 They say that football is a results based business and throughout the season, David Flitcroft didn’t shy away from the fact his players were on incentive based contracts – so it’s stands to reason that he’d be on a similar deal, but does a fourth placed finish and play-off semi-final defeat on penalties warrant Flitcroft’s departure?
The news has certainly rocked and divided the Stags faithful, who for the first time in nearly a decade at the clubs helm, are questioning the actions of Stags’ owner and chairman John Radford. Personally I’m shocked. If I were in John Radford’s position would I have sacked Flitcroft? Probably not, as judged solely on last season I think fourth is a respectable finish having played the best brand of football for years, not to mention transferring players into sellable assets and rebuilding broken bridges between the first team and the academy. However, Radford I predict will be judging Flitcroft of the entirety of his tenure which ultimately is two failed attempts at promotion, the first having just twelve games at the end of the 2017/18 campaign after Steve Evans quit, the second this season with his own team losing out on automatic promotion on the final day at MK Dons, losing their last three games of the campaign – and looking at it in that light, you have to say the decision, is just about justified especially if, going back to the incentives, promotion is your job remit. Do I think the Stags board should have stuck with Flitcroft? Yes. Personally I’d have factored in things such as injuries and the fact the play-offs are a lottery and said, we’ll go again next season under review – expecting to be in the top five at Christmas with a certain points target. The fact we now start a fresh has its pros and cons for sure, but today’s news just shows how ruthless football is. I had planned out a whole blog about an inquest into the seasons failures, which would have included a paragraph or two about stability from top to bottom, using the likes of Lincoln, Luton and Accrington as firm examples. What comes of perhaps more of a shock in todays news is the immediate appointment of John Dempster as the clubs new manager. Dempster is a club icon for me who on the pitch was pivotal to promotion back into the football league and since hanging up his boots, has done an incredible job in restructuring the academy, however whilst I’m delighted to see him given a shot at first team management – I’m apprehensive and somewhat disappointed it comes where the pressure is more ‘into the inferno’ than ‘into the fire’. I'm not doubting the appointment, from the outside, it just appears rushed - though I'm sure the board and the Radfords have considered the options. Going back for a moment to Steve Evans’ departure, it was then that Dempster should have been handed the reins as he’d have gone in on the back of a phenomenal time with the academy and had pretty much nothing to lose. Had we finished in the play-offs then great, job done, if not, it’s not a problem we can appoint a new manager to implement new ideas and tactics with his own squad – whilst Dempster returned to the comfort of the Academy. Whilst Flitcroft did reshape and restructure, he already had a noose hanging loosely around his neck having drank from the poisoned chalice which awaited whoever followed Evans, which I believe now, has ultimately cost him his job. Dempster will get my complete and utter backing as he should that all of Stags supporters, however I’m under no illusions that he faces a tremendous challenge to decide which of the current crop he wants to keep and now has to rebuild and challenge for automatic promotion – because unless the board have done a complete U-turn in expectation – it would be double standards to achieve anything less without the exact same consequences. I would expect Dempster to also be tasked with giving more game time to the clubs younger crop of players having coached and managed them so well through the academy process, which could go one of two ways really. I just hope it doesn’t end with it blowing up in our faces. As many have said Football is so ruthless and it’s 100% a results based business – if me or you weren’t reaching our targets in our jobs after a period of time, we’d be down the job centre too. I would have liked to see Flitcroft given more time to continue to build, but the decision has been made. To Flitcroft and his staff who follow him out of the door, thank-you for your efforts and putting together a season which, whilst it ended poorly, as a whole was exciting to watch unfold and follow. To John Dempster, the new manager of Mansfield Town – you know what promotion means to the supporters, go and deliver it and make a name for yourself in the world of senior management, a former manager of yours once said that success is built on strong foundations, you’ve certainly laid some good ones so far. Football – it never fails to deliver does it! Full Time Score Mansfield Town 0-0 Newport County AET Newport win 5-3 On penalty’s (Aggregate Stags 1-1 Newport) Competition Sky Bet League Two – Play-Off Semi-Final Second Leg Venue The One Call Stadium Stags Goal Scorer(s) / (Penaltys: Ajose SCORED Hamilton SCORED Walker SAVED Benning SCORED) Attendance 7,361 (1,118)  Craig Priest writes…
Missing out on a trip to Wembley is how the story ends for the 2018/19 season, in the cruellest of ways – a penalty shootout. Honestly I don’t know what else to write whilst holding back the tears – other than I’m incredibly proud of Mansfield Town FC, as yet another season comes to an end. I’m not going to sit here and look in detail at how it all went wrong, that’s for another day when the emotion is far less raw – but what I will briefly comment on is the future of Stags boss David Flitcroft, and that quite simply is to remain Manager of the club, and finish the job next season. Flitcroft has built a squad which for 95% of the campaign has delivered tremendous football with a fighting spirit to match, and whilst the other 5% has had detrimental effect on promotion hopes and dreams – I walked away from the One Call Stadium yesterday with a tear or two running down my face, satisfied that the players had given it everything in the end. Going into the game, the Stags couldn’t afford to reflect on where they’d slipped in the previous weeks, nor get drawn into arguments about the referees display on Thursday – the only thing which could affect potential promotion, was what the boys did on the pitch. At half time I did wonder how we weren’t on the end of a hammering, as Newport dominated, but after a change in shape at the break Mansfield did everything bar score and had just ONE effort dropped, I’d be writing with the jubilation of a forthcoming visit to Wembley – alas, it wasn’t to be. When the game goes to a penalty shootout, it becomes a lottery, a slip or stumble here, or a confidence loss there and the pendulum swings widely in the opposite direction – if anything you could say Walker was destined to miss from the spot, having not missed a spot kick all season and taken the golden boot. There is no blame there, anyone who does put blame of those takers, does so out of sheer idiocy. I’m as frustrated and hurt as the next supporter at failing to achieve promotion or a Wembley visit, and yes I agree that an inquest does need to be made into what went wrong – however, I’ve been watching the Stags for nearly twenty years now and I can honestly say that the class of 2018/19 have produced some wonderful stuff, and I’m proud to have witnessed every game, even that 45 minutes at Forest Green which didn’t bloody count! I’ll share my views on the season as a whole over the coming days as the pain drains from my system, and of course I’ll have my say on the Mansfield Matters Podcast on Thursday at 6.3pm (ish) over on our Facebook Page in the end of season review show, for now though – the hurt and pain still lives deep, however I’m a firm believer that a manager given time to build on failure can deliver success and I already await the new season. Thank you to the players who’ve made this season thrilling to follow, and thanks to you guys for reading the blog or watching/listening to the podcast this season – don’t look back in anger. This ain’t my journey, this ain’t the end – I’m waiting here, ‘till I see you again. MATCH REPORT David Flitcroft was forced into one chance as Neal Bishop picked up an injury during the first leg, he was replaced by Willem Tomlinson – read how the action unfolded HERE with the clubs official match report FULL TIME: Mansfield Town 0-0 Newport County AET, Newport win 5-3 on penaltys STAGS [3-5-2] Conrad Logan, Ben Turner, Krystian Pearce ©, Ryan Sweeney, Gethin Jones (Jorge Grant 120+1), Alex MacDonald, Willem Tomlinson (Mal Benning HT), Jacob Mellis (Will Atkinson 90), CJ Hamilton , Tyler Walker, Danny Rose (Nicky Ajose 105+1) Unused Subs: Jordan Smith, Alistair Smith, Otis Khan Referee: Michael Salisbury Full Time Score Newport County 1-1 Mansfield Town (Aggregate Stags 1-1 Newport) Competition Sky Bet League Two – Play-Off Semi-Final First Leg Venue Rodney Parade Stags Goal Scorer(s) CJ Hamilton Attendance 6,035  Craig Priest writes…
With the regular season ending in such a disappointing way, Mansfield Town needed to respond with a freshness as they prepared to face Newport County in the Sky Bet League Two Play Offs, and whilst they head into Sunday’s second leg feeling a tad hard done by, David Flitcroft’s men showed real character to put in a first class display – reinstalling believe that they can finish the job they started. It was imperative that the Stags rediscovered their flare and let behind any feelings of hurt and disappointment as they came up against a Newport side on a real bounce following a strong finish to the Sky Bet League Two campaign, and that’s something which Flitcroft’s boldness in the team selection enabled to happen with Mal Benning dropped out of the starting line-up for only the second time this season in all competitions. The long serving defenders absence from the starting line-up allowed CJ Hamilton to occupy the left wing back slot and cause real danger to the hosts as Mansfield played an effective counter attacking game with real fluidity across the park, evident in the wingers 14th goal of the campaign in all competitions. Whilst Hamilton caused damage at one end of the pitch, the real plaudits should go to shot stopper Conrad Logan, who produced a Gordon Banks style display in the Stags goal with a string of world class saves to keep a hungry Newport at bay – this included a strong penalty save, he was extremely unfortunate to not keep out the rebound, and defender Ben Turner who was solid, coming in for the injured Matt Preston. A lot of talk before the game was about so called ‘damage limitation’ and trying to still be in the tie for the second leg, which to be fair given recent performances, wasn’t a bad line of conversation – but Mansfield Town delivered far more than that and SHOULD be ahead, with the penalty awarded to Newport an extremely soft call, whilst they should have also been playing with ten men, following a challenge on Tyler Walker within the opening minutes which was a straight red card. However these squabblings and disgruntled points of conversation mean nothing, the fact is Mansfield produced their best display for weeks, they are still very much in the tie and if they can produce a similar, if not better, display on Sunday in the second leg at the One Call Stadium, then I’ve no doubt that a trip to Wembley will await the Stags. I believe team selection will be huge on Sunday; however Flitcroft has in my opinion done the right thing in NOT using all three substitutions providing key figures with that extra rest. Had this been a league game with points up from grab, I’d be talking about utilising the likes of Khan and Grant to influence the game – but we have another 90 minutes (minimum) to factor in, plus travel and recovery – game management is where Flitcroft will really earn his money now. Let’s do this! MATCH REPORT Three changes were made by the Stags boss following Saturday’s 1-0 promotion costing loss at MK Dons, Gethin Jones came in at right-wing back moving Alex MacDonald back into the middle as Willem Tomlinson missed out, Ben Turner replaced the injured Matt Preston in the back three, whilst the boldest move of all saw Mal Benning dropped in favour of Danny Rose – CJ Hamilton moved back and wide to the left-wing-back slot, allowing Rose to partner Walker upfront. Mansfield made a rapid start to proceedings as Rose looked to banish the demons of his last trip to Newport as his ferocious running earned the Stags a first minute corner, CJ Hamilton also troubled down the left hand side as he released Walker on four minutes – the leading front man unable to connect with real venom making it easy for Joe Day in the home goal to collect. Two minutes later Walker was clean through on goal before being pulled back by O’Brien who appeared to be the last man, and as such, should have received a straight red card – the referee produced only a yellow. Mellis and Bishop both tested the water but it was a devastating Stags counter attack which opened the scoring on 12 minutes as MacDonald made a fine clearance to send Mellis running through the middle, neat control and a crisp pass saw Hamilton through on goal at pace – Joe Day could do nothing bar pick the ball out of the net as lightening, struck. Mansfield then soaked up some pressure from Newport but nothing too concerning before as the half hour mark arrived, Rose was unlucky to see his through ball to Walker be a little too heavy, before Mellis danced through before firing over the bar. On 33 minutes Conrad Logan became a hero and emulated Gordon Banks with a unbelievable save to keep out Matt’s close range header, the Stags remained in the driving seat until the break – but couldn’t add to their well-earned 1-0 lead. After the break Tyler Walker should have made it 2-0 as he weaved around the keeper but got his foot stuck under the ball as he struck toward the open goal, a Newport defender recovered well to clear the ball before it could cross the line before on 50 minutes Logan was at it again, throwing himself like a sky diving polar bear at Padrig Amond’s goal bound effort – a fine save. Joe Day denied Walker on 62 minutes as the front man lashed an effort towards goal before the hosts had a goal chalked off for offside after Logan again produced the goods – it was then Day’s turn to produce world class save, as he acrobatically denied Mellis, whose effort was heading to the top corner after a neat bit of build up play from a hungry Stags side. Danny Rose’s game was over on 76 minutes as he made way for Benning after a phenomenal display which caused Newport endless problems, on 83 minutes Logan was judged to have fouled a Newport player despite replays cleared proving otherwise – he did then save Amond’s spot kick but couldn’t quite recover to keep out the rebound, 1-1 which is how the game stayed, at Full time in the first leg – but half-time in the tie, the stags now come home to try and get the job done. FULL TIME: Newport County 1-1 Mansfield Town STAGS [3-5-2] Conrad Logan, Ben Turner, Krystian Pearce ©, Ryan Sweeney, Gethin Jones, Alex MacDonald, Neal Bishop, Jacob Mellis, , CJ Hamilton , Tyler Walker, Danny Rose (Mal Benning 77) Unused Subs: Jordan Smith, Will Atkinson, Alistair Smith, Otis Khan, Nicky Ajose, Jorge Grant Referee: Charles Breakspear Full Time Score MK Dons 1-0 Mansfield Town Competition Sky Bet League Two Venue Stadium MK Stags Goal Scorer(s) / Attendance 20,718 (5,227)  Craig Priest writes…
As I walked away from Stadium MK yesterday fighting back the tears and trying desperately not to be sick or let my rage boil over at those “supporters” who said they’d “come back if they got to Wembley” – I couldn’t help but be frustrated at my own heart, because deep, DEEP down – I knew Mansfield Town would throw away the chance of promotion. The Stags as a whole have been brilliant to watch this season, but over the last two months with the expectation of two games – David Flitcroft’s men have fallen so far from what they used to be that even if the scenario yesterday had been “avoid defeat by three goals or more” – we’d have lost 4-0. I hate myself for typing that, I really do – but there’s a lot of truth to it. I’m not one to take to social media and start conversations with an undertone of blame – it sickened me yesterday to see posts of “Flitcroft Out” as we’ve come so far but ultimately didn’t have enough about us when it really mattered. Some internal investigation has to be done from the manager to discover exactly why we’ve let promotion slip away – and that doesn’t just extend to yesterday’s defeat for two reasons, one - in a winner take all game when one team needs to win, they’ll come at you as MK did, and two – in the second half, those players were brilliant and did everything bar get the ONE goal which would have clinched promotion. You have to look back and ask why we’ve lost at relegated Notts County, why we’ve allowed Crewe to come to the One Call and dominate us, why we’ve not had enough about us to beat average sides in Crawley and Northampton over the last couple of months – because teams who DESERVE to be promoted simply don’t do that. Those questions, these frustrations, this sickening bloody hurt needs to be flushed out and quickly because whilst we threw away automatic promotion – we can still be playing League One football next season, as we now head into the play-offs against Newport County in the two-legged semi-final, the winner of which faces Tranmere or Forest Green at Wembley for a place in League One. Finishing in fourth is the hardest place to finish as we’ve lost out on automatic promotion by the skin of our teeth and carry the hurt, anger and disappointment that comes with that – and now we have to take on 7th, who’ve done the polar opposite, got in by the skin of their teeth and carry the joy, buzz and elation that comes with it. BUT – that actually gives us an advantage because absolutely nobody fancies us anymore – BRILLIANT, because people have fancied us for the last two months and look what happened. We have an opportunity to go and play with more freedom – we start fresh. Newport is a very tough place to go, especially on a Thursday night – it’s a heavy pitch and they’ll be direct – we’ve got to look at the characters and systems to nullify that, because this is not 90 minutes of football now, its 180 minutes minimum – we’ve got more time to fight. It’s heart-breaking to think about how we’ve failed and fallen but that is NOT going to get us to Wembley and get us another chance of promotion. Deep, DEEP down, I do believe the Stags can achieve promotion – so let’s head into Newport knowing what’s done is done and focus on righting the wrongs. In order to fly, you must have the courage to jump – we’ve thrown ourselves off the edge and whilst we’ve dropped lower than we hoped or expected, still have the power to spread those wings and soar to the other side. It’s the Mansfield Town way. MATCH REPORT Click HERE for the clubs match report FULL TIME: MK Dons 1-0 Mansfield Town STAGS [3-4-1-2] Conrad Logan, Matt Preston (Ben Turner 19), Krystian Pearce ©, Ryan Sweeney, Alex MacDonakd, Neal Bishop, Willem Tomlinson (Danny Rose 37), Mal Benning (Jorge Grant 70), Jacob Mellis, Tyler Walker, CJ Hamilton Unused Subs: Jordan Smith, Will Atkinson, Alistair Smith, Gethin Jones Referee: Lee Probert Full Time Score Mansfield Town 1-2 Stevenage Competition Sky Bet League Two Venue One Call Stadium Stags Goal Scorer(s) Tyler Walker Attendance 6,390 (209)  Craig Priest writes…
Why? That’s the question on every true Stags fans lips this morning. Why do our team do this to us, why can’t things ever be simple and why, when everything is going our way, do the script writers see fit to add in the cruellest of plot twists – 90th minute winners for the opposition? You invest so much in the drama and accept there will be twists and turns along the way, but when you reach the penultimate episode and you think yo9u’ve got everything sussed – something comes along to leave you gasping for breath, or sunk back in your seat struggling to hold back the tears. There’s no way to dress up yesterday, there’s no way to come out and try and put a positive filter on the picture – I can’t do it. I’m angry, I’m hurt, I feel let down by those in control of our destiny – because at this critical stage there’s no room for excuses, no room for error, and very little time to do a re-write. I think David Flitcroft is a fantastic manager and person, and underneath this frustrated collection of ranting words, I believe we’ll get over the line and achieve what’s needed – BUT listening to his post-match interview, I felt let down and his comments were the sake of making them – blaming the conditions, blaming the vulnerability of counter attacks, saying we knew this, we knew that – it’s not good enough ultimately, staff and players need to hold their hands up and above all else – put it right. I felt, for the sake of reflecting on things rather than just venting, that we coped with the conditions first half and whilst we had Logan to thank for two fine saves, we were on course to take the bull by the horns in the second half. But then a lack of movement, a lack of willingness to make things happen and a lack of killer touch saw the sands of time trickle by and in typical Mansfield fashion, we made it harder for ourselves when we gifted Stevenage the keys to our house, and they found the deeds and sold it from under our feet. Our only saving grace in the whole situation was that MK Dons were beaten at Colchester which means it’s as you were going into next weekend’s final fixture against the Dons, who sit below us on goal difference. FAILURE to win yesterday, or at least draw, has allowed other teams to come in to the mix as with Bury’s game at Tranmere getting postponed – the latter could now leapfrog us on the final day if they beat Bury in midweek and then beat Crawley, IF we were to draw – as Tranmere would be on 78 points and us & MK on 77. Of course that’s not the end of this messy plot as goal difference would also come into play for the final automatic promotion slot, as IF Bury had lost at Tranmere and then lost to Port Vale as that’d put us, MK and Bury all on 77 points – our goal difference, thanks in no small part to the 4-0 win over Morecambe, is better (3rd GD +29) than both Bury (2nd GD +26) and MK (4th GD +21). Forest Green Rovers could also have a say in things, but are not really a danger to us in terms of the automatics – a win for them plus a defeat for us at MK would only affect the play-off standings and fixtures, as MK would obviously go up having beaten us. Do I care about any of this? NO. Should you? NO, although as proved yesterday and in previous weeks a lot of fans naturally will do. Should the players and management care? 100% NO! This is merely the messy way that all of this could come to an end – but for once, let’s keep it simple and just win – because a win, wraps it up nicely! To David Flitcroft and the players, use today to get everything out of your system and come into training ready to give it give it every last bit of energy to gain automatic promotion – because over the course of the season that’s what you deserve. To fellow supporters, let’s do the same and give unconditional love and support to the players on Saturday and not let anger, disappointment and opinion boil over – because that will NOT hope. To those inevitable band wagon jumpers, welcome, where have you been all season? Actually no my sarcasm doesn’t matter – but PLEASE make a choice, either join the rest of us and back what we’ve all desired, or jump off the band wagon now and don’t even think about jumping on it again. Yes a cruel plot twist has sent a curve ball right through us, BUT that plot twist is NOT the ending to this story – we’ve one more episode to go, and we hold the pen. Let’s make it a happily ever after yeah? MATCH REPORT Does it really matter any more? If it does and you’re reading this from the future and want to know how it all unfolded, click here – because in the present day, reflecting on the plot twist, doesn’t matter to me – only the MK Dons game does, sorry! Come on you Stags, let’s do this. FULL TIME: Mansfield Town 1-2 Stevenage STAGS [3-4-1-2] Conrad Logan, Matt Preston, Krystian Pearce ©, Ryan Sweeney, Gethin Jones (Jorge Grant 73), Neal Bishop, Willem Tomlinson (Danny Rose 65), Mal Benning (Alex MacDonald 90), Jacob Mellis, Tyler Walker, CJ Hamilton Unused Subs: Jordan Smith, Will Atkinson, Zayn Hakeem, Ben Turner Referee: Darren Drysdale Full Time Score Oldham Athletic 3-2 Mansfield Town Competition Sky Bet League Two Venue Boundry Pary Stags Goal Scorer(s) Tyler Walker, Neal Bishop Attendance 6,179 (1,334)  Craig Priest writes…
Nearly twenty-four hours on from yesterday’s game, I don’t think I’ve calmed down yet – not from the linesman’s decision to chalk-off Danny Roses’ late equalizer, but how difficult we are making it for ourselves – with the fate of our season now inevitably coming down to the seasons final day at promotion rivals MK Dons. There’s a saying in life about taking the stairs over using a lift, it’s supposed to teach the value of hard work an effort – appreciating the view more from the top when you get there, IF Mansfield Town reach League One, then they’ll have climbed their fair share of stairs along the way. Since the end of the game many people have had conversations about the game and the cruelty of the offside flag, and whilst I praise the lads desire to fight back – I have to myself and whoever I’m talking too, why on earth we needed to fight back in the first place, how did we allow ourselves to get into such a negative position and subsequently allow our promotion rivals to gain ground at such a critical stage. I want to go into a rage, I want to scream and shout and let out the anger – not because we’ve slipped, but because we are way better, way stronger in a fight than we were at Oldham yesterday. I look back at the games where little moments have cost us and feel myself boiling again, but then I look at the league table and the amount of games left to achieve what we set out to do in the first place and ask – what’s the point in reflecting on the old, questioning the moments, pondering the ifs and buts? Is that going to help, is that going to get us over the line? In a nutshell – NO. All of it is just footprints in the sand, washed over and wiped clear like they were never there in the first place by the uncontrollable ocean tide, if we stop and stare back over our shoulders then there’s a real danger we’ll get washed away too, having to start all over again. I don’t think it needs saying that Mansfield were below par and key players were already on a beach enjoying their summer holidays, failing to perform again - going into detail would just add to the bile and negativity which drowns us and I can’t take it anymore. The ONE thing that I take from yesterday is the fact we did fight, we changed systems and let loose and we do that again – backed by every single one of you whose dreamed of seeing the Stags in League One. The players have the experienced heads within the dressing room, they have the talent and the ability to cause real damage and deliver on promises – despite everything which went against us on the pitch our support was brilliant, the players will notice that and reward that – let’s give it one last push to fill the One Call Stadium for the final home game of the season and go into the critical decider against MK Dons with a bounce, a buzz and an attitude to be proud of – we’re Mansfield Town and no matter how many punches you throw at us, we’ll be the ones that deliver the decisive blow in our favour. I don’t care what Bury or MK Dons do on Saturday – I care what we do, realistically a win keeps us in the driving seat so together, let’s get it! To the players – give your all like you’ve never given your all before, to the fans – be loud, proud and remember that patience is a virtue…. …and to the linesman, keep that bloody flag down! It’s not over, it’s only just begun. MATCH REPORT After thrashing Morecambe 4-0 on Friday, David Flitcroft stuck with the same starting line-up, many with fresh trims as the Sky Cameras were present as part of their Bank Holiday Monday triple header. Mansfield started nervy and were under pressure from the off, taking 17 minutes to find a real opening as Gethin Jones drove forward to find Jorge Grant in the area – his first time half-volley sailed wide of the target. Four minutes later fellow forest loanee Tyler Walker hit an effort first time from the edge of the area but couldn’t beat Iversen in the Oldham goal as the shot flashed wide of the target – the Stags then enjoyed a number of corners but on 29 minutes, were caught on the counter by the hosts, Gevaro Nepomuceno the fan to add the killer touch as Mansfield took the first dagger to the heart. Mellis, Benning, Hamilton and Sweeney all had chances to pull the game back on level terms before the break, but after 45 minutes of action – Mansfield were behind and needed to come alive as the second half dawned. David Flitcroft kept things as they were and was nearly rewarded for his patience as skipper Pearce was denied by Iverson in front of the travelling faithful from Bishops cross a minute into the second half – Jacob Mellis also had an effort blocked before Oldham grabbed a second, capitalising on questionable defending as Maouche turned home with 56 on the clock. Danny Rose then replaced Sweeney on the hour as Mansfield went 4-3-3, it took just a minute to find a reply as a fine flick from Rose set Mellis free, his ball into Walker set a routine finish for the leading talisman – who converted on his left foot through the keepers legs. 2-1, Game on? Six minutes of end to end action followed but ultimately it was Oldham who restored their advantage on 67 minutes with a sublime goal, made for the cameras, Nepomuceno throwing another dagger right into the heart of the Stags. David Flitcroft says you’re never out of a fight until you draw your last breath and the Stags whilst hurt, were still breathing but had Logan to thank on 71 as he denied Lang in a one vs one which would have been game over, five minutes later Neal Bishop scored a left footed spin and turn from the edge of the box to make it 3-2, you sensed Mansfield had another goal coming to rescue a point from the jaws of defeat. Tyler Walker nearly grabbed it on 80 minutes as Mellis sent him through, Walker fired over the bar much to our despair in the away end. Elation came in the 96th minute as Mellis’ long range effort cannoned back off the post and fell to Rose who bundled home his first goal since October to make it 3-3, however elation soon became sickening despair and anger, as the linesman raised his flagged cancelling out Rose’s heroic effort for offside – the full time whistle followed giving Oldham a 3-2, and I don’t mind admitting that behind vented frustration towards the officials, lay a tear or two building up as results elsewhere saw Mansfield JUST cling onto third on goal difference. Two games to go, AAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!! FULL TIME: Oldham Athletic 3-2 Mansfield Town STAGS [3-4-1-2] Conrad Logan, Matt Preston, Krystian Pearce ©, Ryan Sweeney (Danny Rose 59), Gethin Jones, Neal Bishop, Jacob Mellis, Mal Benning, Jorge Grant (Alex MacDonald 53), Tyler Walker, CJ Hamilton Unused Subs: Jordan Smith, Will Atkinson, Zayn Hakeem, Ben Turner, Willem Tomlinson Referee: / Full Time Score Mansfield Town 4-0 Morecambe Competition Sky Bet League Two Venue One Call Stadium Stags Goal Scorer(s) Jacob Mellis, Krystian Pearce, CJ Hamilton, Mal Benning Attendance 5,177 (107)  Craig Priest writes…
Buying a Mansfield Town ticket should come with a health warning – I’m thinking increased heart rate, high blood pressure and stress – lots of bloody stress! Alas when the results and performances are like the one against Morecambe, it’s well worth the health risk! The Stags needed a huge display following a rather nervy weekend at Northampton last time out and really needed to show they had the nerve to challenge for a place in the top three and try and put some breathing space between themselves and the chasing pack. Did they do that? 1000000000000000000000000000000000% they did with a dominant display full of intent, confidence and the critical key element – a red hot killer touch. From the very first whistle the Stags fought to win the ball and for a good half an hour didn’t allow Morecambe time to breathe – peppering the goal mouth only to be denied by Barry Roche, who showed keepers really do get better with age, with a goalkeeping master class in the first half. Jacob Mellis’ opening goal was vital as I feel had we dominated without reward, the frustration would have boiled over and given the heat and occasion, we may well have made a punishable mistake. There was a time in the second half where I feared that the visitors would get back into the game and Mansfield should be credited for finding their way through that and adding the killer touch to gain a three goal cushion and crush the visitors hopes. Monday’s game needs to be just as intense from our perspective as the bigger the gap between ourselves and those chasing us, the easier the final two games will be – especially considering we have to play one of the chasing teams! Nothing, absolutely NOTHING, is sealed yet – three games now to play and it could all change dramatically, all I ask Mansfield Town FC, is to repeat that display of energy, pressure, intent, desire and killer instinct – because THAT is the difference between success and failure! COME ON! MATCH REPORT Two changes were made by David Flitcroft as he looked to release the hand break on our attack – introducing Jorge Grant and Jacob Mellis for Alex MacDonald and Willem Tomlinson, who both settled for a place on the bench. Mansfield started with a real spring in their step and should have taken the lead on five minutes as Jones connected with a left sided cross, denied by a fine save from Roche – whp just a minute later, denied Mellis as he thundered a shot forward. Jones, Hamilton and Walker all had opportunities for an opening but couldn’t quite force open the door, Roche then made a double save on 21 minutes first denying Walker, and then Hamilton on the follow up. Four minutes later Roche was at it again, denying Grant’s long range effort before back peddling to tip the spinning ball off of the line – Mansfield were really asking questions and got the answer on the half-hour, as Jacob Mellis’ driven effort from Benning’s cut back, finally got the better of Roche. Ten minutes later Mellis was denied again this time by a Morecambe defender – Gethin Jones had the final effort of the half, again denied by an on forn Roche, who single handily kept the score to just 1-0 Mansfield. A change of shape from the visitors at the break made it harder for Mansfield but that didn’t stop Roche being called into action again, denying Grant with his feet on 48 minutes before Walker turned the ball wide on 57 minutes from a Stags corner. Mansfield then soaked up pressure where Morecambe looked like they would burst Mansfield’s bubble, the chief had other ideas and doubled the Stags lead on 70 minutes – showing great composure to turn inside the box and drill into the net. Three minutes later the Stags made it 3-0 as Hamilton twisted and turned his way beyond Roche, before the icing was put on the cake with five minutes remaining by knight of the relm Sir Mal Benning, whose long range effort zipped beyond Roche to seal a massive victory for Mansfield Town – lifting them to second as Bury lost 3-1 at Newport, MK Dons move up to third, having beaten Conference bound Notts County 2-1 – Mansfield go one point above MK Dons with the 4-0 victory widening the goal difference to +8 goals over MK. Bury sit fourth two points behind Stags with +7 goals in the Stags’ favour. It’s still all to play for. FULL TIME: Mansfield Town 4-0 Morecambe STAGS [3-4-1-2] Conrad Logan, Matt Preston, Krystian Pearce ©, Ryan Sweeney, Gethin Jones, Neal Bishop (Willem Tomlinson 83), Jacob Mellis, Mal Benning, Jorge Grant (Alex MacDonald 72), Tyler Walker (Danny Rose 77), CJ Hamilton Unused Subs: Jordan Smith, Will Atkinson, Zayn Hakeem, Ben Turner Referee: Trevor Kettle Full Time Score Northampton Town 1-1 Mansfield Town Competition Sky Bet League Two Venue PTS Academy Stadium Stags Goal Scorer(s) Mal Benning Attendance 5,905 (1,465)  Craig Priest writes…
David Flitcroft said in the week that the Stags would get things wrong during the final five games, and asked for patience when doing so – the need to all stick together is pivotal and so I’m trying to channel my hurt at slipping up yesterday into something else entirely – simply asking the football gods why can we never have a simple season! I firmly believe the Stags have enough about them to finish in the top three, however David Flitcroft needs to show his hand when it comes to managing mentality this week – because throughout the match, it looked like our players couldn’t cope with the expectation, which whilst it carried high stakes, was simply to perform and win. From back to front we looked nervy and couldn’t cope with the fundamentals of Northampton’s game – being direct, something with our back three/five, you’d expect to be a routine day at the office. Mal’s opening goal on 11 minutes was testament to the quality we can have and the work we do on the training pitch, but it should have calmed us down and made a platform for an easier afternoon – instead it became far less than plain sailing, with the water far more choppy. When a team has thirty-plus set plays the law of averages says they’re going to grab a goal – but that said Mansfield’s ONE loss of concentration has ultimately cost us two points, because other than pick the ball out of the net and slam the ball forward, Logan had nothing of real note to do. Yes you could argue that our front line haven’t taken their chances which is a fair argument, but when you’ve got a lead and something to protect – you have to remain focussed. Thankfully results elsewhere have kept us in the top three, dropping from second to third as a Bury reawakening saw them beat Colchester, however with Tranmere narrowly beating MK Dons, the one point buffer remains – PLEASE can the season finish NOW!! FOUR games remain with a bumper bank holiday weekend ahead, starting with Morecambe at home followed by a trip to Oldham – live on Sky Sports, neither team will want the season to filter out and will be out to cause upset, both fixtures tougher than playing a team around you in my view – therefore that nervousness, that lapse of concentration needs to be eliminated and the Stags need a reaction. David Flitcroft said in the week about backing the boys when it doesn’t quite go right, we did that yesterday in full volume, let’s pack the One Call on Friday and back the boys again – this time hoping with a full heart that they return the favour, with three points. Nothing is over, until it’s over. COME ON! MATCH REPORT Ryan Sweeney replaced the injured Ben Turner in the only change from last weekend’s victory over Cambridge, David Flitcroft clearly not wanting to rock the boat to much as the final straight and final prize narrowly etches into view. The hosts managed by former Stags boss Keith Curle, the last manager to lead the Stags into the League Two play-offs, started well and enjoyed a number of early set plays – Charlie Goode and Aaron Pierre both sending heads wide of the target inside the opening five minutes. Mansfield then won their first corner on 12 minutes and Mal Benning opening the scoring, his delivery going straight into the net as it missed the head of Sweeney on the near post – nothing adventurous, just an advantage, one which Mansfield desperately needed. Both sides enjoyed possession but did little with it, Tyler Walker saw an effort blocked on the edge of the box just after the half-hour mark whilst the hosts did well to stop CJ Hamilton getting in behind – the half time whistle sounding with a 1-0 lead. A defensive error from the hosts gifted the Stags a corner on 55 minutes but Mansfield couldn’t take advantage from MacDonald’s delivery, a minute later Mellis was introduced as Tomlinson made way. Danny Rose then replaced Jones on 66 minutes but three minutes later a momentary lapse saw the Cobblers take full advantage as Scott Pollock of YouTube fame, squared the ball to Sam Foley from a corner – Foley turning home for 1-1. Matt Preston came close to restoring the Stags’ lead on 72 minutes as he headed wide from MacDonald’s corner, five minutes later Danny Rose’s acrobatic effort from well blocked. With five minutes remaining Rose squandered a golden chance as the ball was headed to his feet inside the box, before Mellis hit a long range free kick over the bar. A point just enough to keep the Stags in the top three, although as the players made their way from the pitch, the overall sense was that a golden chance to get a firmer grip of the top three had gone begging. FULL TIME: Northampton Town 1-1 Mansfield Town STAGS [3-4-1-2] Conrad Logan, Matt Preston, Krystian Pearce ©, Ryan Sweeney, Gethin Jones (Danny Rose 66), Neal Bishop, Willem Tomlinson (Jacob Mellis 57), Mal Benning, Alex MacDonald, Tyler Walker, CJ Hamilton Unused Subs: Jordan Smith, Jorge Grant, Will Atkinson, Zayn Hakeem, Jason Law Referee: Paul Marsden Full Time Score Mansfield Town 1-0 Cambridge United Competition Sky Bet League Two Venue One Call Stadium Stags Goal Scorer(s) Tyler Walker Attendance 4,789 (307)  Craig Priest writes…
I hate the end of the season so much. Not for the fact that in a few weeks’ time I’ll have nothing to do on a Saturday, but for the fact that now the pressure is really on and everything we’ve worked for and hoped for is within in touching distance – the stress factor is ramped up! Alas, when Mansfield Town focus on what’s in front of them and nothing else and get the job done – I bloody love it! The squad’s professionalism yesterday above all yesterday was pivotal, we didn’t cave in when things weren’t quite happening and we didn’t give up. We don’t need to play pretty, we need to be united, win our tackles and battles and then when the opportunity presents itself, bury it! Everything else, other results etc, will take care of themselves – we simply can’t affect them, but by winning our games and staying solid at the back we can make these final five games as difficult as humanly possible for the teams around us. Bury’s problems off the pitch will not hurt that group of players for long, they have some good experienced heads that will carry them with key players to return from suspension – but in the here and now we have made life harder for them by leap frogging them into second as they drop to fourth, a point and three goals behind – someone buy Hallam Hope a drink. MK Dons in second were unlucky to be beaten by Champions-Elect Lincoln but we still have to go to their place on the final day, and over the next two weeks they face still very much in the hunt Tranmere and escapolgist-wannabes Notts County – Nothing is set in stone and nothing is secure at this stage, I wish it bloody was. For us we have no easy game, we focus now soley on the journey to Northampton and monitoring the players who are going to be critical to us. Forget changes for changes sake, we make them based on honesty, injury and illness – nothing more, nothing less, you can’t disrupt the focus and energy the squad has harnessed over the last two weekends. Every single person played a part yesterday and whilst it wasn’t as dominant as Exeter last weekend, it was a victory and that is what matters, Forget throwing players under the bus for a lack of fitness or a misplaced pass. Forget your personal feelings towards them – they are playing for Mansfield Town Football Club and trying their dam hardest to deliver League One football for us as supporters and the town. We need to be together as we were yesterday – let’s pack out Northampton and be grounded, FIVE more to go – that’s five more opportunities for the table to change, so let’s focus on ONE game, ONE team and ONE dream. COME ON!!!! MATCH REPORT There was no surprise whatsoever to see an unchanged line-up named by David Flitcroft, although there were changes on the bench, with Jorge Grant deemed fit enough and Ryan Sweeney back from his bug. It was a slow and tentative start at the One Call Stadium, Mansfield enjoyed the better of the ball but opportunities were a lot harder to come by up against a stubborn Camridge United side – the Stags livening up on 21 minutes when Hamilton softly went down in the box, Craig Hicks had non-of-it and waved away the claims for a second spot kick in as many games. Three minutes later former Stag George Taft thwarted Hamilton as tried to find a way through before on 29 minutes Logan was called into action at the other end, turning away Brad Halliday’s effort. Mansfield saw Walker hit a long range effort on the stroke of half-time, and whilst the teams were level and the Stags slightly on top – Mansfield needed to take it to the next level to break down the visitors. Ryan Sweeney replaced Turner at the break with Flitcroft revealing in his post-match interview that Turner was carrying a knock, picked up during the first half, and didn’t want to let down his team mates by allowing Cambridge in – THAT is what makes MTFC, honesty and team progression over individual gain. Things started to heat up on 51 minutes as the Stags were denied a spot kick for what appeared a blatant hand ball, and on the hour injected some more life into their attack as Mellis replaced Bishop and Danny Rose made his long awaited return – replacing Jones with Hamilton switching to wing-back. Four minutes later the duo were heavily involved in the Stags goal – Mellis’ pressure allowed him to win the ball back and feed in Walker, Rose peeled off at the far post and dragged two defenders with him, creating the space for Walker to do what Walker does – score! Mansfield had the chance for a second when Walker looked to send Rose on his way but put a bit too much on the pass, before on 85 minutes, Benning made the cut back for Walker who turned the ball wide via a late deflection. On 90 minutes Conrad Logan made a fine save to deny Hepburn-Murphy before four minutes of sheer hell, Cambridge on top but failing to find a way through – the full time whistle, a welcome sound – giving Mansfield three massive points. FULL TIME: Mansfield Town 1-0 Cambridge United STAGS [3-4-1-2] Conrad Logan, Matt Preston, Krystian Pearce ©, Ben Turner (Ryan Sweeney HT), Gethin Jones (Danny Rose 60), Neal Bishop (Jacob Mellis 60), Willem Tomlinson, Mal Benning, Alex MacDonald, Tyler Walker, CJ Hamilton Unused Subs: Jordan Smith, Jorge Grant, Will Atkinson, Zayn Hakeem Referee: Craig Hicks Full Time Score Exeter City 1-4 Mansfield Town Competition Sky Bet League Two Venue St James Park Stags Goal Scorer(s) CJ Hamilton (2), Tyler Walker (2) Attendance 5,017 (356)  Craig Priest writes…
Anyone can pick a team of eleven players and send them out to play – but it takes leadership and trust to acknowledge when things are going wrong and then take action to put things right. Fortunately Mansfield Town have a man at the helm capable of doing just that – which is why we made the long journey back from Exeter with all three points and our hopes still very much alive. Men in the main have a reluctance to talk openly about their feelings, to talk about who and what drives and inspires them. Sportsmen even more so, but the fact is if you’re open about that you can look beyond winning and losing and not get stuck in a rut of poor form – so for David Flitcroft to open up to his players this week and in turn, get them to follow suit, that has to be admired. Football IS just a game and you can very easily get swept up in its emotion which means sometimes you lose focus of what you’re trying to achieve – Mansfield Town’s players needed that purpose and focus bringing back to the forefront of their minds, and regardless of performance and style of play – I for one, put yesterday’s vital victory down to that focus, a word which can never be over used at this stage of the season. A happy and focussed dressing room is a winning dressing room. I’ve felt for weeks (alright, months) that there’s been a darkness creeping in, something sucking the life out of our play and confidence and if you look back at the way we started last weekend at home to Crewe, I don’t think you can disagree it firmly took hold and has damaged our chances. What was key was going on a journey of discovery within ourselves to say this is what we are good at it, this is how we can hurt teams, this is how we can progress – and then putting that into practise, which is exactly what we did with, in my view, the best footballing display from a Flitcroft side for months. You could sense the want to run at the opposition, to play for each other and cause damage with intent. We have the players within our ranks which thrive off of that, which is why every single player walked off that pitch yesterday buzzing having put in a real shift. Naturally CJ Hamilton and Tyler Walker get the plaudits and headlines with two goals each – CJ is a real danger when the handbrake is released, the Exeter back four will be having nightmares for weeks about his pace, movement and running across the line – highlighted none more so than in his two first half goals. Walker’s talent was clear too, dropping deep to allow CJ to drive and attack, the finish for our third was sublime and the penalty composed – however you must tip your hat to CJ for the unselfish pass to win the spot kick and then to walk away from the chance to seal a hat-trick from the spot. Alex MacDonald, Neal Bishop and Will ‘Mini-Bish’ Tomlinson were fantastic behind them in midfield and adapted well to cover each other and make it tough for the hosts to find an outlet, whilst at the back – the back six (Logan included) were solid enough, bar for the one slip for Exeter to score and make it 1-1. Off of the pitch, it was great to see Rose back in the fold, infectiously smiling and laughing – lapping up the crowd, after such a bad injury which could have really dented his self-confidence, having him within the dressing room lifts everyone and it gives us another attacking option with games running out. The inclusion of Zayn Hakeem and 17 Year Old Jimmy Knowles is testament to the links forged between academy and first team over the past year, Hakeem gave a very good account of himself and I’m sure for Knowles it was a brilliant experience – certainly ones to keep an eye on in the future. As for the here and now, Mansfield appear to have their mojo back and whilst it’s now a hard task to get into the top three, it’s not impossible as they sit two points behind Bury, although they have a game in hand over us on Tuesday. Whatever the other teams do as I said weeks ago is somewhat irrelevant because if we focus on us and play the way we did yesterday – the pendulum swings into our court again, with us mentally refreshed and hungry to succeed – nobody will fancy coming up against that, so come on you Stags – show me that you miss that top three, show me that you want success and go and bloody get it, after all, we’re all on this journey together. MATCH REPORT Changes were bound to happen after a poor showing the previous weekend, Jorge Grant missed the trip completely through an on-going ankle issue, whilst defender Ryan Sweeney did travel, but was kept out of the squad due to a sickness bug picked up on route. Logan replaced Smith in goal, Ben Turner replaced the sick Sweeney, whilst in midfield Alex MacDonald replaced Grant, with Mellis also missing out – replaced by mini-bish, Will Tomlinson. Mansfield stared well in the Devon sunshine and put pressure on the hosts with early set-plays, Alex MacDonald the first to register a shot on four minutes – his long range effort whistled beyond Christy Pym but landed wide of the target. Pym was then forced into two saves from Hamilton as he weaved his way through the city defence and on twenty minutes, his persistent running earned him and Mansfield the opening goal, Hamitlon flashed his way around Pym and turned into the empty net with twenty minutes on the clock. The Stags lead lasted just a minutes however as the hosts attacked and Mansfield failed to stop the right sided cross – a mix up between Logan and the defence allowed Matt Jay to prod home. Mansfield were not going to allow Exeter further opportunity and fought hard to regain their lead – Walker was denied by Pym before on 33 minutes Hamilton proved that lightening does strike twice, finishing a thirty yard run with a cool finish. Tyler Walker clipped a free-kick just over the bar with three minutes of the first half remaining before Mal Benning stepped up with a free kick of his own, Benning’s dead ball landed a whisker wide before the referee called time on the first half. Mansfield made it 3-1 in style on 57 minutes as Walker controlled the ball from Benning’s throw, shrugged off his marker and curled from distance a peach of a shot beyond a stunned Pym into the net. Jacob Mellis replaced Bishop on 72 minutes and a minute later watched on as CJ Hamilton tore down the left wing and into the box – he was just about to let fly and seal his hat-trick when at the last second, he pulled the ball back to Walker who was upended for a penalty. Walker stepped up and made no mistake to make it 4-1 and two goals each for him and Hamilton, who terrorised the Exeter back line all afternoon. Mansfield had a moment of heart in mouth when the hosts were awarded a free kick on the edge of the box but Randell Williams’ effort was watched over by Logan, Zayn Hakeem was hand a debut in the second of three additional minutes replacing Hamilton who received a great ovation from the Stags faithful – not to mention a cute kiss of the forehead from a proud Flitcroft, who was just as jubilant moments later when Ben Toner called an end to proceedings, a well-earned and overdue three points. FULL TIME: Exeter City 1-4 Mansfield Town STAGS [3-4-1-2] Conrad Logan, Matt Preston, Krystian Pearce ©, Ben Turner, Gethin Jones, Neal Bishop (Jacob Mellis 72), Willem Tomlinson, Mal Benning, Alex MacDonald, Tyler Walker, CJ Hamilton (Zayn Hakeem 90+2) Unused Subs: Jordan Smith, Otis Khan, Will Atkinson, Danny Rose, [#38] Jimmy Knowles Referee: Ben Toner |
