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Bradford City 2-0 Stags | Straight Talking

30/12/2019

 
Bradford City 2-0 Mansfield Town | Sky Bet League Two | Sunday 29th December 2019 | Utilita Energy Stadium
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*The views expressed in this article, are solely those of the writer and not those of their associated organisations*

Mansfield Town’s miserable 2019 came to a crashing end at Bradford City yesterday with a 2-0 defeat which typically summed up how the Stags have performed over the last twelve months, in a weak and lacklustre fashion.

As Graham Coughlan said in his post-match press conference, there’s no point in putting an arm around the lads and dressing it up as a one-off, that’s going to get us nowhere. He’s right, this entire year we’ve become progressively weaker and consistently poor for three different managers, failing to achieve this “potential” supposedly hidden within.

There’s a clear lack of quality in both boxes at the minute but rather than stand up and be counted, we’re clearly squabbling with each other on the pitch and that, in isolation, is boiling over to players vs fans – highlighted with an incident with Sir Mal towards the end of the match.

You have to question why this squad over the last year has failed three managers? You have to question why this group of players are performing so below par we’ve gone from promotion contenders to relegation candidates – the league table doesn’t lie.

Coughlan has been brought in to install some confidence and belief into this group and whilst I believe he’ll do so given time on the training ground, he needs a collection of new players to help achieve this – an elder statesman at the back to drag people kicking and screaming through games, a rat in the middle of the park to get under the skin of the opposition and to scrap for every last drop, some flair and pace down the wings and some confidence upfront., in order for that to be accommodated players will have to go.

That first win is elusive, we have to get that at Cambridge on New Years Day and really give ourselves the best chance of moving forward, failure to do so and the next decade could be one where we take a drop backwards, rather than the one forwards this decade has been the foundation for making.

As Coughlan said, we could talk about referees, penalties, bad luck etc but what’s the point? It won’t change anything, only make things worse. I want to look around that dressing room and see players ready to go out and fight, ready to leave errors and thoughts of being hard-done-by behind – time moves quickly, and there’s no time to feel sorry for ourselves.

​Our weak approach, our timid nature and poor decision making has lead us to this point, but only the players can get us out of it – they’ve shown they are capable of being strong, ruthless and sharp once before, let’s make 2020 the time to do it all over again.  

match recap

Two changes were made by Graham Coughlan ahead of his first away game as Stags boss, Conrad Logan came back in between the sticks to replace Oljenik, whilst Otis Khan replaced Bishop with MacDonald moving into the middle.

Mansfield started brightly with a good pressing tempo and on four minutes as MacDonald stung the palms of O’Donnell in the Bradford net, three minutes later Cook couldn’t get the ball out of his feet as Hamilton picked out the front man with good movement down the left.

The Stags undid their hard work on 12 minutes as Matt Preston pushed high to try and win a header but failed to do so, Alex MacDonald dropped into cover and sent Palmer to the ground for a spot-kick which you’ve seen given and not given in equal measure, Bradford made no mistake from 12 yards, as Vaughn sent Logan the wrong way.

James Clarke sent an effort high and wide as Mansfield struggled to get back into the game before skipper Sweeney had to go off injured, replaced by Pearce, who watched on as at the other end, Rose nodded wide as the half time whistle blew.

After the break, Andy Cook headed wide of the target before a scramble in the City box saw Rose and Khan denied on 49 minutes.

Jacob Mellis and Nicky Maynard replaced Khan and Rose as the half went on and Mansfield chased a point, alas a clumsy foul by Preston with eight minutes to go saw City get a second spot-kick, despatched with ease by Vaughn as the Stags slumped to a defeat.

FULL TIME: Bradford City 2-0 Mansfield Town | Attendance 15,197 (1,141)

STAGS: [4-4-2] Conrad Logan | James Clarke, Matt Preston, Ryan Sweeney © (Krystian Pearce 39), Mal Benning | Otis Khan (Jacob Mellis 61), Alex MacDonald, Willem Tomlinson, CJ Hamilton | Danny Rose (Nicky Maynard 72), Andy Cook Unused Subs: Bobby Oljenik, Craig Davies, Neal Bishop, Jimmy Knowles

*The views expressed in this article, are solely those of the writer and not those of their associated organisations*

Stags 2-2 Port Vale | Pushed to the limit

27/12/2019

 
Mansfield Town 2-2 Port Vale (Nicky Maynard, CJ Hamilton) | Sky Bet League Two | Saturday 26th December 2019 | One Call Stadium
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*The views expressed in this article, are solely those of the writer and not those of their associated organisations*

“My working hard and their working hard are two different things” they’re the words of Stags boss Graham Coughlan, speaking after his Stags side rescued a draw from the jaws of defeat against Port Vale, a match the Stags perhaps should have won – but a game in which the new Stags manager, certainly learned a lot about his new squad.

To be fair to the players, I’d have questioned the character in the dressing room to respond and fight back from being two-nil down a few weeks ago, given our lack of finishing touch and low confidence, something which is still evident, but thanks to goals from Maynard and Hamilton, perhaps a corner has been turned.

Let’s face it, this season has been like watching someone try and keep the titanic afloat with a colander, we needed someone to bring some buckets and put together a better plan of action – and whilst Coughlan has had very little time on the training pitch, his ideas are being implemented.

The Christmas period brings the games thick and fast which isn’t helping our cause at the moment, I think the players are in for a big wakeup call when things settle down into the more traditional Saturday to Saturday schedule with plenty of work to do.

Confidence is a big issue having not won a league game since the end of October at Walsall, hopefully the draw from being two goals down will bring a bit of a bounce into the players – but the fitness is a clear issue as Mansfield seemed to really struggle after 50 minutes and allow Port Vale to go two goals up through soft defending.

Coughlan and his team need time to get the work into the players, we are in a dog-fight at the wrong end of the table right now so let’s be patient and all dig in together and send out a message that this Mansfield Town side can still fight, it can still battle, and it will not lose without being pushed to the limits.
​
Yes, we should have won, a draw is a good result considering how the second half played out – let’s go and back that up now with a win at Bradford to end the year, and decade, on a high. 

Match Recap

Questions over fitness were raised following the 1-1 draw on Saturday, but Coughlan stuck with the same starting line-up heading into the Boxing Day clash – looking to see if the players could react and start to build some form, having not won a league game since October.

The Stags started well and could have been ahead inside a minute as Danny Rose fired narrowly wide from Andy Cooks’ flick-on, five minutes’ later Willem Tomlinson sent in a pitch perfect ball which skipper Sweeney nodded over, before Rose set Hamilton on eight minutes – the winger couldn’t get his effort on target.

Andy Cook showed real grit on 15 minutes to steal play back and charge forward, he was upended on the edge of the area just before unleashing a shot, Mal Benning stepped up to take the resulting free kick but hit his curling effort just over the bar.

Mansfield had a golden chance on the half-hour mark as Hamilton’s deflected shot fell for Rose at the back post, the leading front man was left frustrated as the open goal gaped – the effort, sailed over.

Bobby Oljenik watched on with 32 minutes played as Amoo headed wide from close range unchallenged, before the Stags keeper made a splendid save on 39 minutes, getting down low to acrobatically palm Joyce’s long range effort away from danger as the visitors grew more into the game.

Alex MacDonald set another Stags chance on 40 minutes which saw Brown in the Vale goal deny Cook from close range, Mal Benning then ensured the Stags went into the dressing room level, with a fine challenge on the stoke of half-time as Burgess broke free inside the Stags box for the visitors.

The second half saw a much quieter start and Mansfield looked flat and running on empty, Neal Bishop nearly gave Mansfield a boost on 52 minutes with a long range volley, but after hitting wide, Vale went down the other end and scored, as the Stags failed to clear a low cross and allowed Smith to put Port Vale in front.

Mansfield then shot themselves in the foot as Rose missed what appeared to be another sitter as Hamilton picked out the front man who turned the ball wide of target. On the hour mark, Andy Cook spun well and fired towards goal only to be denied by Brown.

A second goal was coming for Port Vale and it arrived on 66 minutes after a corner, Legge got the final touch as the ball forced its way over the line.

Nicky Maynard and Otis Khan were then thrown on for MacDonald and Rose on 68 minutes, before seven minutes later Bishop made way for Mellis – the fresh legs lifted Mansfield a little and the Stags pulled one back with nine minutes remaining – Nicky Maynard latching onto a flick on to powerfully convert beyond Brown to make it 2-1.

The Stags faithful then upped the noise levels and something on the pitch clicked, as in the third minute of four added, Mellis picked out Hamilton who smashed into the bottom corner to level things up – stealing a point from the jaws of defeat.

FULL TIME: Mansfield Town 2-2 Port Vale | Attendance 5,565 (953)

STAGS: [4-4-2] Bobby Olejnik | James Clarke, Matt Preston, Ryan Sweeney ©, Mal Benning | CJ Hamilton, Neal Bishop (Jacob Mellis 75), Willem Tomlinson, Alex MacDonald (Otis Khan 68) | Danny Rose (Nicky Maynard 68), Andy Cook Unused Subs: Conrad Logan, Krystian Pearce, Jimmy Knowles, Craig Davies  

*The views expressed in this article, are solely those of the writer and not those of their associated organisations*

Stags 1-1 Northampton | Bounce

22/12/2019

 
Mansfield Town 1-1 Northampton Town (Andy Cook) | Sky Bet League Two | Saturday 21st December 2019 | One Call Stadium
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*The views expressed in this article, are solely those of the writer and not those of their associated organisations*

A week is a long time in Football, but it certainly moves quite quickly as John Dempsters’ departure was quickly forgotten with the arrival of Graham Coughlan, a despite the result being the same – the contrast in Mansfield Towns’ application to the game, was very vast indeed.

The new Stags boss stated he wanted his side to play with high intensity and a high press and whilst there’s a very long way to go and a lot of work to be down to properly revitalise this Mansfield Town side, you could already see the work had started.

All around there was a huge shift in positive energy and the lack of “in your face” attitude was no more as an animated Coughlan kicked and headed every ball as he wore down the astroturf on the touchline.

The Stags boss seemed much more hands on with players, hollering instruction, applauding good play, and putting his arm around players to give the motivation and leadership you’d expect from the top and what proved so successful not so long ago!

The pitch was difficult to play at times but Coughlan’s style adapted well to the conditions, getting the ball high and wide early, playing in the final third with Tomlinson, who had limited playing time under Dempster, brought back into the middle and showing exactly why Flitcroft raved about him when he arrived at the start of the year, with a solid shift alongside Bishop.

Coughlan will not suffer fools gladly and I firmly believe any player who doesn’t give every last drop of sweat and blood for the cause over the coming games will find themselves either watching from the stands or moving swiftly on – with games coming thick and fast over the festive period, the challenge is for them to perform and in my opinion, see out the year unbeaten.

​Naturally there’s always a new manager bounce, we’ve landed so let’s see which way we shoot now, remaining patient but vitally backing the boys in the way the crowd did yesterday. Football is a strange game and anything can happen, but it’s also a delicate one – let the new broom get settled and the work begin, the rest will take care of itself. 

match recap

Despite having limited time on the training ground before the match, new boss Graham Coughlan set out a fresh Mansfield Town, with two changes to the starting line-up from his predecessors’ final game, as Danny Rose replaced Maynard who dropped to the bench, and Willem Tomlinson replaced the injured Shaughnessy.

Coughlan set-up in a 4-4-2 but switched MacDonald and Hamilton around to go with more attacking width – attack was the name of the game on the bench too, as after a year away through injury, Craig Davies got the nod.   

The new gaffer nearly endured a bad start as the mammoth noise from the Stags faithful was momentarily silenced when Hoskins’ struck the bar just a minute in, the noise levels steadily rebuilt as did the Stags, Willem Tomlinson tested the water on eight minutes with a long range half-volley which zipped wide of the target.

Ten minutes later Rose attempted another acrobatic over-head-kick in a bid for goal of the decade, the low effort was held well by Cornell in the Northampton goal, Rose had another half-effort denied on 21 minutes thanks to some last ditch defending.

Bobby Olejnik drew the applause of Coughlan on 27 minutes as Northampton enjoyed a spell of pressure inside the box, the Stags shot stopper clawing the ball away under pressure, before Cook nodded over from Hamilton’s cross three minutes later as the Stags’ cantered down the other end.

Mansfield had one further chance before the break as Cook flicked the ball onto Rose, the leading front-man couldn’t quite get the desired connection as the first 45 minutes under the new reign drew to a close, a vastly improved Mansfield, with the promise of more to come.

The Stags’ started the second half with a change of gear, Neal Bishop saw a well hit effort blocked by the visitors, before on 57 minutes Matt Preston connected with Mal Bennings delivery but headed narrowly wide of the target.
Mansfield’s opportunities kept coming, Alex MacDonald fired over on 59 minutes before two minutes later, Hamilton took a sublime touch to go one vs one, firing wide of the target as the pace ramped up once more.

Graham Coughlan then saw his side take the lead in spectacular fashion on 74 minutes, Andy Cook getting his second goal in as many games, turning well to receive Mal Bennings throw before smashing into the net from distance with pure power.

Alex MacDonald had the chance to make it 2-0 with eight minutes to go as he connected with Hamilton’s cross, the latter then had THE chance of the game two minutes later as he fired over with the goal at his mercy.

Seconds later, down at the other end, a failure to press Northampton allowed a cross to be put into the box and a free header to bounce in to level things up – the reaction from the Stags fans was brilliant and refreshing, backing the boys to bounce back, but despite seven additional minutes – the new dawn started in the same way as the old reign ended – a 1-1 draw. The difference however, was vast.

FULL TIME: Mansfield Town 1-1 Northampton Town | Attendance 4,496 (474)


STAGS: [4-4-2]
Bobby Olejnik | James Clarke, Matt Preston, Ryan Sweeney ©, Mal Benning | CJ Hamilton, Neal Bishop, Willem Tomlinson (Alistair Smith 80), Alex MacDonald | Danny Rose (Nicky Maynard 69) Andy Cook (Craig Davies 82) Unused Subs: Conrad Logan, Krystian Pearce, Jimmy Knowles, Otis Khan  

*The views expressed in this article, are solely those of the writer and not those of their associated organisations*

Crewe 1-1 Stags | Departing From Platform One

15/12/2019

 
Crewe Alexandra 1-1 Mansfield Town (Andy Cook) | Sky Bet League Two | Saturday 15th December 2019 | Alexandra Stadium
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*The views expressed in this article, are solely those of the writer and not those of their associated organisations*

John Dempsters time as Mansfield Town manager is over, as following the 1-1 at Crewe and the club drop to just seven points from the relegation zone and the gap to the play-offs widen – enough, was deemed enough.

Jamie McGuire has been placed in caretaker charge but it’s unlikely he’ll be seen in the dugout on Saturday as Northampton visit the One Call Stadium, with speculation rife that Graham Coughlan looks set to walk out on Bristol Rovers to fill the vacant Stags’ seat.

Plus, there are a number of promotion winning managers currently without a club, including the highly sought after Paul Tisdale and Nathan Jones who could be approached – all of that however is a conversation for another day – namely tomorrow, 6.30pm ish on our Facebook Page in a managerial Christmas special podcast.

I genuinely feel for John Dempster who despite being a club icon in my view, never appeared to have the full backing of the fans to succeed David Flitcroft who regardless of your opinion led us to the highest league finish of the decade and created an attractive and effective brand of football.

Dempster deserves respect from everyone, however there are many who will only remember his tenure as manager. As a player, as a captain he gave his absolute heart and soul to the cause. As Academy Manager, he worked tirelessly to build and develop a system capable of nurturing young talent, into sellable assets and help the club become even more self-sufficient – there’s no doubt he’d earned a shot at the manager’s job however in my view, the opportunity came at the wrong time where he had everything to lose and ultimately has done.

The so called “supporters” on social media and at games who have subjected him to endless abuse are a disgrace and an embarrassment, he’s a family man and a genuinely nice person who deserved respect and thanks for years of excellent service – rather than the sour taste he’ll depart with. I hope he finds a new job elsewhere and doesn’t look back with regret – for EVERYTHING he’s done in his time, I thank him.

Managing senior football however is a results based business, and after 21 league games to have just 22 points with the squad and expectations we have that is simply not good enough and it was only a matter of time before a change was made.

I felt it may have happened after last weekend’s 3-0 defeat but credit to the Radford’s in giving him time to try and change it, performance wise at Crewe we played quite well for the best part of an hour – wasted chances, including three from Maynard, really cost us and whilst it was a good, solid point, it’s not where we need to be.

The players need to take a long look at themselves now because ultimately they’ve cost a man a job (and ironically seemed to enjoy a night out afterwards if Instagram is anything to go by – sorry, that’s tongue in cheek and nothing more than a coincidence) – they need to stand up and be counted now, for McGuire if he takes charge for a while, or for the new manager who has a huge task on his hands to turn this season around.

No more negativity, lets come together now and fill the One Call on Saturday and start a brand new journey. Fall down six times, stand up seven.     

Match Recap
Two changes were made by Dempster in what turned out to be his last game in charge – one in personnel, one in system – James Clarke into the fold for Mellis, as 3-4-1-2 became a flat 4-4-2.

Click HERE to read more, thanks to the clubs official report.  

FULL TIME: Crewe Alexandra 1-1 Mansfield Town | Attendance 4,060

​STAGS: [4-4-2] Bobby Olejnik | James Clarke, Matt Preston, Ryan Sweeney ©, Mal Benning | Alex MacDonald, Neal Bishop, Conor Shaughnessy (Omari Sterling-James 67), CJ Hamilton | Andy Cook (Danny Rose 80), Nicky Maynard (Otis Khan 88) Unused Subs: Conrad Logan, Krystian Pearce, Jacob Mellis, Alistair Smith  


Written by | Craig Priest
*The views expressed in this article, are solely those of the writer and not those of their associated organisations*

Stags 0-3 Cheltenham | A total non-starter

8/12/2019

 
Mansfield Town 0-3 Cheltenham Town | Sky Bet League Two | Saturday 7th December 2019 | The One Call Stadium
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*The views expressed in this article, are solely those of the writer and not those of their associated organisations*

Here we are again, another Sunday and another defeat. Deflating, frustrating, and downright bloody annoying as the squad billed as potential promotion winners, look more and more like they’re getting drawn into a relegation battle – and do you know what? To fight, you need to have the courage to battle, I think there’s an absence of that right now!

Again we played well for the best part of half an hour and the atmosphere matched it, but as soon as Cheltenham led through a cheap header, all of that came crashing down and evaporated within seconds.

The Stags tried to freshen things up in midfield and to be fair we were looking fresh until the opening goal, but as soon as we take that sucker punch we crumble and let ourselves down. A section of the supporters made their thoughts very clear, chanting for the removal of John Dempster as manager, a few weeks ago despite our slumber I didn’t see why the board would make that choice – however as we plummet closer to the wrong end of the table and a battle few expected us to be in, I wouldn’t be surprised to see a statement made at some point.

Naturally we’d have to write this season off as a rebuilding process, setting out survival and regrowth as the target, but I’d rather that than kindness drag us into a relegation battle – there, I’ve said it.

As always, I always support whoever is in charge (unless its Holdsworth and then bye-bye season ticket) and back Dempster whilst he’s at the helm to find a way to get the best out of the players, but thus far we’ve not seen it and time is running thin on the ground. Yes, he deserved the opportunity (still the wrong time in my opinion but hey ho) but I want to remember him as the excellent commanding player and captain he was, and for the tremendous job he did in the academy, rather than be the man who brought all our hopes tumbling down, which a section of fans – are already doing.

Promotion chasing Crewe are up next, come on boys – PLEASE turn it around.

Match Recap

In an attempt to restart the season, John Dempster made four changes from the side knocked out of the FA Cup at Shrewsbury last Saturday, including one between the sticks as Oljenik replaced Logan for his first league start in nearly a year. Wing-back Kellan Gordon missed out through injury whilst skipper Pearce missed out with illness, as Bishop and Benning returned – Alistair Smith was also replaced by MacDonald, Ryan Sweeney took the captaincy.  
Click HERE to read the clubs match report

FULL TIME: Mansfield Town 0-3 Cheltenham Town | Attendance 3,715 (157)

STAGS: [3-4-1-2] Bobby Olejnik | Matt Preston, Conor Shaughnessy, Ryan Sweeney © | CJ Hamilton, Neal Bishop (Otis Khan 62), Alex MacDonald, Mal Benning (Omari Sterling-James 74) | Jacob Mellis | Andy Cook (Danny Rose 71), Nicky Maynard Unused Subs: Conrad Logan, James Clarke, Alistair Smith, Jimmy Knowles 

*The views expressed in this article, are solely those of the writer and not those of their associated organisations*

Port Vale 2-2 Stags* | EFL TROPHY | Journeys End

4/12/2019

 
Port Vale 2-2 Mansfield Town* (Hamilton, Sterling-James) Port Vale win 4-2 on penalties | Leasing.com EFL Trophy NORTH SECOND ROUND | Tuesday 3rd December 2019 | Vale Park
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*The views expressed in this article, are solely those of the writer and not those of their associated organisations*

Another penalty shootout defeat leaves a very chilling feeling for Mansfield Town fans, as the Stags’ participation in the EFLs leasing.com trophy comes to an end – a disappointment in itself, but just another blot on the ever ugly canvas of the 2019-20 campaign.

Frustratingly Mansfield again played well in spells with the ball on the floor, but what’s becoming more and more clear as this drags on, is that Mansfield clearly lack energy and fire power up front – with only one shot during the first half.

Promotion winning teams punish teams with flare and dangerous attacking play, Mansfield are timid at best and seem reluctant to put the ball into key areas and have a go – possession is all well and good, but you have to do something with it.

What’s more frustrating is that we have the players capable of causing real damage, a lack of experience at League level for Knowles shouldn’t be a deterrent for the Stags management who’ve nurtured him over the last couple of seasons in the academy, in actual fact he’ll have something the others don’t appear to have at the moment, a hunger to go out and make a difference.

The same can be said for Omari Sterling-James, whose late goal took the match to the inevitable penalty shootout loss, every time he comes on he lifts the game and makes a difference – and yet he never gets a start, I’d love to know what three(?) managers believe is a reason for him not to start?!

From the stands, it was clear that fresh legs on a dull and bitterly cold night were needed after 60 minutes, but no we left it and allowed Port Vale to get back in the game and overturn our one-nil lead to go 2-1 up, eventually making the final two changes with three minutes of normal time remaining – WHY!?

Nobody expected us to win the penalty shootout having lost our previous five, but nobody expected out penalties to be so poor, it felt like a new-born whose only just started to crawl had taken them. In some ways, it felt like a massive two fingers up to us all – I know it wasn’t, but that’s how it felt in the bitter coldness of our woeful run.

And so on this December morning, we’re out of all the cup competitions with only the league to focus on… let’s hope we’ve got something special lined up, because right now, I feel like we’ve done our shopping from Del-Boy. The journey continues.      

Match Recap
John Dempster made numerous changes as expected, skipper Pearce missed out with illness whilst full back Kellan Gordon missed out through injury. Neal Bishop returned to the line-up after a lay-off.

Click HERE to read the clubs official match report

FULL TIME: Port Vale 2-2 Mansfield Town PORT VALE WIN 4-2 ON PENALTIES

STAGS: [4-4-2] Bobby Oljenik | James Clarke, Conor Shaughnessy, Ryan Sweeney, Mal Benning © | Alex MacDonald (Omari Sterling-James 86), Alistair Smith (Jimmy Knowles 86), Neal Bishop, CJ Hamilton | Andy Cook, Otis Khan (Jacob Mellis 74) Unused Subs: Conrad Logan, Willem Tomlinson, Nicky Maynard, Dapo Afolayan

*The views expressed in this article, are solely those of the writer and not those of their associated organisations*

Shrewsbury 2-0 Stags |The day the magic died

1/12/2019

 
Shrewsbury Town 2-0 Mansfield Town | FA Cup Second Round | Saturday 30th November 2019 | Montgomery Waters Meadow, Shrewsbury 
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*The views expressed in this article, are solely those of the writer and not those of their associated organisations*

Mansfield Towns season lulled into another pot of negative yesterday, as the Stags crashed out of the FA Cup against League One Shrewsbury, who managed to score twice in the last two minutes with a man less.

For sixty minutes at 11 v 11, the game was well poised and to be fair the Stags perhaps were the better side, so not for the life of me can I put my finger on why we were the side to capitulate after the red card shown to Shrewsbury’s Oliver Norburn.

Last weekend at Swindon I praised John Dempster for making impulsive, attacking changes to try and change the game – this weekend he seemed to delay making changes, eventually dropping us into a 4-4-2 and in my view, seeing us sit deeper and be penned into our own half – something we should have been doing to Shrewsbury, had we not left it twenty minutes between the red card, and making a change.

I’m getting very tired of repeating the same thing about trying to support Dempster in his first foray into first team management, and whilst I really want him to be a success we are starting to get in a real mess and just look really down in the dumps and I’m genuinely struggling to see how we turn this form around?

We’ve gone from a top three team to a struggling mid-table side, and yet we’ve got the same squad with even better placements – you’ve really got to ask, what’s changed!?

He’s been a phenomenal servant as a player, he’s done a miraculous job building up the Academy to the standard it’s at, but with 21 points from 19 games it’s simply not good enough and the longer it goes on, the more and more the hard work he’s done prior to the summer will become tarnished – especially by the generation of fans who will just remember him as Stags manager.

Dempster has said in his previous news conference that he’s not deaf and hears the comments from the terraces, having been knocked out of the FA Cup that’s going to intensify further, especially if we don’t get a good result at home on Saturday in the league.

The true fact is, our stated expectation is promotion and all season we’ve been nowhere near good enough to achieve that – sooner rather than later, we’re going to have to make a choice, stick – or twist?

We go again.    

Match Recap

John Dempster named an unchanged starting line-up but had a reshuffle on the bench, with Mal Benning back from suspension and Neal Bishop back from injury.

Click HERE to read the clubs match report if you really want to go back through it all again. I know I’ve done this a lot lately, but you know how it is!

FULL TIME: Swindon Town 1-0 Mansfield Town | Attendance 6,741 (215)

STAGS: [3-5-2] Conrad Logan | Matt Preston, Krystian Pearce © (Mal Benning 80), Ryan Sweeney | Kellan Gordon, Jacob Mellis, Alistair Smith (Omari Sterling-James 80), Conor Shaughnessy, CJ Hamilton | Nicky Maynard (Otis Khan 89), Andy Cook Unused Subs: Bobby Oljenik, Alex MacDonald, Neal Bishop, Jimmy Knowles 


*The views expressed in this article, are solely those of the writer and not those of their associated organisations*
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