I feel for anyone making a highlights package from that as it really was a dull affair which had draw written all over it, usually my head is full of things to write about the game but today nothing, I guess the positive we’re all looking for is we picked up a point to stretch our unbeaten home form to five games.

Making six changes may have been perceived as drastic, obviously one was enforced with Marriott’s injury in the week, but there still is that anxious thought of an unsettled side. At this point of the season teams are playing with a consistent line up baring one or two changes for injury/ suspensions, we on the other hand have only named the same line up four times in our 11 games so far – how can we build momentum with change after change, or am I forgetting football’s a squad game? I personally think we are successful when we have a consistent line up, like last term.

I was pleased to see Redmond given his chance, I’ve watched him numerous times and can say he’s a capable keeper who deserves more minutes, the decision to give John Thompson a run for the first time this term was a sensible one too – a player of mass experience and quality shouldn’t be sat on the sidelines. Yesterday he came in and showed what we’ve been missing since Luke O’Neill’s departure, a full back who can read the game, defend strongly in numerous positions and get forward to support the wingers, Ritchie Sutton does this too but when we have only one full back in the line up that can play that role we don’t get the best out of the team unit, hence why yesterday it was good to see Thompson right and Sutton left – giving us an option to play either side of the pitch comfortably.    

I was surprised to see Pilkington chosen over Jones as it meant another new centre half pair, that said I guess Cox was aiming for a little more seniority at experience in the back line. In midfield, Anthony Howell was dogged and dominant fighting for every scrap along with Murray, who took the skippers armband ahead of Pilkington. Nick Wright playing alongside Speight up front gave us a little more flare, the duo struck a good partnership in the latter stages of pre-season and continued it yesterday, playing off each other in the way Green, whose suspension is now over, did with Ross Dyer last term – we need that tandem up their as we look to kill games off.

The game itself as mentioned was a lack lustre affair, there were few chances to talk of but our time on the ball increased and, back in the 4-4-2, we used the ball better. Fair enough, we gave away a silly goal with a misplaced pass, something you shouldn’t do in that area but something we’ll sort. We failed to make the throws pay to an extent, we had 15 only one led to a goal, via two corners, so either we need to be more productive with them or drop them to a lower number and make our attacking game a little unpredictable. A points a point, let’s build on that now and not make too many changes, let’s get settled and progress up the table in the next month as we face Cambridge, Lincoln, Forest Green Rovers, Macclesfield and Dartford, not forgetting a break from league action in the FA Cup Fourth Qualifying Round, drawn in the coming week I think.

Paul Cox made six changes going into yesterday’s game, the injured Alan Marriott replaced by Shane Redmond whilst there were starts for John Thompson, George Pilkington, Lindon Meikle, Anthony Howell and Nick Wright in place of Lee Beevers, Ryan Tafazolli, Chris Clements, Lee Stevenson and Matt Rhead respectively.

LINE UP [4-4-2]: Shane Redmond, John Thompson, George Pilkington, Exodus Geohaghon, Ritchie Sutton, Lindon Meikle, Adam Murray (C), Anthony Howell, Junior Daniel, Nick Wright, Jake Speight
Substitutes: Louis Briscoe, Chris Clements, Matt Rhead, Lee Beevers, Lee Stevenson.

The Stags started brightly with three Exodus Throws and two Adam Murray corners in the opening three minutes, however neither could pressure the visitors who also saw a corner of their own go astray on four minutes.

A minute later following football between Junior Daniel, Jake Speight, Lindon Meikle and Nick Wright saw the latter break forward before conceding a free kick for a push on Returning Stag Luke Graham, Wright was involved once more on six minutes as he block former Stag’s trialist Chris Carruthers’ clearance, crossing tamely into the keepers hands.

Anthony Howell registered the next half chance for Stags as he crept in at the front post to head a Geohaghon throw wide of the mark before Shane Redmond watched a helpful shot from Josh O’Keefe into his hands.

The Irish shot stopper could do nothing on 21 minutes however as the visitors took the lead. Ritchie Sutton played a suicidal cross pitch pass to Geohaghon on the half way line which saw Sam Clucas intercept and break free. Once inside the box he played the ball to the advancing Marlon Jackson who scuffed an effort underneath the on rushing Redmond to open the scoring.

Stags 0-1 Hereford

Three minutes later the Stags had a prime opportunity to respond with some excellent football on the floor. Jake Speight, Lindon Meikle and Adam Murray all combined before Anthony Howell made the final link up, sending Junior Daniel into the box with a crisp pass however the former Macclesfield and Crewe man couldn’t keep his effort down.

Daniel again had another effort on 26 minutes after Murray was fouled on the edge of the box, he curled a left footed free kick narrowly wide of the post before numerous Geohaghon throws were collected.

With a minute to go before the break, Geohaghon riffled in yet another throw forcing Andy Gallinagh to concede the first of two corners. The second, a right footed out swinger from Murray was clipped back into the box by Nick Wright, Exodus Geohaghon flicking a backwards headed beyond the routed James  Bittner to level the game.

Stags 1-1 Hereford

Two minutes were added on in the first half, the visitors pressured to grab an instant response however the Stags survived and headed into the break level.

HALF TIME: Stags 1-1 Hereford

After the break it was Hereford that had the early chance with a corner on 46 minutes before Nick Wright came close on 49minutes. Ritchie Sutton launched down the left hand side following a throw in, Jake Speight flicking inside to Wright who drove into space before firing over from the edge of the box.

A left sided throw again saw Stags come close on 62 minutes with Junior Daniel linking up with Wright, once more the former Kidderminster man failed to find the target, firing over James Bittner’s cross bar from the edge of the box. Three minutes later George Pilkington cleared at the last second as a Marley Watkins corner caused danger.

Matt Rhead then replaced Nick Wright in attack on 70 minutes, making an instant impact as he sent Jake Speight clean through on goal, only a last ditch challenge from Luke Graham prevented Speight from firing home. Exodus Geohaghon again delivered the resulting throw from which Rhead raced in to head narrowly wide of the target.

Louis Briscoe was introduced for Meikle five minutes later however the chances were becoming few and far between, with seven minutes remaining John Thompson made a strong supporting run with Briscoe down the right, the defenders cross was hooked over inside the box by Junior Daniel.

In the four additional minutes the visitors searched for a late winner but rarely troubled Redmond, the game fizzling out into a disappointing draw.

FULL TIME: Stags 1-1 Hereford << Click here for audio highlights 

The views expressed in this publication are those of the writer and not those of Mansfield Matters or its related organisations – to submit a piece for publication, email mtfcmatters@gmail.com  

Craig Priest writes...

As Paul Cox sits on his sofa tonight and ponders his team selection, I’m sure he’ll be trying to forget the week just gone, a week which has been testing to say the least. On Monday frustration still lingered after the 2-2 draw against ten men Telford last Saturday, however with football the following night all seemed well – that’s what we thought anyway.

As rain poured down over the UK, we only half heartedly thought the game at Macclesfield Tuesday evening would go ahead, even after the ‘It’s defiantly on’ statement from the other MTFC. Fast forward to roughly 5pm, the players are tucking into their pre-match meals at the hotel whilst the majority of supporters we’re a stone’s throw from the ground itself – and then disaster! Well rain, the pitch was soaked and the game off – leaving a high number of annoyed Staggies. 

The following day in training, the focus moved onto tomorrow’s game with Hereford when disaster struck again, Alan Marriott dislocated his shoulder, later revealed to be a grade 3 tear – a three month lay-off, and reserve keeper Shane Redmond banged his elbow – the double blow leaving Cox without a keeper. Fortunately now the burden is gone slightly as Notts County keeper Liam Mitchell has signed on a month’s loan – I guess another saving grace is that tomorrow’s game against tough opposition in mid table Hereford, is on home soil rather than on the road. Our home form is the 4th best in the division yet our away form contrasts like a damp leaf in a puddle, we’re ranked 20th.

Hereford have endured a sluggish start to their first season back in the conference since 2005-06 following their relegation from the football league last term. The Bulls sit a place below us in 11th with a similar sequence of results away from home, one win, one draw and three defeats, the latter all consecutive on the road – something ex York boss Martin Foyle will be keen to address tomorrow at the One Call Stadium. With 14 new faces in the summer, the Edger Street outfit have taken time to gel and a restricted budget has already seen one of the summer arrivals depart, Defender Byron Anthony had his contract terminated yesterday.

The Bulls defence is not a happy one at the moment, ranked 21st in total after 11 games so far, Martin Foyle will have been eager to attract fresh faces to accompany former Stag Luke Graham at the heart of his back line, with gate money down on what was expected and Anthony suspended following a straight red card against Cambridge last weekend, he was the one to go to free funds. As yet no signing has been made by Foyle as the Bulls prepare for tomorrow’s trip, I’m getting the feeling that it could be a test of two faltering sides who have failed to deliver what was expected so far – a test of character for both.

For Stags it’s back home after a week’s rest whilst Hereford were beaten by Forest Green midweek, the absence of the influential Marriott, who was at his best at Telford, will come as a bitter pill to swallow but in testing times, those who stick together get results – being at home can only spur us on. 

As I mentioned Marriott’s injury is a bitter blow, the fact he’s the clubs current joint longest serving player speaks volumes, last year he remained injury free after a 2010-11 campaign plagued with setbacks. Shane Redmond must also be feeling glum now; a reported bang to the elbow could hamper his chances of a start tomorrow after waiting so long for a chance to shine. If anyone deserves it Shane does, a season at the enemy saw nothing but splinters and reserve team outings before just one senior match at Kidderminster followed last term for us. This time around he’s been absent from the bench after an excellent pre-season but has turned out twice for our second string – his attitude towards keeping fit and in shape has been brilliant whilst his determination to prove himself has been there too, it’s such a cruel twist of fate that, when his chance does come, he gets injured too. The fact Liam Mitchell, the Notts loan man, has only signed for a month suggests a move for cover with Redmond to get a chance – I certainly hope this is the case, it’ll be great for a young league one keeper to come and get some experience but at the same time, it’ll be good to show we have faith in our supposed back up players too. 

Tomorrow will see the first meeting of the Stags and the Bulls outside of the football league; however as fans will no these two are no strangers to each other as the two sides have met 31 times since the first meeting back in the 70s. Taking the 1-0 win for Hereford in the LDV Vans back in 2005, the two have matched up 30 times in league action, the Stags on top with 13wins to ten, the other seven being draws.

At the One Call Stadium of the 15 meetings so far, five have ended level with the Stags enjoying the most success ranking up seven wins and suffering only three defeats, the last of which was again part of the Stags relegation nail as the Bulls ran out 1-0 victors at Field Mill as was in March 2008.

There have been plenty of goals down the years too, again discounting the cup match mentioned; Hereford and Mansfield have shared 86 goals over the course of 30 games, the Stags netting 50 to Hereford’s 36, At The One Call, the Stags again lead on goals scored, netting 33 to Hereford’s 15.    

With Alan Marriott and Shane Redmond joining Ross Dyer, Gary Roberts, Jamie Tolley and Jamie Hand on the treatment table this week, numbers again are short for tomorrow’ match, however Paul Cox will be boosted by the returns of Andy Owens, Ben Hutchinson, Nick Wright and player-coach Andy Todd who were all back in training this week.

With Macclesfield off midweek, striker Matt Green still has one game remaining of his ban whilst loanee keeper Liam Mitchell looks 99% certain to start between the sticks.

If you can’t get to the One Call Stadium tomorrow then be sure to join me for regular updates throughout the afternoon. Not only will I bring you as close to the action as possible, but I’ll also continue to run the competition to win Stephen Thirkills new Stags book.

Build up starts at 2pm, broadcasting on Takeover Radio 106.9FM and as always, via our popular MM-live page.

The views expressed in this blog are those of the writer and not those of Mansfield Matters or it’s related organisations – to submit a piece for publication, email mtfcmatters@gmail.com  

Each match has been thoroughly researched, it’s story poignantly told and relived through the eyes of those involved – The book is a wonderful trip of nostalgia and is extremely insightful to those younger fans such as myself out there.   

On sale at the club shop and at the Chad Offices on Newgate Lane, the latest Chad Stags Sports Publication is certainly a must buy, however here at Mansfield Matters we have a signed by the author copy to give away to one lucky winner in our latest competition.

The competition will be open until 5pm Sunday with the winner revealed Sunday evening, all you have to do to enter is answer a simple Stags question, if your correct then your name will go into the hat and a lucky winner will be picked at random. You can answer only once so be sure to send the correct answer, along with your name and contact details – you can enter either via Facebook, Twitter, Text or Email – details below.

The 26th February 1969 is a famous date in Stags history as Mansfield played host to, and beat a plethora of World Cup winning England Stars 3-0. Who were the visiting team?

A.     Tottenham Hotspur
B.      Liverpool
C.      West Ham United

HOW TO ENTER:

You can enter either by FACEBOOK – Click the ‘message us’ button and message your answer

On TWITTER, send us a direct message with your answer, if you require us to follow you in order to send us a message just tweet us the word COMP and we’ll follow you back ASAP

You can TEXT ‘Comp’ followed by your answer to 07982 865 624 – Please be sure to leave your name! *

Or you can EMAIL your answer (and contact details) to mtfcmatters@gmail.com

ALL ENTRY’S MUST BE MADE BEFORE 5PM SUNDAY 30TH SEPTEMBER TO BE COUNTED, PLEASE ENTER ONLY ONCE
*Texts cost your standard network rate.

Good Luck All
Craig.         

Craig Priest looks ahead to a showdown between the MTFC’s!

I hate this time of year, looking out the window all I see is rain, damp leaves failing from the trees with a chilling breeze breaking through the flat despite my heating cranked up full. The only warmth or satisfaction I get is football, yet in true Stags fashion the mood around the stands etc matches the weather – dull and miserable, well one man’s looking to change that, step forward Adam Murray.

What has been clear to me for the past couple of months is that closeness of fans and players has disappeared, this is something which the philosophical Murray created last term with his blogs and in turn us supporters responded with another level of support which spurred the boys on – let’s hope it has the same affect this time around, especially as tomorrow night we face a tough trip to Macclesfield, a place with respect nobody ever craves going to even on the nicest of days, some will look at the weather tonight, look our away form and think ______ it!!

I guess you can say we are building a little bit of steam with one defeat in our last five but you can’t hide the fact our dreadful away form is a big blotch on our seasonal canvas at the moment as we sit 19th in the away table. As mentioned in the match report following Saturday’s 2-2 draw at AFC Telford, there was anxiety and a itchiness about our play as we failed to make the most of the extra man – Paul Cox mentioned after the game that a section of fans were chanting for his head and having a dig at a selection of players, I don’t know if that’s true or not but if it is – there’s your reason why the players were anxious, not wanting to make a mistake at fear the ‘haters’ piped up again, as Murray eluded too in his blog, when people make mistakes they need a supportive word not a foray of a abuse which sometimes we may be too quick to dish out – the weight of expectation maybe a little too heavy at the minute, how about we lift it and concentrate on the here and now – winning games.

Tomorrow it’s a clash of the MTFC’s as Macclesfield face Mansfield, the Silkmen have followed in the path of every relegated club in the first season back in the conference, starting brightly under the guidance of former Lewes boss Steve King, currently sitting in 4th place. Macclesfield were conference champions in the 1996-97 season suffered relegation from league two last term finishing bottom after collecting five home wins all season, already this season they are one behind that total with wins over Wrexham, Dartford, Braintree and Barrow – Forest Green Rovers ended what was a 100% record on Saturday with a dramatic late goal from Steve Brogan.

The Silkmen swept the changes during the close season with a mammoth 22 departures and 21 arrivals including former Stags trialist Pablo Mills, highly rated winger Peter Winn, Luton Duo John Paul Kissock and Charlie Henry and their former team mate, hit man Matthew Barnes-Homer, who is currently the silkmens top scorer with seven goals so far. The new Macclesfield are a solid side in their infancy, tomorrow we’ll probably face one of the toughest tests so far.

It’s been a while since the MTFC’s faced each other, the two fixtures during the 2007-08 season being the faintest of lights in our relegation season of doom! At Field Mill as was, the Stags romped to a 5-0 victory, Simon Brown netted the quickest hat trick from the start of a match in the clubs history, netting a treble within the open 22 minutes before strikes from Nathan Arnold and Mickey Boulding completed the route before the hour mark. The Macclesfield side that day included two of our current squad, Adam Murray and Jamie Tolley.

The Reverse fixture was a frustrating yet hopeful one at the Moss Rose, one which turned out to be our second to last away game in the football league. Prior to the match Stags had four games to go and we’re attempting ‘The Great Escape’ as Paul Holland’s crumbling boys sat 23rd in the table just three points below rivals Notts County whilst Macclesfield were in 19th seven points ahead. Notts County played Accrington in another relegation show down, if the Stags could win and County loose, maybe survival hopes would grow ahead of the home clash with Shrewsbury – in the end it was a goalless draw, the first clean sheet in three games whilst Matt Hamshaw’s right boot couldn’t grab a win in the dying embers of the match. A point was ok at first but as the full time scores were slipping through, County had beaten Accrington and suddenly time was against us and hope draining – my last memory of Macclesfield is the coach pulling away and my heart draining of all hope, relegation loomed.

The sides have met numerous times over the years, in league matches there have been 18 meetings, of which the Stags have won eight to Macclesfield’s five, the remaining five being draws. Since the first meeting between the sides in 1997, a 1-0 win for Macclesfield, the Stags have netted 30 goals, conceding 23. The Moss Rose is one of the first away grounds I visited, seeing mixed fortunes – of the nine games at the other MTFC’s home, the sides have three wins a piece with three draws.    

Macclesfield will be without John Paul-Kissock who was sent off against Forest Green at the weekend, otherwise there relatively injury free. For Stags, Matt Green serves the final game of his ban which still leaves Stags with two fit strikers (Rhead and Speight), Nick Wright, Ross Dyer and Ben Hutchinson are all injured, joined by Jamie Hand and Gary Roberts on the injury table.

If you can’t make it to the Moss Rose, join me for full match commentary via our MM-LIVE Page from 7pm.

The views expressed in this blog are those of the writer and not those of Mansfield Matters or it’s related organisations – to submit a piece email mtfcmatters@gmail.com  

Craig Priest writes...

Fixture: AFC Telford United V Mansfield Town
Competition: Blue Square Bet Premier – Game #10
Venue: The New Bucks Head
Date & Time: Saturday 22nd September – 3pm
Match Referee: Brett Huxtable
Attendance: 1736

No matter if you’re a fan, journalist, coach, physio or water boy – there’s always a good feeling of confidence inside when he opposing team get a player dismissed early in a game, well prior to 60minutes or so anyway. Yesterday the Stags played an hour with a man less but again we sit reflecting on a tale portrayed through gritted teeth as the final result ended all square at 2-2.

Firstly before I delve into the game itself from a Stags perspective, it should go on the record that credit is certainly due to AFC Telford who remained strong and powerful throughout, in fact up until half time and for the early stages of the second half, they were the better side – Alan Marriott the Stags saving grace. Kieron St.Aimie and Steve Jones especially were the pick of the bunch for the Bucks front line, their supporters and management can take pride from the Bucks’ determined attitude and application to, for them, a negative situation – if they continue at that level then they’ll be a stable mid table side rather than the relegation doomed outfit some have made them out to be.

Telford’s resilience and excellence should not however be used as an excuse, as Paul Cox said we weren’t brave enough and we played with an anxiety which keeps irritating us away from home, championship winning sides are not anxious their ruthless. Ruthless is what we should have been yesterday, we scored the penalty to level but failed to kick on, only towards the end of the second half did we see a desire, a willingness to go and win the game but it was by far too little and most defiantly too late. The formation of 3-4-1-2 failed us defensively in my opinion; we we’re either far too narrow as a three or caught too far forward – when we dropped back into the 4-4-2 it was then when we began to sharpen and control and make the most of the extra man.

Away from these minor irritations I guess the bigger picture says we’ve picked up our first point on the road since August 18th and with two away games in our next three outings, including a tough midweek trip to Macclesfield, it should provide the foundation to build upon. All we need is the burn of belief and crinkle of ruthlessness to squish the weight of anxiety from our shoulders, to come out and start all steams ahead. We can do this if we stand together, make some supportive noise and take the home comforts with us on the team bus.

I can picture some of you scratching your metaphorical beards now wondering why the positive spin, am I happy with a point against ten men? No, but it’s better than none and will, providing we get a midweek win, continue to push us forward unbeaten – we didn’t lose after all, so why does it have to feel like a loss all the time. Onwards.

Paul Cox opted for the same starting eleven as the previous weekend, a 2-0 home win over Braintree, also sticking with the same bench and same formation, a 3-4-1-2.

LINE UP [3-4-1-2]: Alan Marriott, Ritchie Sutton, Exodus Geohaghon, Ryan Tafazolli, Lee Beevers, Adam Murray (C), Chris Clements, Junior Daniel, Lee Stevenson, Jake Speight, Matt Rhead.
SUBSTITUTES: John Thompson, Luke Jones, Lindon Meikle, Louis Briscoe, Anthony Howell.

The hosts began brightly troubling the Stags with two shots inside the opening minute, a rather sluggish back three took time to get going as they allowed Steve Jones to shoot wide from the edge of the box on 40 seconds before Steven Leslie curled one up and over 12 seconds later after the Stags failed to win the Ariel battle from the resulting goal kick.

Jake Speight registered half a chance on five minutes for Stags however it was the lively hosts that kept pressing, registering efforts from James Spray, Kieron St.Aimie and Steven Leslie prior to the ten minute mark.

It was clear that Stags needed a break, a little piece of luck to set them on their way and that’s exactly what they got on 11 minutes as Lee Beevers grabbed his first goal of the season. Matt Rhead was causing the back four havoc and won a free kick dead centre 25 yards from goal, Lee Stevenson saw no point in allowing Telford to get bodies back and after a quick glance to the referee, took the kick early spraying wide right for Beevers, whose cross dipped in-towards the back post, cushioning off the postage stamp to land in the back of the net and opening the scoring.

AFC Telford 0-1 Stags

Mansfield’s lead lasted a mere three minutes as Ritchie Sutton was made to pay for a defensive error, a long ball from Telford’s shot stopper Ryan Young was inviting for a volley back forwards however Sutton mistimed his kick and swung at air, allowing the lively Kieron St.Aimie to ghost in. Once gaining ground the big front man found himself in the box and let fly under pressure from Tafazolli who may have got the slightest of touches to put the ball beyond Marriott

AFC Telford 1-1 Stags

Jake Speight, Lee Beevers and Chris Clements all had half efforts for the Stags to regain the lead but once again AFC Telford looked the more lively, Alan Marriott plucking numerous crosses out of the air, watching two solo efforts from Steven Leslie fly narrowly wide and on the half hour mark, getting down low to deny Steve Jones after St.Aimie had made a mockery of Geohaghon to the right of the box, delivering a drilled low cross.

Three minutes later the inevitable happened as the hosts took the lead, again it was Mansfield’s disorganised back three that were perhaps at fault, moving too high up pitch and out of shape allowed a chipped pass from skipper Phil Trainer to find Kieron St.Aimie wide left onside. Telford’s leading marksman delivered low into the mix where Richard Davies stuck out a boot to divert beyond Marriott.

AFC Telford 2-1 Stags

Next it was the Stags turn to turn the tables as on 36 minutes a delightful long range pass from the Stags midfield saw Jake Speight onside to the right of the box. After getting goal side of Liam Chilvers he advanced forward before going down in the box following a clear push in the back from Chilvers. The linesman had a clearer view than the referee and put his flag across his chest for a spot kick, after deliberation it was awarded and, by the letter of the la, Chilvers shown a straight red card for being last man. Jake Speight became Mansfield’s third penalty taker of the season following kicks from Green and Briscoe, he maintained the 100% success rate, sending Young the wrong way from the spot to level the match.

AFC Telford 2-2 Stags

Surprisingly Telford didn’t dwell on the dismissal and got on with things whilst Mansfield grew more anxious in trying to force another goal. The Stags remained in the 3-4-1-2 and were still weak at the back, Alan Marriott was at his best on 43 minutes when he kept out a ferocious driven effort from Steven Leslie, parrying the ball into the path of the on rushing Steve Jones the danger still lingered – Marriott sprung like a coiled spring to keep out the follow up close range bullet – the half time whistle a welcome relief for Stags rather than the 10man hosts.

HALF TIME: AFC Telford 2-2 Stags

The hosts again came out the traps the brighter with Alan Marriott again on hand to keep Stags in the game, St.Aimie was twice denied before Steve Jones saw an effort palmed away by Marriott on 57 minutes, a minute after Lindon Meikle and Anthony Howell were introduced for Matt Rhead and Lee Stevenson respectively.

Now in a 4-4-2 Stags began to make better use of the extra man, Anthony Howell had a storming impact as a front man, curling a shot narrowly over the bar on the hour mark following a flowing spell of movement down the right with Sutton and Beevers combining.

Six minutes later Louis Briscoe entered the fray for Sutton with Beevers dropping back to right back as Stags looked for more wide options, Lindon Meikle struck into the side netting on 70 minutes. The Stags had further chances with Anthony Howell, Louis Briscoe, Jake Speight, Adam Murray and Lindon Meikle however the best chance fell in the final minute to Chris Clements, his drive through the crowd was collected by the keeper who clung onto run the clock down, the full time whistle soon arriving to leave the Stags ruing their missed chances and clear anxiety issues.

FULL TIME: AFC Telford 2-2 Stags   << Audio Highlights          

The views expressed in this publication are those of the writer and not those of Mansfield Matters or its related organisations – to submit a piece for publication, email mtfcmatters@gmail.com  

Craig Priest looks ahead to tomorrow’s trip to AFC Telford United....

They say in football league tables begin to take their shape after ten games, as we approach our tenth game of the season I still can’t decide if I believe in this or not as I’ve always been under the influence of ‘it’s not how you start, it’s how you finish’.

It’s been a long week for me and as such I’ve had a lot of time to reflect and think about how our season’ unfolded so far, at home I’m confident we can beat pretty much anyone yet away I worry that a draw maybe a big ask – I’ve come to the conclusion that after the next two games, both away trips, I’ll be happy so long as that worry has been erased as I think, if we can get two back to back away wins our season will finally have the spark it’s perhaps lacked so far.

I’ll move onto the away form later but first I want to go back to my point about the number of points collected after the first ten games, providing we beat AFC Telford we’ll have 18points on the board, looking back at the past four blue square champions and there points tally after ten games shows me that 18 is a good figure to have. Last year’s Champions Fleetwood collected 20points from their first ten games, the same number of points Crawley had at the same stage the previous season. Stevenage Borough who were champions in 2009-10 collected 19 points from their first ten outings whilst 2008-09 champions Burton Albion only managed 15points from a possible 30 from the opening ten fixtures, the exact number we have now after nine games. The champion teams then surged in their next ten or so games to gather momentum and set them ahead of the rest, I think if we can aim for 21points from a possible 30 from the next ten games (Macclesfield – Stockport) then we’ll be up there and in a solid place to then re-evaluate and look at what we may need to strengthen moving into the back end of December and the new calendar year. Is it too early to be looking that far ahead, maybe – personally the maths and accumulated points can take a back seat whilst the priority of matching our home form with our away form takes prescience.   

Last term our away form was the 5th best in the division and something which, especially in the latter stage of the season, helped us push onto the play-offs. Looking back to season’s previous stats will tell you that our home and away form has been distant, for example during the 2010-11 campaign we finished in the top ten for teams away from home but only reached the dizzy heights of 15th for our home form. The season before things we’re more closely balanced but by no means affective, mediocre is probably the best way of describing a 10th placed home finish and a 9th place standing away from home. Our debut season in non-league also a vast contrast between home and away, an impressive 6th at home with a disheartening 19th on our travels – home and away may sound like different entities but winning teams, successful teams put there form in with the football boots and match day kit, it’s part of the furniture – if we are to progress, then we need to travel somewhere and stamp our authority, now is the prime time to do so with three of our next four fixtures spent on the road.

AFC Telford, Macclesfield and Cambridge are all tough places to go and with a home game with Hereford sandwiched in too, this kind of ties in with my ‘let’s get some momentum’ comment. We have to show we’ve settled and that those early creases have been ironed out, Lindon Meikle has said in the week about there still being more to come – I believe that soon something will click and the true Stags will show.

Tomorrow’s opponents AFC Telford have exceeded expectation so far this term, sitting just two points and as many places below us in 10th – however could AFC Telford’s bright start been due to good health in the squad? Like us now they’ve been dealt some injury blows and have seven players ruled out of tomorrow’s clash for various reasons, will their strength in depth be able to match ours, one look at our reserve team says no – let’s hope this is the answer come 5pm tomorrow.

It’s funny that a year and one day on we meet for the first time in the season, our first meeting with Telford last term being on September 20th, a 1-1 draw at Field Mill as was – Matt Green the scorer for the Stags. The reverse fixture was too a draw, John Thompson debuting after a lengthy lay-off to partner John Dempster it the heart of defence, Thompson’s influence helping keep our first clean sheet in some 12 matches, the game ended 0-0.

Whilst Matt Green serves the second of his three game ban, Paul Cox has had added problems this week as fresh faces have joined Ross Dyer and Gary Roberts in the physio’s room. Player Coach Andy Todd has a hamstring injury whilst Jamie Hand and Nick Wright both have knee injuries. With Green suspended and Wright joining Dyer on the treatment table, Cox looking rather thin on the ground for strikers, Matt Rhead and Jake Speight’s only competition is Ben Hutchinson, who played 15 minutes at Rainworth on Monday and surprisingly Andy Owens who has played the last two reserve team games as an out and out front man. 

If you can’t get to AFC Telford’s New Bucks Head tomorrow, then you can join myself for full match commentary – build up begins at 2pm on 106.9FM and via our MM-LIVE page.

The view expressed in this blog are those of the writer and not those of Mansfield Matters or it’s related organisations – to submit a blog, email mtfcmatters@gmail.com

Craig Priest writes...

Fixture: Mansfield Town V Braintree Town
Competition: Blue Square Bet Premier – Game #9
Venue: The One Call Stadium
Date & Time: Saturday 15th September – 3pm
Match Referee: Wayne Barratt (Bromsgrove)
Attendance: 2049 (32)

I’d be lying if I said I didn’t yawn at least twice during yesterday’s game, I’d also be guilty of fibs if I dressed up yesterday’s performance as outstanding an eye catching – there’s no doubt what so ever that yesterday’s match with Braintree was a dull encounter with a lack of flare or exciting incident – but do you know what? I don’t care – we won the game, two scored two very good counter attacking goals, kept a clean sheet, kept our shape in a new formation and most importantly, picked up three points to climb the table – above all else it’s this that matters.

At this stage of the season all I care about is results, whatever you achieve in football is always based on results, and it’s a stone cold fact. Give me the choice between entertaining football or boring yet guaranteed, wins – I’d take the latter every time. After nine games, moving into our next batch of fixtures, I don’t want us to be pretty, I don’t particularly want to watch slick passing, show-off turns and thunderbolt goals – I want to see grit and hunger to keep a clean sheet at the back with flair and finish up top – that’s pretty much what we got yesterday as we saw of Braintree 2-0, that’s fine by me – We can do the pretty stuff when we’ve won something or are in a more comfortable place.

Obviously this is something I’ll touch more upon in my next match preview, however it’s worth noting that whilst our home form is pleasing, the third best in the division, our away form is less impressive, we’re ranked 21st in the away table – with three away games in our next four fixtures, we need to be addressing this issue and taking our home form with us on our travels.

Yesterday we employed a system the Reserves have been using so far, a 3-4-1-2 which mainly accommodates Lee Stevenson in the hole behind the front two – there are obvious questions about if this formation would work against better teams, no disrespect intended to Braintree, however that’s the point of the reserves – get players fit, keep players happy and provide a platform for experimentation, I’m sure that on Monday in the friendly against Rainworth, Paul Cox will be looking at different formations to counter that of AFC Telford and ensure our away form begins to turn a corner.

Matt Green began the first of a three match ban yesterday so Paul Cox was forced into at least one change, in the end he made five – resting Lindon Meikle after a midweek trip with England C, dropping Luke Jones, Louis Briscoe and Anthony Howell, in came Ryan Tafazolli for a debut whilst Lee Beevers, Chris Clements and Lee Stevenson we’re restored to the line-up, Jake Speight completed the five changes as he replaced the suspended Green.

LINE UP [3-4-1-2]: Alan Marriott, Ritchie Sutton, Exodus Geohaghon, Ryan Tafazolli, Lee Beevers, Adam Murray (C), Chris Clements, Junior Daniel, Lee Stevenson, Matt Rhead, Jake Speight
Substitutes: John Thompson, Luke Jones, Lindon Meikle, Louis Briscoe, Anthony Howell.

The Stags started well and registered their first effort of the game after 31 seconds, a bright run from Junior Daniel saw the Stags got a throw in which naturally Exodus Geohaghon bulleted into the box. A clearing header from Matt Paine cleared the initial danger however Chris Clements lurked on the edge of the box and fired narrowly over the bar after tight control.

A third minute cross from Lee Beevers deflected off Lee Stevenson for a goal kick following a dominant passing move, however four minutes later it was again the Stags who came within a whisker of opening the scoring. A delicate Adam Murray chip from the centre saw Jake Speight bursting through the middle, a double slip from Braintree’s Matt Paine saw Speight free inside the box, the dangerous front man dragged wide of the target.

On 12 minutes the visitors had Mansfield’s hearts in mouths as a lively deep Daniel Sparkes free kick was fumbled by Marriott to James Mulley on the edge of the box, the Braintree man screwed wide through the crowd however the Stags were cushioned by the fact the linesman had flagged for a foul on Marriott. Four minutes later, skipper Adam Murray was strong in the challenge inside the centre circle allowing Lee Stevenson to nip in and win the second ball – the creative man sprayed the ball wide left to Junior Daniel who skipped two challenged before surging forward. The left sided utility man failed to create further danger however as his cross was plucked out of the air by Danny Naisbitt.  

A minute later Jake Speight earned the first corner of the game from a Lee Beevers throw, Chris Clements delivering wonderfully for Matt Rhead who rose unmarked on the penalty spot to head dominantly down the throat of the keeper who, to his credit, got his positioning spot on.

On the half hour mark it was Braintree with a corner, the Stags cleared the initial danger but Bradley Quinton was on hand to clip back into the middle towards Adam Bailey-Dennis who was free inside the box, Alan Marriott was on hand to save for a second corner. A minute later it was the Stags who were left cursing their luck as an offside flag ruled out a stunning Jake Speight half volley.

It was then hearts in mouths again for Stags with 11 to go before the break, a rare slip from Ryan Tafazolli saw Braintree attacking in a 6 v 2 situation, fortunately for the stretched Stags Sean Marks wasted the opportunity firing horribly wide of the target from 18 yards.

With five remaining before the break, Jake Speight was stopped in his tracks by Ryan Peters however a minute later, Braintree were mere spectators as Stags grabbed the opener. Chris Clements should take the plaudits as he collected the ball on the edge of own box, one look up saw Speight free, Clements delivered a truly stunning long range pass for the former to latch onto. Weaving his way into the box, Speight saw a shot blocked by the legs of Paine however the ball ran loose, Lee Stevenson cantered forward to thunder a low drive into the bottom corner.

Stags 1-0 Braintree

The clock soon ticked down and as the half time whistle blew, the Stags had a narrow but deserved lead.

HALF TIME: Stags 1-0 Braintree

A bright start to the second half was made by Stags, especially by Matt Rhead who had two efforts in as many minutes, the first on 48minutes when Lee Beevers took a quick throw down the right, Rhead latching onto the ball, beating Bailey-Dennis before crossing into the keepers hands, second later a poor pass from Ryan Peters saw Rhead intercept play and curl wide of the target from the edge of the box.

Adam Bailey-Dennis then came close for the visitors on 53 minutes as he was given far too much space to attack, his shot from 20 yards sailed over the bar, three minutes later at the other end the Braintree full back could only watch on as Naisbitt palmed away a ferocious Speight after following fine interchanging play with Rhead.

Chris Clements was next to have a go for Stags on 76 minutes following good work from Stevenson and Beevers down the right channel, Clements again preventing a full clearance cantering forward and dragging wide from just inside the box.

With ten remaining Anthony Howell was introduced for Matt Rhead up front and five minutes later, the Stags sealed the points with another counter attacking move. Junior Daniel made the eventual pass after good work from Murray and Clements, the former Macclesfield man clipped through the centre and found Jake Speight in acres of space. The lively front man had Howell in support inside the box as the goal came closer, the hit man remained calm and finished the job himself, clipping over Naisbitt delicately to seal the game.

Stags 2-0 Braintree

Immediately after the goal Jake Speight made way for England C star Meikle, his partnership with Howell was surprisingly fresh and something I’d personally like to see again, in the dying embers of the match, there was time for Chris Clements to again register an effort before a late Braintree corner fizzled out into nothing and the full time whistle.

FULL TIME: Stags 2-0 Braintree << Click here for audio highlights

The views expressed in this publication are those of the writer and not those of Mansfield Matters or its related organisations – to submit a piece for publication, email mtfcmatters@gmail.com  

Craig Priest looks ahead to tomorrow’s home encounter with Braintree...

A week can often be a long time in football, something we’ve said time and time again and a phrase which is often over used. Despite a game each, and a win each, for both the reserves and the youth team, we’re all still a little anxious to get to the One Call Stadium tomorrow afternoon and return to winning ways properly after last week’s burning at Ebbsfleet.

My attention this week has wondered away from Stags and into the wider world of football, however as tomorrow’s match with Braintree approaches I refocus and look what we face tomorrow – another tough challenge from a team who, like Ebbsfleet, are capable of a surprise or two. Braintree sit one place below us in 12th, their second season in the top flight of non-league football is progressing steadily with three wins, three defeats and a draw so far this term.

We’ll go back to Braintree soon but firstly, for me out of everything tomorrow’s game against Braintree will answer a few questions and will be about one thing more than most – Character. Weather marksman Matt Green’s dismissal last Saturday was right or wrong is not the question we need to ask now as we’ve not appealed the card – two questions spring to mind on the back of this, the first is do we have the character to move on and not dwell on an aggravating afternoon’s events – the second, do we have the character, professionalism and strength in the ranks to cope without Green, something which was our downfall last term.

Dealing with those points separately, I believe things are sent to test you in football, only those with the believe and desire from within can jump the hurdles and go onto be a success, those who wallow and are defeatist in their attitude will fail – so the question is, which category do we fall into, I guess we’ll know the answer at full time tomorrow as the simple, and rather harsh truth is, Saturday’s now gone there’s nothing we can do to change the outcome – it’s time to move on and focus on getting the next three points on board.

My second point and the one which interests me the most is as mentioned about how we deal with the absence of Matt Green as last time he was suspended, the play-off semi final second leg, we didn’t really. Now we’ve added Jake Speight and Nick Wright to the ranks in the close season Paul Cox has more options in attack to go along with Matt Rhead and Ben Hutchinson, the latter reportedly looking sharp against Wrexham midweek in the Reserve team match. The obvious choice would be a like for like swap, bringing in Jake Speight who is second top scorer with three from the bench so far – however can he play with Rhead or will Cox need to switch Rhead for Wright who, in my opinion, began to form a good partnership with Speight as pre-season drew to a close. The big thing is, are we a one man show e.g are we driven forward by Green’s goals or are we a unit with quality oozing at the seam? Nick Wright netted 16 last term for Kidderminster, Speight netted 20+ for Wrexham last season yet neither have been given a lengthy opportunity to replicate this form in a Stags shirt yet – now could be the time.

Moving back from the forward line into the midfield, the news that Gary Roberts would be sidelined for at least a month was certainly a blow for Paul Cox and indeed the side, losing a Player with Roberts quality is like losing two, maybe three players. In the summer the Stags boss brought in the likes of Jamie Hand, Jamie Tolley and Chris Clements who, like Speight and Wright, are yet to get a solid run – an injury to Murray or Howell and the trio, along with Lee Stevenson are in with a shout, I think these next few games will really show us why we made so many signings in the summer – we are at a time where we are beginning to buckle with injuries, the summer additions will demonstrate that we are strong despite our core being disrupted, be honest now – If we had last year’s squad and lost Ross Dyer, Matt Green and Gary Roberts, could we cope, really? 

With Gary Roberts joining Ross Dyer on the injury table and Matt Green suspended Paul Cox has food for thought as I mentioned above for places – in terms of his own suspension, I’m still not clear as to whether he’ll be allowed in the dugout or not following his sending off, however I’m sure in his latest interview he said the FA had decided not to take it any further.

Our last encounter with Braintree came in December of last year during our indifferent spell; goals from John Dempster and Lindon Meikle were added too by a brace from Matt Green as a dominant Stags ran out 4-1 winners at Field Mill as was.

Prior to that it was our third game of last term when we met in the Reverse fixture, Louis Briscoe’s strike wasn’t enough for Stags as the hosts grabbed a 1-1 draw.

If you can’t get to the One Call Stadium tomorrow afternoon, join myself for regular updates throughout – build up kicks off at 2pm on 106.9FM and on our popular MM-LIVE page.

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 for publication, email mtfcmatters@gmail.com  

Craig Priest and Emily Sykes write....

Fixture: Ebbsfleet United vs Mansfield Town
Competition: Blue Square Bet Premier – Game #8
Venue: Stonebridge Road
Date & Time: Saturday 8th September – 3pm
Match Referee: Chris Knowles (Northampton)
Attendance: 828 (120)

You know sometimes at the full time whistle we sit and ponder on the events just gone, at the end of the match yesterday we were sat sighing heavily asking just one question – why? Before we move on to talk about the game the one thing we ask most is why do supporters allow themselves to drift from positive to negative as he wind changes.

 At Mansfield Matters we always encourage the views of supporters and welcome them in turn, however a couple of tweets from yesterday show have us scratching our heads. The first came shortly after our goal on 40 minutes it read ‘as it stands in the league atm Stags are 7th, we are slowly going up, promotion this season’ the second from the same person came after Ebbsfleet’s third goal reading ‘I wonder what has happened to Stags excellent pre-season and favourites for promotion, now there looking like favourites for relegation’ – why have we gone from being so positive and supportive to being so negative and predicting the shape of our season on one result? I thought we’d gone past the positive/negative pendulum after two good home games with solid support, why can’t we all just decide if this is going to be our season or not – it’s true that as in life and football too those who achieve greatness and success are those who truly want it from within, being half hearted and going which way the wind takes you is the path to a nothingness and only disappointment.

There was also some talk about ‘promotion worthy teams’ going to Ebbsfleet and not losing, the same can surely be said about going to Alfreton where Luton lost 3-0 yesterday and going to Hyde where Hereford were thumped 5-2 yesterday – the point being football is a game of many twists and turns just because we lost to a side supposedly lower ranked than ourselves doesn’t mean we won’t achieve what we want to achieve come the end of the season.

Once again defeat has seen the minority call for Paul Cox to be withdrawn from the position of manager, those ding so may wish to take the time to watch and compare the games against Gateshead, Grimsby and Ebbsfleet as compared to the first two mentioned the latter had absolutely had nothing to do with the way we performed. Let us once again reiterate that whilst we have a love for Mansfield Town FC we try to write from a balanced and un- biased point of view – yesterday’s defeat saw a number of uncontrollable factors change and shape the course of the game. 

The weather for a start was boiling hot which sure everyone watching shed at least a stone in weight in sweat, this means the pace of the game was never going to be fast and furious something which Paul Cox and his players have been criticized for. Next there was the frankly abysmal match officials who not only got suckered in to Ebbsfleet’s mind games but also got several decisions bum over head! Take for example the Ebbsfleet captain Paul Lorraine who played a leading role in the dismissal of Matt Green and also managed to draw blood from Luke Jones, hurl several flailing elbows into numerous players’ faces, rip the collar of Matt Rhead’s shirt and talk the referee into debatable set pieces in his sides favour – all without receiving a verbal warning or a yellow card – laughable really! How the referee got a 7 out of 10 rating from the non-league paper is beyond us.

Another thing before we move on to the match report is a tactical move Paul Cox made shortly after Ebbsfleet made it 2-1 – making a treble substitution was a brave and bold move one which nearly paid off on several occasions, personally we’re pleased Cox showed he intent and desire to try and rescue the game for us this shows we have  manager who has the same wish of success as whose on the terraces – once again we urge those calling for his head to get behind him and recognise the project in progress. Unfortunately all this frustration can do nothing to alter yesterday’s outcome therefore we must look forward, let’s do it together.

Once again Paul Cox named an un-changed side after two consecutive victories on home turf.

LINE-UP: [4-4-2] Alan Marriott, Ritchie Sutton, Luke Jones, Exodus Geohaghon, Colin Daniel, Louis Briscoe, Adam Murray (c), Anthony Howell, Lindon Meikle, Matt Green, Matt Rhead
SUBS: Gary Roberts, Nick Wright, Jake Speight, Chris Clements, John Thompson

With the weather at a scorching temperature, the game naturally had a sluggish and slow start with very few chances of note in the opening exchanges, Matt Green was in the mix on three minutes but failed to test Preston Edwards, two minutes the later the Stags had to soak up the pressure after an Adam Murray free kick broke down.

On ten minutes a good following move saw the Stags grab the first corner of the afternoon, Adam Murray’s delivery was a strong one but failed to test the home defence who scampered clear, getting a prime opportunity for an opener themselves five minutes later when Exodus Geohaghon tripped Liam Enver-Marum on the edge of the box. The same player stepped up but failed to beat the wall, picking up the second ball but failed to cause any danger what so ever from the following cross.

On twenty minutes the Stags were left questioning the referee’s judgement as Matt Rhead picked up a yellow card. It all stemmed from a flowing move down the right in which Matt Green saw an attempted cross blocked by Ryan Blake, Adam Murray swung one in from deep towards Rhead who, to the left of the area was judge to have fouled Fleet captain Paul Lorraine who had been incensing Rhead from the off, getting to grips with his shirt by ripping the collar clean off.

Seven minutes later Junior Daniel was strong in the challenge to stop Joe Howe in his tracks, clipping a ball over the top for Green who was majorly unlucky to see the ball skim off his head into the wrong direction – three minutes later as the clock struck half hour played, Green’s luck got worse in a call which completely changed the course of the game.

Another directional ball from Daniel saw Green climb with Paul Lorraine, the referee blew for a free kick but awarded it to Ebbsfleet with Green judged to have fouled, the fourth official Oliver Jackson then slowly made his way over to the referee past the home bench who all called for Green to be dismissed – the official telling the referee to do so which he did, producing a straight red for the Stags talisman for an apparent elbow on Lorraine. The incident is certainly unclear on the highlights and will as such, provide no fight for Stags who will be without Green for three matches – however our view saw Green was the one fouled and the home bench pretty much talk the officials into the dismissal.

Down to ten men Stags boldly went into a 3-4-2 formation, Junior Daniel moving to the left wing, Meikle to the right and Briscoe up front to partner Rhead. Despite the man less the Stags shaded the remainder of the half and looked untroubled by the hosts who could only manage a series of easy crosses – with five to go before the break, the referee finally did spot something right as he awarded Mansfield a penalty for a foul on Lindon Meikle. Louis Briscoe stepped up in the absence of Green and thundered down the middle to open the scorer and release a bit of the angry tension felt by those involved with the Amber and Blue.

Ebbsfleet 0-1 Stags

Luke Jones then came close from an Geohaghon throw before Adam Murray tested the home defence with a deep thirty yard free kick on the stroke of half time.

HALF TIME: Ebbsfleet 0-1 Stags

As the second half got into its groove another pivotal moment in the game saw Matt Rhead clean through on goal after a solid Murray clip from midfield, the front man hit a looping shot which had Preston Edwards beaten, however the ball bounced the wrong side of the post an out for a goal kick with 50 minutes on the clock – had that gone in it may have stopped Ebbsfleet in their stride, alas no – as seven minutes later they levelled in fine fashion.

A neat flowing move saw Patrick Ada cross left footed from the right saw Nathan Elder steam in between a static Jones and Geohaghon and head beyond a helpless Marriott.

Ebbsfleet 1-1 Stags

On the hour mark the Stags we’re undone again as they we’re out numbered in the box from Jay Folkes corner, his right footed out swinger wasn’t cleared and Phil Walsh nipped in to smash home despite the best efforts of Jones on the line.

Ebbsfleet 2-1 Stags

Paul Cox then made a bold treble change to try and rescue the game, withdrawing Lindon Meikle, Louis Briscoe and Matt Rhead for Jake Speight, Nick Wright and Gary Roberts – the move a positive one for us, at least there was some desire to fight rather than crumble. The treble switch nearly paid off several times, none more so than on 75 minutes when Roberts’ pass through the middle was flicked wide by Wright – the former Kidderminster hit man flicked wide for Speight who weaved past three markers before drilling into the side netting.

Five minutes later it was game over as Ebbsfleet added a third, that said on review of the DVD the Stags have a clear case for complaint as Ritchie Sutton’s foul on the advancing Ryan Blake was nowhere near the inside of the box! The Stags full back, who became a father for the first time on Friday (congratulations sutts!) picked up a booking and watched on as Liam Enver-Marum easily beat Marriott from the spot to seal the points for the Fleet.

Ebbsfleet 3-1 Stags

Paul Cox disgusted with the officials had one too many choice words for the fourth officials liking as before play restarted he was sent off into the stands for the first time in his Stags tenure, he’ll now have to watch on from the Stand as we take on Braintree next Saturday with Richard Cooper and Andy Todd taking the management duty with assistant Murray likely to be playing.

With four minutes remaining Ebbsfleet thought further damage was added as Enver-Marum rocked in from the edge of the box, the Stags sparred another 4-1 defeat by the offside flag. Right at the death Jake Speight struck venomously on the half volley after an excellent lofted pass from Roberts, Preston Edwards at full stretch to keep out the effort.

FULL TIME: Ebbsfleet 3-1 Stags << Click here for audio highlights

Right that’s that done with, accept it and move onto the Braintree game – no matter how you look at it or compare it to last season nothing can change it, it’s all about going forward – It could be worse though, we could be Kidderminster!

The views expressed in this publication are those of the writer and not those of Mansfield Matters or its related organisations – to submit a piece for publication, email mtfcmatters@gmail.com