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Crewe Alexandra 1-1 Mansfield Town (Andy Cook) | Sky Bet League Two | Saturday 15th December 2019 | Alexandra Stadium  *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* Mansfield Town 0-3 Cheltenham Town | Sky Bet League Two | Saturday 7th December 2019 | The One Call Stadium  *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 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  *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 Town 2-0 Mansfield Town | FA Cup Second Round | Saturday 30th November 2019 | Montgomery Waters Meadow, Shrewsbury  *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* Swindon Town 1-0 Mansfield Town | Sky Bet League Two | Saturday 23rd November 2019 | The County Ground, Swindon  *The views expressed in this article, are solely those of the writer and not those of their associated organisations*
In the style of John Anderson from ITV Cult hit Gladiators – “Tin Hat, Reeeeeeeeaaaaaddddyyyy” – Social Media is awash with ‘Dempster Out’ comments and negativity, but for me yesterday at Swindon, despite a 1-0 defeat at the hands of the league leaders – I’m pleased with the performance and approach to the match. I understand the frustration and negativity, I’ve been over it so many times I feel like Enid Blyton churning out hit after hit – the bigger picture says it’s another defeat to add to the mixing bowl of disappointment and we are now moving dangerously close to a battle at the wrong end of the table, but in isolation – yesterday was the best we’ve played in weeks and both the manager and players did everything, bar bring home the goods. Dempster was criticised for setting up defensively against Macclesfield and despite defending his team selection in his midweek press, rang the changes and set up with an attacking flair, which included young midfielder Alistair Smith who played really well in the middle of the park. The substitutions have also been criticised throughout the campaign, and yet Dempster made all three changes, all attack minded, to try and get something out of the game – whilst the staff went to great lengths to kill the comments from fans about the warm-ups, staging a coaching drill during half-time – you can’t blame those factors! On the pitch the boys once they found their feet played really well with a good energy and a good intensity about them, creating a number of chances which just wouldn’t drop. The ONLY blip happens to be when we conceded the goal, not being brave enough to turn, face and press higher up – giving Swindon time to counter, but that is really nit-picking – you’d expect a promotion challenging side to do that anyway – remember, we did it last season! Sorry, cheap dig! The football and intensity we played IS good enough to get us to climb up the league ladder, however I fear we may have taken the wrong exit somewhere and perhaps now are beyond the point of no return in regards to the negativity around the team – I’ve never been so embarrassed by a small minority of our “support” yesterday, chanting “Dempster Out” during the match, no matter your opinion, there’s a time and place! Five wins, Six Draws and Eight defeats from our league season so far – I personally don’t believe that’s good enough for promotion but like I’ve said previously, it boils down to the whole perception thing of what we’re expected to achieve this season. Two cup games follow now which isn’t ideal really as we need to kick on in the league – questions will indeed be asked over how much longer Dempster gets in the hot seat, especially if you consider time for recruitment followed by time to assess and a transfer window – but, like a roundabout, I’ll go back to the start – I’m happy with the performance and application yesterday against a very good side, now – I’m out of here before you lot smash me over the head with a giant foam ear bud! Threeee…. Twwoooo…. Oneeee…. Match Recap Mal Benning was one of three to miss out, with the Stags’ knight of the relm suspended following five bookings – CJ Hamilton replaced him at wing-back with Mellis and Smith brought into the midfield, MacDonald and Tomlinson missed out. Click HERE to read the clubs match report FULL TIME: Swindon Town 1-0 Mansfield Town | Attendance 6,741 (215) STAGS: [3-5-2] Conrad Logan | Matt Preston, Krystian Pearce ©, Ryan Sweeney | Kellan Gordon (Otis Khan 82), Jacob Mellis (Jimmy Knowles 90), Alistair Smith, Conor Shaughnessy (Omari Sterling-James 77), CJ Hamilton | Nicky Maynard, Andy Cook Unused Subs: Bobby Oljenik, Alex MacDonald, Willem Tomlinson, James Clarke *The views expressed in this article, are solely those of the writer and not those of their associated organisations* Macclesfield Town 0-0 Mansfield Town | Sky Bet League Two | Saturday 16th November 2019 | Moss Rose, Macclesfield  *The views expressed in this article, are solely those of the writer and not those of their associated organisations*
There are some away games I fear driving too as I have this recurring nightmare of breaking down in the middle of nowhere without a phone signal to call for help, lost in the mist. That nightmare scenario seems to be the best way to describe the Stags at the moment, following another lacklustre display against struggling Macclesfield. A point and a clean-sheet in any game is a positive so I don’t want to overlook that, you can throw in the conditions and the scenario regarding the Silkmen this week regarding training strikes etc and them wanting to fight for the cause – but ultimately the minimum we should have come away with yesterday is three points. I’ve said it tome and time again about supporting the manager and the players and about it being a different season to last, meaning we should change our perception slightly – but that doesn’t stop yesterday being another in a long line of below par, unacceptable performances, from this Mansfield Town squad who, REGARDLESS of what’s come before, are capable of so much more. Anyone who didn’t know the scenario yesterday would have said it was the Stags who hadn’t been paid or hadn’t trained, because they lacked zest and flair and it felt in general so negative in both set up and approach – highlighted by the fact we didn’t win a single corner. Setting up with three central defenders and three defensive midfielders left us with very little attacking options, and yet there were some on the bench who deserve the chance to liven up this stuttering, sluggish season – and even some not even in the match day squad, whose inclusion would have given us options for a better shape, such as James Clarke who had a fantastic game on Tuesday against Burton Albion. Off of the pitch I feel for Macclesfield and the predicament they find themselves in, but on it Mansfield Town have to be ruthless if they want to show they have any desire or ambition to achieve something this season, because I for one am not relishing spending countless amounts of money trekking around the country on the hunt for League Two consolidation – especially when the aim from the board, is promotion. You could argue that the league table is so tight that a few wins would light the fire to shoot us up into the mixing bowl, but hand on heart I can’t say I’ve seen anything this season which suggests this squad have it in them to compete CONSISTENTLY week in week out, we’re back average, lost in the mist. I’m not going to get drawn into the manager in or out debate just yet, and whilst I’m against looking back and comparing last season to this, at this point with a squad David Flitcroft had spent the same amount of time with (I ALWAYS discount his first twelve games post Evans as a poisoned chalice for anyone) – from fourteen games, we’d won seven, drawn seven and we’re the sternest defence in the league heading in the right direction. A year on, a new manager, a new(ish) squad and we’re lost in the mist – what’s changed and what needs to change in order to reach the ambitions and targets outlined by the board? We have a fantastic squad; we just need to find that spark AGAIN to play a more attacking brand of football using our flare players to get us going. The most frustrating thing of all is we ALL know it’s there, but there’s just something about us right now which isn’t pretty and simply isn’t working. Macclesfield deserve credit for their attitude and approach to the game, they are a tough side and for the way we are right now, it was a very tough game to get anything out of, which I don’t have a problem with… IF that’s all we are, a mid-table side spending a season consolidating and rebuilding. BUT, we ALL know that’s not the aim and it’s not the target – hence why our disappointment, our frustration grows week in week out when all our performances and approach does is suggests otherwise. Who are we? What are we aiming to achieve? And, are we good enough to achieve it right now? It’s time to start answering some questions and find our way back to civilisation. Quickly Match Recap Captain Krystian Pearce was brought back into the starting XI which saw a change in shape to a 3-5-2, midfielder Neal Bishop missed out as did attacking midfielder Otis Khan forcing the shape change. I’ve absolutely no desire to waste time going over that game again, and to be honest I’m sure you haven’t either. If, however, you’ve stumbled upon this years down the line and want to find out what happened or are genuinely wanting to read a report of the match – may I point you in the general direction of the official club report HERE, thank you kindly. FULL TIME: Macclesfield Town 0-0 Mansfield Town | Attendance 2,055 STAGS: [3-5-2] Conrad Logan | Matt Preston, Krystian Pearce ©, Ryan Sweeney | Kellan Gordon, Willem Tomlinson (Jacob Mellis 63), Alex MacDonald, Conor Shaughnessy, Mal Benning | Nicky Maynard (CJ Hamilton 80), Andy Cook (Danny Rose 75 TAKEN OFF INJURED 83) Unused Subs: Bobby Oljenik, Alistair Smith, Dapo Afolayan, Omari Sterling-James *The views expressed in this article, are solely those of the writer and not those of their associated organisations* Burton Albion 1-2 Mansfield Town (Rose, Sweeney) | Leasing.com EFL Trophy NORTH Group E Game 3 of 3 | Tuesday 12th November 2019 | Pirelli Stadium, Burton  *The views expressed in this article, are solely those of the writer and not those of their associated organisations*
After a frustrating and slow FA Cup tie against Chorley, very few gave Mansfield hope of beating League One Burton Albion to progress to the next stage of this seasons leasing.com Trophy – but doubters were silenced with a professional and determined display, as the Stags squeezed through, finishing as group runners up. Mansfield had gone unbeaten against Crewe and Everton U21s in the groups other games but defeats on penalties had left them needing to win in 90 minutes in order to progress – goals from Danny Rose and Ryan Sweeney put Dempster’s men in the draw, meaning in the next round, they’ll face an away trip to any of the northern group winners, with the exception of Everton, who are in the same group as the Stags. The Stags played good football and after a shaky opening ten minutes, were the better team facing a strong Burton side. I’d certainly say it gives John Dempster some options ahead of Saturday to try and re-invigorate the Stags’ league form against struggling Macclesfield – non more so than down the right hand side with James Clarke having a tremendous game at right back. Clarke, who was brought in during the summer to develop in the Under 21s, has played a handful of games this season and has always looked class – he was excellent all round and I certainly wouldn’t be surprised if he had a chance to play on Saturday, pushing Kellan Gordon into his more natural right wing role, should Dempster revert back to 4-4-2 Alistair Smith had a solid game in the middle of the park too, his ball for Roses’ opener was fantastic, he really needs some game time to develop further and will be an excellent addition in an area where I feel we’re weakest at the minute. The good thing was to see the Stags playing with some fluidity and creativity, defending well putting bodies on the line to keep a firm grip on the game which is something we’ve lacked of late, let’s use this as a spring board and see what the future brings – well done boys Match Recap John Dempster named a strong side needing a win to progress into the next round but did make a multitude of changes, with only Matt Preston, who took the captains armband, Ryan Sweeney and Willem Tomlinson remaining in the starting line-up from Saturday’s FA Cup victory. Click HERE to read the clubs official match report FULL TIME: Burton Albion 1-2 Mansfield Town | Attendance 485 STAGS: [3-5-2] Bobby Oljenik | Matt Preston ©, Conor Shaughnessy, Ryan Sweeney | James Clarke, Alistair Smith, Willem Tomlinson, Jacob Mellis (Dapo Afoyalan 67), CJ Hamilton | Omari Sterling-James (Alex MacDonald 89), Danny Rose (Jordan Graham 61) Unused Subs: Aidan Stone, Andy Cook, Kellan Gordon, Mal Benning Written by | Craig Priest *The views expressed in this article, are solely those of the writer and not those of their associated organisations* Mansfield Town 1-0 Chorley (Nicky Maynard) | FA Cup First Round | Saturday 9th November 2019 | One Call Stadium  *The views expressed in this article, are solely those of the writer and not those of their associated organisations*
I remember as a youngster really loving the FA Cup and its magic, I think the first real time it got under my skin was the season we ended up playing Newcastle in round three. Since we’ve had even more great cup adventures, non-more-so than the season we played Liverpool at home – every cup run had its highs and lows, and despite a 1-0 win over Chorley potentially being the start of another great cup experience, I can’t help but think it’s another chapter in our frustrating story of the 2019/20 campaign. I also used to be fancied by magic tricks, I’ve this memory of my uncle pulling biscuits or money from my ears – but a few years ago, I worked with a “magician” (I use the term lightly) who tried to perform some tricks, but got it badly wrong and basically ruined the elusion – ever since I think I’ve become a cynic and after yesterday’s lacklustre victory, my cynical nature has infected my love for the cup. Before I go on, it’s important to say that ultimately all that matters is the fact the Stags got the job done and progressed to round two – but for me, Mansfield Town looked well below par and far from the team we expect, and in fairness know, is locked deep within that dressing room. Not for a second was I expecting Mansfield to come out and put three or four past Chorley who despite winning just two games all season, are actually a hard team to break down – but what I was expecting was a little more effort, care and desire to go out and win a game of football. There’s being cautious and patient in approach play and then there’s how Mansfield played in the first half basically! Chorley didn’t really make it hard for us, that’s no disrespect to them by the way – they simply didn’t need to, we made it hard for ourselves by being so negative with the ball, you could see certain players asking questions of each other – I actually felt sorry for John Dempster because he could do little about it. Naturally he’ll take the blame for the continued negative home form along with his staff, but the players need to stand up and be counted too – I’m again reading lots of comments about a change in the dugout, but cynical me is starting to wonder if the change needs to be there, or out on the pitch because it’s the players who are struggling to understand the basics of how to effectively play – the same players who had the same issue in the final 4/6 games of last season, when promotion was thrown away. I was sent a screenshot of what Neal Bishop wrote on Facebook after the game about being booed after winning, I agree with him to be fair – a snippet reads “People need to let the disappointment of last season go, we messed up, we didn't get promoted, we're truly sorry, but the negativity and toxic atmosphere that currently surrounds our club, at home games, is not going to turn back time. I would say stop scapegoating people and get behind the boys, because the truth is the lads prefer playing away from home at the minute, and that should never be the case.” I’d say that 95% of the anger and disappointment from supporters comes from being so close to success last season, but that was then and this is now. We have a new manager DEAL WITH IT with a new way of thinking, if anything this is a season which should have been heighted as one of transition and rebuilding, but for one reason or another, expectation and ambition has put Dempster and the squad in a vice of pressure to go one better and claim automatic promotion. I back John Dempster to succeed, I haven’t booed once and whilst I may be frustrated at the below par football being played, will not become a boo boy. Deep down after his appointment, I sort of resigned myself to at least another season in League Two after this one to allow wounds to heal and a changes to really have an impact – I truly hope I’m wrong and it clicks, like it did for Paul Cox in his second season, after January and we achieve promotion. Yesterday was below par from the players, you can’t hide away from that – BUT, it is also yesterday, in the past with no way of changing the outcome – a bit like last season really. We got the goal we needed to squeeze us into round two and now we move onto Burton, which will no doubt see those needing minutes get game time, followed by two away games in the League, let’s go out and win them both and come into December with a more positive heart of hope. The season of goodwill and cheer is around the corner; in more than one way I hope! Let’s act that woeful magician I once met, and show we’ve got plenty of tricks up our sleeves! MATCH RECAP Captain Pearce missed out through injury once again meaning Mal Benning took the armband once again, Conor Shaughnessy missed out – having not been given permission to become cup tied by parent club Leeds United, Willem Tomlinson took his place in the only change – Danny Rose returned to the bench. Click HERE to read the clubs official match report FULL TIME: Mansfield Town 1-0 Chorley STAGS: [4-3-1-2] Conrad Logan | Kellan Gordon, Matt Preston, Ryan Sweeney, Mal Benning © | Alex MacDonald (CJ Hamilton 64), Neal Bishop, Willem Tomlinson (Jacob Mellis 78) |Otis Khan | Nicky Maynard, Andy Cook (Danny Rose 72) Unused Subs: Bobby Oljenik, Alistair Smith, Omari Sterling-James, Jimmy Knowles *The views expressed in this article, are solely those of the writer and not those of their associated organisations* Mansfield Town 2-3 Colchester United (Ryan Sweeney, Omari Sterling-James) | Sky Bet League Two | Saturday 2nd November 2019 | One Call Stadium  *The views expressed in this article, are solely those of the writer and not those of their associated organisations* Another Sunday morning and we’re picking up the pieces after another defeat on home soil, is anyone else getting a little bit sick of watching the visitors celebrate over and over again, after Mansfield Town’s simple errors gift them three points? Colchester are a good side and I completely agree with the post-match comments saying they’ll be up there, but excuse me for looking back for a second, but aren’t we supposed to be up there too? Curious ranting comments aside, yet again we didn’t play too badly and I’ve actually got no complaint in conceding the third goal as naturally we were exposed because we were, rightly, chasing the game rather than sitting back and accepting our fate – at least we had the heart to chase at least a point, proven when Omari netted to make it 3-2, or as some bemoaned – too little too late. I spoke weeks ago that as a collective we needed to find an identity and certainly have done successfully away from home, perhaps we need to be a little bolder and say this is our system on the road, and this (differently) is how we are going to set up when we’re at home, there’s more than one way to win a game of football. Fortunately, we have a break from league action now with Chorley in the FA Cup followed by the traditional run-out for those who need it in the EFL Trophy at Burton, two games for me that we need to be winning to regain a bit of a buzz and zip about us. Chorley is a huge test considering our home form, we have to be ruthless and far tighter than we have been. We are consistently under performing at home, IF we get that right we’ll be ok but there must be a timer ticking away to reach a point where changes need to be considered – no matter what form they come in. I firmly believe in John Dempster to improve our form and start to climb the table, but the squad need to start taking some responsibility again, because home is supposed to be a happy place and right now, it doesn’t quite feel it. match recapBirthday boy Sir Mal Benning took the captains armband in the absence of the injured Pearce, Matt Preston took his place in the line-up in the only change from last weekend’s victory at Walsall.
The Stags had the best chance to open the scoring on four minutes as Andy Cook’s dominant header from Gordon’s cross was expertly saved by Gerken in the visitors’ goal, but four minutes later the Stags were left deflated as an unreal strike from Comley fizzed into the top corner to give Colchester the lead. On the half hour Conrad Logan made a top draw save to keeper out Harriott’s effort, tipping the ball around the post before on 43 minutes it was the Colchester keeper producing the saves, denying Maynard’s powerful effort. It looked like Mansfield would be a goal down at the break, but a good phase of football right before the whistle led to a corner – Ryan Sweeney did the rest, arriving at the back post to turn home his first goal of the season. Mansfield, despite the goal, would soon be feeling the pressure after the restart as just two minutes in, Captain Mal gave a soft spot-kick away to give Nouble the chance to give the visitors the lead – fortunately, Conrad Logan had other ideas and guessed correctly to deny the U’s man with a sublime bit of goalkeeping. The Stags then had their own calls for a penalty turned away as Cook was shoved to ground by Prosser on 57 minutes, six minutes later the Stags were flabbergasted once more as a delightful ball from Maynard picked out Cook at the far post, somehow the visitors denied the inform striker to keep the score 1-1. In a frantic U-turn a minute later Logan was again the hero to keep out Harriott once more, tipping the ball onto the post as Colchester broke free – on 75 minutes Logan could do nothing, as Senior prodded the visitors back into the driving seat. Jacob Mellis returned from a lay-off alongside Hamilton to replace the booked Bishop and lively Khan, in a bid to get the Stags back level – ultimately as Mansfield threw bodies forward Colchester nabbed another on 87 minutes as Gambin made it 3-1. From the restart, substitute Omari Sterling-James made it 3-2 converting Hamilton’s driven cross but it proved too little too late, as the full time whistle followed – another home defeat. FULL TIME: Mansfield Town 2-3 Colchester United | Attendance 4,125 (212) STAGS: [4-3-1-2] Conrad Logan | Kellan Gordon, Matt Preston, Ryan Sweeney, Mal Benning © | Alex MacDonald (Omari Sterling-James 84), Neal Bishop (Jacob Mellis 78), Conor Shaughnessy |Otis Khan (CJ Hamilton 78) | Nicky Maynard, Andy Cook Unused Subs: Bobby Oljenik, Alistair Smith, Willem Tomlinson, Jimmy Knowles Written by | Craig Priest *The views expressed in this article, are solely those of the writer and not those of their associated organisations* Walsall 1-2 Mansfield Town (Andy Cook, Alex MacDonald) | Sky Bet League Two | Saturday 26th October 2019 | Banks’s Stadium  *The views expressed in this article, are solely those of the writer and not those of their associated organisations* One of my favourite quotes is “fall down seven times, stand up eight” – simply meaning that you have the courage to stand up, be counted and succeed more times than you fall. After losing to Salford in the week, the Stags needed to stand up once more against struggling Walsall, in order to not start to struggle themselves. Apart from a scrappy opening ten minutes and a lapse in concentration at the end of the first half, Mansfield looked to have enough grasp on the game and deserved their victory, showing patience in possession and getting bodies into key areas at critical times – exactly what Dempster wanted the foundations to be when he took the reins in the summer. With three months of the season now complete, you have to look at the progression in terms of results, systems and commitment to the cause. Whilst the season has been littered with a discipline issue with far too many suspensions, we’ve seen a transition from a squad capable of only playing one way to a team capable of dropping effectively into three or four systems – something which has been at the heart of our much improved October. I said at the start of the month the objective would be to go through it unbeaten, the disappointing result in midweek sadly meant that couldn’t happen, but we’ve started to gather momentum and that has to be looked at as a positive, when compared to that dreadful September, had we seen a repeat of that we’d be in real trouble. I don’t think we’re out of the woods yet because we’ve stuttered our way through October, but I certainly believe we’re going in the right direction – we need to prove so in November now, with a maximum three out of three wins in the league as we face Colchester, Macclesfield and Swindon. Nobody will care about the leasing.com trophy, Burton away – but that’ll be a tough test against a League One outfit which would give us some confidence, whilst without being arrogant, failure to beat Chorley in the FA Cup first round, would be a tragedy. Onto yesterday briefly, credit must go to Conrad Logan who took a lot of stick for not coming out to claim the ball in the build up to Walsall’s goal – you’ve also got to look at defenders tracking runners there, Logan for me had a really good game and make some critical stops, demonstrating good positioning. Andy Cook took his goal well against his former employees and seems to be showing why he’s rated highly with a good goal scoring record at a number of levels, whilst Otis Khan is looking very sharp indeed, given the freedom to play either in the hole or down the left – its not just about his assists, his all round play needs credit – nibbling at defenders toes, pressing full backs and causing errors, that’s the type of player we need to be able to turn a game in seconds – credit again must go to Dempster for giving Khan the confidence, game time and freedom. Three points is all that matters really, well done boys – let’s go and do it again next week! match recapJohn Dempster named an unchanged side despite defeat in midweek, meaning there was no space in the 18 for Hayden White, whose ban is now over, however he’s still struggling with pain on his leg following the injury last season. Danny Rose missed out through injury whilst creative midfielder Jacob Mellis also missed out, despite being back in training.
Having lost four on the spin, Walsall needed a response – led by Mansfield born Darrell Clarke he showed no mercy towards his home time team with his side pilling on pressure inside the opening ten minutes, fortunately with no end result with the Stags all over the place! Mansfield saw sight of goal on 12 minutes as Maynard forced a save from the keeper as he met ex-Saddler Mal Benning’s cross at the front post, four minutes later Maynard hit again to earn a corner, from which Mansfield couldn’t capitalise. Conrad Logan made a fine stop on 22 minutes as Walsall broke through Mansfield’s back line, eight minutes later that stop proved critical as Andy Cook came back to haunt his old side, heading home a Khan cross after a brilliant bit of play from the Stags’ midfielder who had Walsall chasing shadows. Mal Benning was next to annoy his ex-employers as straight from the restart as he threw himself in the way of Gaffney’s goal-bound effort, at the other end Benning sought another belter to add to his collection but whistled his effort wide – on 40 minutes Cook came close to a second, turning well in the area before firing wide. Conrad Logan made another good stop on 43, but right on the stroke of half time was picking the ball out of the net, as lapse defending allowed substitute Adebayo to head home a free kick from close range. After the break Walsall looked to turn the game on its head as Adebayo hit again, Logan wasn’t going to be beaten though and pulled another fine save out of the bag. The Stags were forced into a change on the hour as Pearce was replaced by Preston after picking up a knock, Sir Mal Benning became captain Mal as Pearce winced off. Eight minutes later Logan made yet another save and Mansfield countered with the new captain leading the charge, he cut the ball back into the midfield – Alex MacDonald did the rest, powering the ball home from six yards. A good finish. Sir Mal nearly added a classic Benning strike to the collection to seal victory, curling a beautiful effort towards the top corner, denied by a finger tip save from the keeper after a short free kick. Afolayan and Hamilton both came on for the last few minutes which saw little action, the full time whistle followed sealing victory for John Dempster’s men. FULL TIME: Walsall 1-2 Mansfield Town | Attendance 4,521 (877) STAGS: [4-3-1-2] Conrad Logan | Kellan Gordon, Krystian Pearce © (Matt Preston 59), Ryan Sweeney, Mal Benning^ | Alex MacDonald, Neal Bishop, Conor Shaughnessy |Otis Khan | Nicky Maynard (CJ Hamilton 88), Andy Cook (Dapo Afolayan 90+1) Unused Subs: Bobby Oljenik, Alistair Smith, Willem Tomlinson, Jimmy Knowles [^Captain after Pearce substitution] Written by | Craig Priest *The views expressed in this article, are solely those of the writer and not those of their associated organisations* |
