trip to Gainsborough Trinity – Will Cox field what he sees to be his line up for Saturday or will it be one last chance to impress and earn a starting birth, after Saturday’s embarrassment at Boston, I’ve got a feeling it will be a mixture of the two. Annoyingly, I feel that Cox still doesn’t know what his side will be, or if he does any he’d opting for certain partnerships that have been played together during pre-season, for me they don’t work. I’m talking mainly about McCombe and Demspter, both are excellent defenders but together the pairing lacks pace and the flair of the previous Dempster-Jones pairing. A better option, which hasn’t been tried at great length so far, would for me be Dempster alongside Tafazolli, the youngster has the pace and flair of Jones and has impressed throughout pre-season. In the centre of the park, as a unit the players haven’t closed things down and pressed opposition – is this because Murray and McGuire are too likeminded players, like Howell and Murtagh or is Cox wanting to play with a little more freedom in the middle, aiming to counter the opposition. Upfront it’s obvious we lack and out and out front man, I’ve said that Jake Speight and Ben Hutchinson can fill the void and I’ll stick by that, for some reason though they don’t get game time. Sam Clucas has looked dangerous through the middle, but can he play off Rhead & Dyer or with Stevenson off his shoulder? The options we’ve got haven’t been tried too often and I don’t know if it’s because we’ve trialled players in the striker slot etc or if We’ve been away from league two for such a long time, I’m so desperate for us not to fall flat on our backsides! One thing I think you can pretty much bank on is a trialist being on show, I’d like to have another look at Brent McGrath, Jordan Ball and Amari Morgan-Smith up front, Calvin Andrew out wide and Eddy Gnahore in the centre of the park, the Frenchman had that bite and determination I believe we’ve lacked during pre-season. The thing is, with a game to go before the season starts, should you really be playing trialists? Personally I think not, however in our current situation I don’t think Cox has much choice, in my mind we’re lacking in a few area’s and, if we are to sustain ourselves well in league two, need to add strength sooner rather than later. Gainsborough will prove a tough test, they’re a strong attacking side who finished just outside the play-offs after being the loosing finalists the previous season. It’s a decent pitch at the Northolme too and perhaps the perfect game to iron out all the creases. What do I want to see in reality? A solid performance where the players pressure the opposition, players stepping up to pull the strings and create something… a win would be nice too! I just want to go into Saturday’s match with a little more faith, as the last few games have left me worried as to what we’re aiming to be this coming season. Reading back through all this, it seems a bit rant-like doesn’t it! You can tell the seasons kick-off is just days away now, the anguish of being away from league football runs deep and none of us want to be there again. It’s getting close now! Match Coverage: For the final time, you can join me on StagsPlayer for full match commentary – Tune in from the earlier time of 7.10pm to here an exclusive look back on pre-season and look ahead to the league two season. Unfortunately, our coverage will not continue into the season, it’s been an honour and a privilege to provide coverage on the past four seasons and it’s heart wrenching that it’s over – I’d like to thank you for your support and hope that you continue to visit the website for our written content over the next season. The views expressed in this blog are those of the writer and not those of Mansfield Matters or its related organisations. To submit a blog email mtfcmatters@gmail.com 
Craig Priest & Emily Sykes write...
Three gifted goals saw Mansfield Town condemned to a disappointing defeat at the hands of Boston United this afternoon. Paul Cox, clearly frustrated by his teams falterings, put the entire squad through a post match training session and gave them a public dressing down as the conference champions fell to a 3-1 defeat. Left back Paul Black gifted the Pilgrims two first half goals before lacklustre concentration handed the hosts a third shortly after the interval, substitute Ben Hutchinson grabbed what proved to be a consolation late on as the Stags upped their game, but sadly it was to little, to late. Mansfield were forced to play Youth Team goalkeeper Harry Waldram as second choice Ian Deakin missed out through injury, but other than that it was a strong squad fielded by Stags boss Cox, which perhaps justifys his post match actions. Stags enjoyed the best early chance on four minutes as an excellent driven run from Louis Briscoe saw the wide man hit the bar, however other than that Mansfield offered little and it was youngster Waldram who kept out several stray efforts from the hosts as his defence lacked concentration against a three pronged attack. Waldram was then left hopeless on 19 minutes as the experienced Paul Black made a catastrophic error. Attempting to lay the ball back to a fellow defender, Black’s pass lacked pace and was picked up by Ben Milnes who made no mistake in lashing home the loose ball to open the scoring. Six minutes later the young stags shot stopper had to be quick off his line to mop up a Pilgrims attack as Ricky Miller and Marc Newsham cantered through the absent midfield. Mansfield then began to up their game as on 28 minutes, fluent movement between Stevenson and Briscoe saw the latter send Speight through on goal, unfortunately for the Stags hit man he curled narrowly over the top of the bar but did have the keeper beaten. Despite Mansfield growing in confidence it was disaster five minutes later as a Clements corner broke down and the hosts countered. Paul Black was pulled inside out by Ricky Miller who curled a beautiful effort into the top corner to double Boston’s lead. On the stroke of halftime Stags were extremely fortunate not to concede a third as Newsham drilled low into the area, Ben Milnes was left free in the box and struck the post before Martin Riley removed the danger. George Pilkington replaced Paul Black at the interval but despite the change, Stags were again picking the ball out of the net on 48 minutes. Chris Clements gave away a free kick on the right hand side and Stags completly switched off as the hosts played the set peice short and quick, resulting in Milnes firing beneath Waldram from Milnes’ assist. Mansfield tested the water as the game progressed as Jake Speight brushed the bar and defender George Pilkington saw a thirty yard drive saved low, however there were still visible gaps in midfield and Cox soon rang the changes on 70 minutes as with trialists Jordan Ball, Eddie Gnorea and Brent McGrath were introduced. Five minutes later the treble change paid off as Jordan Ball whipped in a low cross after the tough tackling Gnorea had won a corner. Ben Hutchinson, who was introduced before the hour for Meikle, tucked home from fourteen yards to make it 3-1. Eddie Gnorea, on the books of Birmingham City, was impressive in midfield with his tough tackling nature, but no matter how many strings the 19 year old midfielder pulled, Stags just couldn’t find another goal – fellow trialist Ball wasted the best chance at the death, firing over from Hutchinson’s corner. At the full time whistle Cox instructed his players to stay on the pitch putting them through an intense running session which included a verbal dressing down, Stags now have one more friendly to put things right as they head for Gainsborough Trinity on Tuesday evening, 7.30pm before the seasons opener at Scunthorpe United. FULL TIME: Boston United 3 -1 Mansfield Town Referee: Declan Ford Attendance: 393 (est 55 from Mansfield) Stags: Harry Waldram, Ritchie Sutton (C), Martin Riley, Ryan Tafazolli (Liam Marsden (68), Paul Black (George Pilkington HT), Louis Briscoe, Chris Clements (Jordan Ball 70), Anthony Howell, Lindon Meikle (Ben Hutchinson 58), Lee Stevenson (Eddie Gnorea 70), Jake Speight (Brent McGrath 70) Not Used: Chris Spencer, Amari Morgan-Smith, Jason Gregory, Jack Thomas, Ben Birch, Trovarn Demar-Thompson, Jack Hawkins, Jordan Vilums, Jordan Fell (GK) The views expressed in this blog are those of the writers and not those of Mansfield Matters or its related organisations – to submit a blog, email mtfcmatters@gmail.com 
Craig Priest & Emily Sykes write...
A late penalty from Sky Blues skipper Carl Baker saw Mansfield Town narrowly beaten as the preparations for league two continues. Up against an under strength Coventry side Stags struggled to control parts of the game and the lack of a killer touch was evident, despite the best efforts of Sam Clucas and trialist Calvin Andrew. Paul Cox named two new trialists on the bench, 19 year old midfielder Eddie Gnorea and 22 year old Australian international striker Brent McGrath who came on for the final 15 minutes – both will presumably be given a longer run out tomorrow at Boston. In terms of performance, it was another warm evening so the tempo was slow and sluggish – we said at half time that the lack of pressure put on the opposition in midfield was becoming a concern although in fairness, things tightened up after the interval. Stags enjoyed the best early chance on five minutes as Lee Beevers’ long throw was flicked on by Ross Dyer and then headed narrowly over by John Dempster, two minutes later the visitors squandered the chance to take the lead as Fabio Martins blazed over Cyrus Christie’s driven right sided cross. Alan Marriott then came to the Stags rescue seconds later as McCombe missed an interception on the half way line and allowed Mathieu Manset to canter forward at pace, the Sky Blues front man denied by a smart save by the Stags custodian. An excellent break from Stags on 16 minutes saw Jamie McGuire nod wide from Beever’s first time cross however Cox’s men would come closer seven minutes later as Calvin Andrew latched onto Ross Dyer’s flick on, curling into the top corner after picking Daniel Orozco’s pocket to give Stags the lead. Coventry were then awarded a soft penalty on 37 minutes as Callum Wilson went to ground under the challenge of Marriott, the Stags keeper guessed correctly but failed to keep out Carl Bakers spot kick as the visitors pulled level. Calvin Andrew nearly put the Stags ahead on the stroke of half time nodding wide from James Jennings’ free kick, he was then involved four minutes after the break as Stags again took the lead. It was route one stuff from Mansfield as Marriott launched forward, Andrew provided the flick and Sam Clucas did the rest, skipping forwards to drill beyond Lee Burge in the Coventry goal. The Stags then had two chances to add another as on 53 minutes, Ross dyer volleyed over from a Jennings corner before Andrew nodded over from another Jennings set play four minutes later. Cox’s men then gifted the visitors a leveller on 62 minutes as Alan Marriott palmed Callum Wilson’s low cross into the path of Lee Beevers who could do nothing bar watch on with agony as the ball bounced off him and trickled into the empty net. Trialist Brent McGrath curled an effort wide on 83 minutes before Anthony Howell drive a 20 yard effort wide seconds later as Stags bid for the lead once again, however it was the visitors which stole the match with the last kick of the game in similar fashion to the visitors first goal – Marriott upended Wilson with Baker tucking home the spot kick, this time sending a bemused Marriott the wrong way. FULL TIME: Stags 2-3 Coventry City Stags: Alan Marriott, Lee Beevers, John McCombe (Ritchie Sutton 76), John Dempster, James Jennings, Ross Dyer (Brent McGrath 76), Jamie McGuire, Adam Murray (C) (Anthony Howell 69), Junior Daniel (Lindon Meikle 69), Sam Clucas, Calvin Andrew (Lee Stevenson 69). Substitutes Not Used: Jake Speight, Ryan Tafazolli, Paul Black, Eddie Gnorea, Chris Clements Referee: Gary Sutton (Lincs) The views expressed in this blog are those of the writers and not those of Mansfield Matters or its related organisations. To submit a blog email mtfcmatters@gmail.com 
Craig Priest writes…
Tick-tock goes the clock, the league two season keeps on approaching – Paul Cox has just three more friendly matches before the serious business gets underway on August 3rd at Scunthorpe, with this weekend providing another double header with two games in the space of 24 hours. It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to realise that it will be two different sides, for once I’m pleased with this double header to be honest – everyone will get a chance to impress and make the grade for Tuesday’s trip to Gainsborough which, if I were Paul Cox at least, would be the side which takes on Scunthorpe. Coventry City of course are a crisis club in a sense, a recent rent dispute with the owners of the Ricoh Arena has seen the club move home, ground sharing with Northampton Town. Around 5,000 fans recently protested about the move, so will the off field issues affect what goes off on the pitch, after a disappointing 15th place finish in league one last term the Sky Blues will be eager to get supporters back onside, especially considering the fact that due to their ground issues, all of the pre-season preparations have been on the road. Bottom half and league one is pretty much the same standard as top eight league two which is where our beloved Stags are aiming to be so Friday evening’s match should give us all an indication of either how close we are, or how far away we are. The striker search is still on going and whilst Richard Cooper took charge of the Stags for their Tuesday night Green Energy Challenge Trophy win, boss Paul Cox and assistant Adam Murray went off casting their eyes over a number of potential targets – I doubt now we’ll see any movement before the weekend but we’ll see. I felt against Rainworth that Calvin Andrew and Jordan Ball did well and deserve another look, 45 minutes apiece in both this weekends friendly’s wouldn’t do much harm, although in honesty, it’s against Boston we’re I’d expect them to be trialled, hopefully along with Amari Morgan-Smith but his absence at Rainworth perhaps suggest that, that particular ship has sailed. Boston United will be the match where those Cox is unsure on will get another run out, can George Pilkington push his way into the side at left back after a handful of impressive displays depending on how long Jennings will be absent for? Can Godfrey Poku avoid being cast out again, his professional attitude is a real credit to him and perhaps should make Paul Cox have one final serious think about his future. The Pilgrims will prove a tough test for Cox’s men as they continue their quest to climb out of the conference north, finishing 16th last term following numerous managerial changes – Dennis Greene is now at the helm and will no doubt push his Pilgrims side to attempt to defeat the conference national champions. Hopefully on Sunday after both encounters we’ll know a little more about the striker situation and have a much clearer idea on whose going to kick start Mansfield’s football league campaign – is anyone else counting the sleeps like Christmas now?! Match Coverage: Peterborough: Regular Updates via MM-LIVE from 7pm Boston: Full Match Commentary, exclusively on StagsPlayer from 2.55pm The views expressed in this blog are those of the writer and not those of Mansfield Matters or its related organisations. To submit a blog email mtfcmatters@gmail.com  Craig Priest writes…
Mansfield Town won their first piece of silverware of the season last night as a brace from Ben Hutchinson, plus solitary strikes from Ross Dyer and trailist Jordan Ball saw Stags crowned Champions of the Green Energy Challenge Trophy, a new competition expected to be competed annually between the Stags and Rainworth MW. It was a commanding performance from Stags, managed by first team coach Richard Cooper as boss Paul Cox and assistant Adam Murray went elsewhere continuing the hunt for a new striker. Seemingly Outcasts George Pilkington and Godfrey Poku both put in excellent displays whilst Chris Clements enjoyed another decent game in the centre of the park, however it was young defender Jason Gregory and hit man Ben Hutchinson that caught my eye the most, Hutchinson netting twice and setting another to earn man of the match whilst Gregory looked comfortable and assured at the heart of the Stags back four, causing problems for the visitors in both boxes. Stags fielded three trailists in the starting eleven with at least two on the bench, right back Julian Kelly again played but only to get fit whilst Cooper, on behalf of Cox, cast his eye over 19 year old former Doncaster Rovers striker Jordan Ball and 26 year old attacking midfielder/ striker Calvin Andrew, whose career has included spells with Luton Town and Crystal Palace. On the bench were a number of youth team players along with the seemingly unknown Lamar Powell and Chris Smith. Some research this morning shows that Powell, a 19 year old left sided forward, was formerly on the books of Bristol Rovers and Bath City, suffering an asthma attack on his Bath debut whilst its rumoured Chris Smith is over from Australia on trial. Stags also introduced a young goalkeeper late on, reports after the game also suggest his name was Smith, but at the time of writing I’m no clearer to knowing his first name or if he was a trialist etc. Back to the match itself and Stags looked hungry to impress and weren’t afraid to get stuck in on an evening which was awash with sharp spells of torrential rain and, during the second half especially, constant flashes of vicious lightening. Stags survived an early corner from the Wrens and soon began to bombard the Rainworth goal and were unlucky not to lead after two minutes as trialist Calvin Andrew flashed in a pacey cross from the left wing. Ross Dyer was on the end of it with a forceful effort which was well saved by James Martin in the home goal. Hungry Mansfield had a mere three more minutes to wait until they grabbed the opener, a fine 1-2 between Andrew and Clements saw the former take the ball around the advancing Martin, the former Crystal Palace man lost his footing but had Ben Hutchinson on hand to drill home into the empty net to put Coopers Stags in the driving seat. Mansfield looked fearless in there attack and the Wrens somehow survived numerous crosses from either flank before receiving a helping hand from the linesman on 18 minutes as he ruled out Andrew’s bullet header from a Hutchinson cross for offside after Clements’ initial corner picked out former Celtic man Hutchinson on the far right hand side. Seven minutes later Stags did have a second as Ross Dyer powerful converted beneath Martin. It all stemmed from the half way line where Julian Kelly played a low pass into Hutchinson’s feet, a great spin from the hit man saw Wrens full back Damian Magee left behind and Hutchinson subsequently drilled the low cross into the middle for Dyer to convert, a good all round move from the Stags. Godfrey Poku nearly had a belated birthday present on the half hour mark as his 30 yard left footed lightning bolt tested Martin who, two minutes later, was picking the ball out of the net again as Dyer this time sent Hutchinson racing into the box – the front man lashing into the back of the net with real venom to put Stags into a commanding three-nil lead. Hutchinson came close to his hat-trick seconds after the restart after good link up play between Clements and Jordan Ball, however James Martin threw his body onto the ball after spilling the initial effort. Rainworth were becoming sloppy as they attempted to play their way forwards from the back, on 37 minutes a sloppy error proved a costly one as former Doncaster Rovers man Jordan Ball pounced onto a mistake from Ricky Hanson, curling the ball into the back of the net via a deflection from James Martin – the shot was going in anyway. At 4-0 up Mansfield weren’t resting on their laurels and continued in their quest for a 5th goal, Ben Hutchinson, Ross Dyer, Jordan Ball and Calvin Andrew all came close before the break but neither could quite find the finish they were looking for. The second half was a more even affair although, possession and shots wise Stags were still in complete control. Hutchinson, Andrew and Clements all had further efforts in search of the Stags 5th goal but neither could find it, instead it was Rainworth that came closer, finally drawing Ian Deakin into action on the hour mark as Ricky Hanson, who pushed into midfield, hit one low from 25 yards. Four minutes later Stags made their first change of the night as Andrew departed in place of another trialist, Lamar Powell, moments after his introduction he earned a free kick right on the edge of the D – Ben Hutchinson stepped up but curled over. Centre back Jason Gregory then came close to getting on the Stags score sheet on 77 minutes with a rasping effort from the edge of the Wrens box, James Martin did well to palm the ball away and allow the hosts to soak up the danger. Rainworth threatened to find a consolation late on however fine defensive work from Pilkington, captain Sutton and substitute Liam Marsden, ensured Stags’ clean sheet and ultimately, the first Green Energy Challenge Trophy title. FULL TIME: Rainworth MW 0-4 Mansfield Town STAGS: 33 Ian Deakin (1 ?? Smith 81), 3 Julian Kelly (15 Liam Marsden 84), 5 Ritchie Sutton ©, 6 Jason Gregory, 2 George Pilkington, 17 Ross Dyer (7 Jack Hawkins 84), 8 Chris Clements, 18 Godfrey Poku (14 Jack Thomas 83), 11 Calvin Andrew (12 Lamar Powell 64), 10/21 Ben Hutchinson (13 Chris Smith 77), 9 Jordan Ball (16 Joe Flint 77) UNUSED SUBSTITUTES: Ben Birch, Jordan Vilums, Chris Spencer, Matt Jones, Trovan Damar-Thompson. Referee: Steve Meredith The views expressed in this blog are those of the writer and not those of Mansfield Matters or its related organisations – to submit a blog, email mtfcmatters@gmail.com 
Craig Priest writes…
The Sky-Bet League Two season continues to draw ever closer and tomorrow night, Paul Cox’s men continue their preparations as they make the short trip to neighbours Rainworth MW – a match which has the early season “help a nearby club out” feel to it rather than the serious competitive test feel. Personally I have no doubt that Rainworth in a way will defiantly provide a tough and rugged test on a tight pitch ahead of a tough weekend where Stags will take on Coventry City (home on Friday night) and Boston United (away on Saturday afternoon). Club links with Rainworth have grown over the past few years with the wrens now providing a home for our day to day training whilst the One Call complex gets completed. The Wrens also have a former Stag at the helm; Mark Hawkins quit the Stags board in the aftermath of our title win to take the Chairman’s role at Kirklington Road. A game is a game regardless of opposition and I’m eager to see a more committed display from Cox’s men tomorrow night after a rather half-hearted game against Sheffield United on Saturday. This is the third pre-season in a row in which Stags have travelled to Rainworth – Cox missed the first one due to a family wedding, Micky Moore took charge of a group of trialists, non were invited back for a second look. Last term there was anger as Cox, in the midst of a busy schedule, withdrew his promised senior side and sent the youth team, however he did make up for it mid-season, sending a reserve team to play the Wrens on a night where floodlight failure nearly got the match called off. This term, with no other matches until the weekend, there’s no excuse for trialists (bar Morgan-Smith) or the youth team as Rainworth, at last, cash in on a friendly with their newly promoted neighbours. Naturally a lot of the talk will be about money and off the pitch links, however I’m hopeful Cox uses the match to discover which of his players have the character and desire to take on and compete with lower-league opposition and those that simply don’t – the ones that fit the latter would for me, be out of the door. Talking of exits, I was saddened to read this morning that Paul Cox has opted not to pursue the trial of former Stags winger Nathan Arnold. I have to admit I was critical of going back to old players when I first heard the news but, in Anthony Howell style, Arnold won me round with impressive displays and was odds on to sign a deal. Numerous posts on social network pages from Arnold have suggested that his Stags door is now closed, a big mistake in my opinion – good luck to Nathan for the future, I hope that Cox has other avenues of interest. With Arnold’s exit, I also wonder if Amari Morgan-Smith will depart to look elsewhere – the striker has been at the One Call Stadium for roughly a week and impressed against Chester, and in my opinion, looked sharp against the Blades at the weekend. We are lacking a striker still and maybe, much in the way Green did, if he gets a goal the floodgates may open – time will tell. A win is not too important against the Wrens, although if we don’t get victory there won’t be too many happy staggies around! I want to see commitment and desire from the players, I want to see players playing until after the last second has passed and players actually pressuring the opposition, we are after all the champions – it’s about time we proved it! Match Coverage: If you can’t make the short trip to Rainworth, then make sure you subscribe to StagsPlayer – the only place you can catch full match commentary with me from 7.25pm. Follow us on twitter too to get involved with the show, Em will be tweeting throughout via @mtfcmatters The views expressed in this blog are those of the writers and not those of Mansfield Matters or its related organisations. To submit a blog email mtfcmatters@gmail.com 
Craig Priest & Emily Sykes write… Mansfield Town failed to make it three wins from as many games yesterday as they were beaten by Febien Brandy’s third minute strike at the One Call Stadium. The match itself saw Cox’s men take a massive step back in their progress, with a performance that lacked any real commitment, desire or energy from the same group of players that saw off Chester and Peterborough days prior. Things slightly improved in the second half as the visiting keeper was tested, however the amount of space given to their opponents and apparent lack of enthusiasm to chase the game late on would not be accepted in a league or cup fixture, so why should we accept it in a friendly? Craig wrote before the match about Speight and Morgan-Smith being given chances to shine, both played 45 each and sadly, neither quite took the opportunity which came there way. Morgan-Smith looked powerful with his movement again and did come close to grabbing a goal, however it perhaps wasn’t close enough. Will he get another chance as the striker search goes on – only time will tell. Typically Stags began well and registered their first chance with the game only 18 seconds old, Lee Beevers’ long ball picked out Matt Rhead on the edge of the box – the big man fired wide after turning well. Frustration soon followed excitement as with pretty much their first attack of the match, Sheffield United grabbed the opener. Right back Daryl Westlake pushed forwards and turned Paul Black on the bye-line to deliver a low cross into the centre, ex Notts County forward Febian Brandy did the rest, spinning Dempster before firing underneath Alan Marriott. It could have been two for United seven minutes later as Black slid in on Brandy just outside the Stags penalty area following a dominant, unmarked stroll from Blades midfielder Jamie Murphy. Daryl Westlake stepped up to curl towards the top corner however he was deied by the well positioned Marriott. At the other end Stags failed to make the best of a Junior Daniel corner before Cox withdrew John McCombe on 21 minutes after he picked up a knock, his replacement Ryan Tafazolli soon stamped his authority on the match and kept Chris Porter tightly marked. Marriott had to be alert on the half hour mark as a rare slip from skipper Dempster allowed Porter to latch onto a long ball, the Stags custodian got down low to palm the ball away for a corner – Seconds later Marriott again denied the same player after Anthony Howell was caught napping in the centre by Murphy. Three minutes before the break Junior Daniel was booked for a late challenge on Marcus Williams and promptly substituted for Lindon Meikle, on the stroke of half time Matt Rhead flicked the ball into the path of Speight however the front man failed to pounce as Williams swept into make a fine intervention – the Stags faithful remained deadly quiet as the players trooped off at the break, silence though spoke a million words. Paul Cox then made five changes at the break as Rhead, Black, Speight, Clucas and Murtagh made way for Lee Stevenson, George Pilkington, Adam Murray and Trialists Nathan Arnold and Amari Morgan-Smith entered the fray. The second half saw a rather tame start and had it not been for an excellent challenge from Tafazolli on 50 minutes, Brandy would have undoubtedly grabbed his and the visitors second of the game. Three minutes later at the other end, the young defender nodded Lee Beevers’ long throw wide of the target as Stags saw a brief flash of the Blades goal. Jamie McGuire and Ritchie Sutton were then introduced on 63 minutes, three minutes into his match McGuire drew George Long into action, forcing the Blades keeper into an excellent save with an 18 yard drive after Nathan Arnold’s tee up. Amari Morgan-Smith nearly made a name for himself a minute later, curling a free kick over from the edge of the box after he was fouled, however it was Lee Stevenson who came close on 68 minutes, firing at the keepers legs from Lindon Meikle’s cut back on the right hand side. Mansfield had started to bloom and saw Nathan Arnold come close with a fantastic volley from the left of the box on 76, Morgan-Smith was then put through on goal by Meikle but saw Long get down low to deny him. Time simply ran out for Stags who, if we’re honest, never teetered above average against a very strong Sheffield United side. FULL TIME: Stags 0-1 Sheffield United  (C) Chris Holloway http://www.flickr.com/photos/bluewheelofficial/sets/72157634716497833/ STAGS: 1 Alan Marriott, 2 Lee Beevers (12 Ritchie Sutton 63), 4 John Dempster ©, 5 John McCombe (20 Ryan Tafazolli 21), 3 Paul Black (18 George Pilkington HT), 12 Junior Daniel (14 Lindon Meikle 42), 6 Keiran Murtagh (9 Amari Morgan-Smith HT), 13 Anthony Howell (8 Jamie McGuire 63), 11 Sam Clucas (19 Adam Murray HT), 10 Jake Speight (21 Nathan Arnold HT), 22 Matt Rhead (16 Lee Stevenson HT)
UNUSED SUBSTITUTES: Martin Riley, Ross Dyer, Ben Hutchinson, Chris Clements. Referee: Michael Naylor (South Yorkshire) The views expressed in this blog are those of the writers and not those of Mansfield Matters or its related organisations – to submit a blog, email mtfcmatters@gmail.com 
Craig Priest writes…
It’s been a mixed week in truth following the fortunes of Mansfield Town, two strong wins and performances against strong opposition have been followed up by the failure to secure a much sought after league one striker. Tomorrow Stags play host to league one side Sheffield United as the pre-season preparations continue. The former Championship side have enjoyed a decent pre-season so far and are unbeaten in there four matches, so again it’s another tough task for Paul Cox’s side who will look to build on that victory over Peterborough United on Wednesday. Despite the football coming thick and fast, nobody seems interested in it! All the talk is about the striker, or the apparent lack of one! I’ve said time and time again these past few weeks that there is no real rush on Cox to bring in a new hit man, I believe in Speight, Hutchinson, Dyer and Rhead we’ve enough fire power to be getting on with, backed up by Stevenson, Briscoe, Daniel and the impressive Clucas I’m by no means worried – tomorrow I know what I’d like to see, a solution I believe could solve our problems. Who says that you have to have one striker that nets you 30 a season – yeah it’s been nice but in reality they’re a rare bread – why not have two that are well capable of doing the same job at the same quality, but who will net say 15-20 a season. Jake Speight I believe has the quality to do just that, injuries etc kept his time on the pitch to a minimum last season but with a constant run, he can be our goal scoring hero. No doubt there are reason Speight is only at home games at the moment, tomorrow is a prime opportunity for him to get 90 minutes under his belt and prove he can take on the mantel left by Green. Alongside him I’d like to see Amari Morgan-Smith given another run out, yes people are saying he’s not good enough for league two and pushing the “big name” angle, but to be honest, whenever I’ve seen Morgan-Smith play against us, he’s always been difficult to deal with and when he played for us against Chester, he looked sharp and fitted into our never say die ethos – a test against a higher league opposition could be perfect for him to prove himself, just in the way Nathan Arnold has. I’ve said it before, Matt Green arrived a shell and with the “we’re not sure he’s the answer” tag from fans but ended up leaving a hero – lightening can strike twice. Let’s see Morgan-Smith and Speight alongside each other and see what happens, what harm can it do? I anticipate a few changes from the side which beat Peterborough, Ryan Tafazolli and Martin Riley may pair up at centre half whilst Paul Black, Keiran Murtagh and Louis Briscoe may also get run outs – whoever plays, it will be a good encounter and one I’m looking forward too. Fingers crossed too, it helps find a solution to our striker debate too – even the most complicated things, can be solved with a simple game of football. Match Coverage: Regular Updates will be available via our MM-LIVE page from 2pm. The views expressed in this blog are those of the writers and not those of Mansfield Matters or its related organisations. To submit a blog email mtfcmatters@gmail.com 
Craig Priest writes… Conference Champions Mansfield Town continued their preparations for league two with a resounding 4-2 victory over League One Peterborough United, who were relegated from the Championship at the end of last season. The departure of Matt Green has left Stags short of goals however last night at the One Call Stadium all four goals contained a touch of class, new recruit Sam Clucas netted a second half brace adding to goals in the first from John Dempster and Junior Daniel. For the second night running, Cox’s men completely dominated the match and demonstrated a professional work ethic, pleasing to see as the Football League season creeps ever closer. At Chester it was the likes of Chris Clements & George Pilkington who stood out whilst last night, against League One Peterborough, we saw an excellent display from Sam Clucas, John Dempster and for me, Junior Daniel who looked hungry on the right hand side. Nathan Arnold came off the bench late on as his trial continued, at 2-2 he completely changed the game with his energetic running and his desire to fight for every loose ball – I had my reservations at first but now I’d be happy to him put pen to paper and return to the club – he’s developed into a cracking player and his signing, in my opinion, would give Stags the strongest group of wingers in the division. After the match it was revealed that Cox had missed out on bagging a league one striker, rumoured to be Stevenage’s Lukas Atkins – whatever your thoughts on this it doesn’t matter, Cox doesn’t have too much of a time constraint on him. Personally now I’d like to see Amari Morgan-Smith given 90 minutes alongside Jake Speight, who enjoyed another solid 45 minutes last night. Morgan-Smith was amongst the substitutes last night but presumably wasn’t used having played pretty much the whole match at Chester. Mansfield were extremely hungry and began with venom, coming close to an opener within the opening 13 seconds, James Jennings’ left wing clip found Lee Stevenson inside the box however the attacking midfielder saw his effort saved by Posh keeper Joe Day. Three minutes later Stags came close again as Junior Daniel’s effort was deflected behind for a corner, Matt Rhead drew an excellent save from Day from the resulting corner with an acrobatic over head kick. The visitors then grabbed the lead with practically their first opportunity of the game, against the run of play on 14 minutes. Nathanial Mendez-Laing’s driving run down the left had Jenning’s in a spin, the United wide man cut inside and drove home beyond a despairing Marriott. Mansfield were determined to level and did two minutes later in style, Jennings set the goal with another perfect delivery from a right sided free kick however it was Dempster taking the applause, curling home a sweet effort from the edge of the area. Seconds after the restart Stags were came agonisingly close to a second as Clucas and Stevenson combined to find Anthony Howell, the central midfielder couldn’t keep his effort down. Lee Beevers, captain for the evening, kept Mansfield in the match with a solid block on Lee Tomlin, from then on in it was all Stags, Joe Day keeping Peterborough in the match with a smart save to deny Dempster on 22 minutes whilst defender John McCombe volleyed over and Matt Rhead glanced several headers wide.  On the half hour mark Junior Daniel set tongues wagging as he netted Mansfield’s second to put them ahead after John Dempster was fouled 35 yards from goal. The former Macclesfield and Crewe midfielder took responsibility for the free kick and gave Day no chance, curling into the top corner.
Minutes later, Dempster drew a save from Day with header before Howell thrashed an effort into the side netting. Dempster also had a looping header scrambled off the line before the break as Stags relentlessly knocked on the door of the visiting defence. Darren Ferguson changed the entire Peterborough side at the break bar Nat Knight-Percival who was introduced midway through the first half, it was the visitors who enjoyed the best early chances of the second half, Danny Swanson struck the post on the hour before ex-stag Emile Sinclair rattled the bar a minute later. Peterborough were pushing for an equaliser and deservedly got it on 67 minutes following a quick counter attack which began when Matt Rhead’s appeal for what looked a stone wall penalty was turned down. Sinclair was the man to latch onto the through ball, rounding Marriott and tucking into the empty net. Three minutes later Nathan Arnold, who netted the only goal in Tuesday’s win at Chester, entered the fray for Junior Daniel and completely swung the pendulum back in the Stags favour. A minute after his introduction a weaving run drew a foul from Michael Richins, the only other first half survivor for Posh. Jennings curled the resulting free kick narrowly over from 18 yards. Stags then grabbed the lead once more in empathic style with nine minutes remaining, Arnold’s determined run to rob Craig Alcock of the ball saw him bring Clucas into play to the right of the box – his first time left footed curler drew a standing ovation from the 763 strong crowd. Clucas and Mansfield weren’t finished and on 87 minutes grabbed another, this time it was substitute Speight with the cut back for the former Hereford wide man, who made no mistake in drilling home again at the first time of asking. STAGS: 1 Alan Marriott, 2 Lee Beevers (C), 4 John Dempster, 5 John McCombe, 3 James Jennings, 7 Junior Daniel (19 Nathan Arnold TRIALIST 70), 8 Jamie McGuire (16 Adam Murray 66), 11 Sam Clucas, 10 Lee Stevenson (19 Jake Speight HT), 22 Matt Rhead UNUSED SUBSTITUTES: Ross Dyer, Ritchie Sutton, Martin Riley, Keiran Murtagh, George Pilkington, Paul Black, Amari Morgan-Smith (TRIALIST) Referee: David Coote (Manchester) The views expressed in this blog are those of the writer and not those of Mansfield Matters or its related organisations – to submit a blog, email mtfcmatters@gmail.com |