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FA Cup Third Round | Sunday 10th January 2021 – Jonny Rocks Stadium [Behind Closed Doors]  Losing a game is never a nice feeling, however defeat in Extra Time against fellow League Two side Cheltenham doesn’t leave me too disappointed as we exit this seasons FA Cup – so long as Clough and the boys are focussed on our exit strategy – maintaining our brilliant league form and adding to the depth of our ranks.
If the situation yesterday highlighted anything, it’s that Mansfield Town really lack quality in depth and that failure to address that, will see our brilliant form come undone. In particular, the Stags need to strengthen in the middle of the park as with skipper Ollie Clarke out with a knee problem, our usually pressing game wasn’t there and it felt less like having an engine, and more like pushing a car off of the top of hill letting gravity do all the work until further inspection shows the car had nothing under the bonnet. James Perch was also out through illness, unknown at this stage if it’s Covid like Tyrese Sinclair who is currently self-isolation following a positive test, and we missed his [Perch] experience across the pitch and in truth – rode our luck on a number of occasions. Along with long-term absentee Joe Riley, Clough was also without Kellan Gordon & Nicky Maynard (injury) and due to cup tied youngsters, could only name five of a possible nine substitutes. This coupled with Cheltenham not having played for the best part of two weeks and our heavy load of home games, highlighted a tough afternoon, especially with extra time which is why I hope we recover well ahead of Wednesday, another tough game away at Oldham. Cheltenham were fresh and hungry – we had some hunger too and played really well considering, but Cheltenham are a very good team and played to their strengths well, pouncing on an error to equalise in the second half, before that weapon of a long throw ultimately paid off in extra time. We had some good chances and maybe on another day with one or two of the missing players involved, may well have held onto our lead and progressed – but realistically, Mansfield Town are not going to win the FA Cup so thanks for the money earned £113,500 – lets focus on the league now! Nigel Clough hinted that we could see new faces in before Wednesday’s trip to Oldham, plus we could be boosted by the return of Gordon, Maynard and Clarke – possibly Perch too depending on the illness and the inevitable test he’ll have to take, either way – we can’t dwell on the cup loss, we must just focus on extending the buffer between ourselves and Grimsby, currently second bottom. Click HERE to read the clubs official match report. STAGS: Marek Stech | Corey O’Keeffe, Farrend Rawson, Ryan Sweeney ©, Mal Benning (James Clarke 115), | Harry Charsley, George Maris (Aaron O’Driscoll 108), Stephen McLaughlin (Andy Cook 79) | George Lapslie, Jamie Reid, Jordan Bowery Unused Subs: Aidan Stone, Rollin Menayese
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Sky Bet League Two | Tuesday 5th January 2021 – One Call Stadium [Behind Closed Doors]  Back in October, watching Mansfield Town was like living in a nightmare – but as we enter the new year, with our new manager firmly settled in, nightmares have turned to dreams with vastly improved performances and results – the latest a 2-1 win over play-off chasing Salford City at the One Call Stadium last night.
Backed by the riches of the class of 92 boys, Salford expect promotion every season and coming to a side who’d only won once at home prior to last night in the league – would have expected to tale home all three points. Mansfield Town had other ideas. The Stags’ had a game in hand over second bottom Grimsby and really needed to put a bigger buffer between themselves and the Mariners – and after starting the weekends victory over Port Vale with a goal inside a minute, showed the same hunger and desire to put Salford under immense pressure from kick-off. Mansfield’s first half pressing game was nothing short of phenomenal, Salford were stretched, panicked and forced into errors which the Stags thrived upon – I’d love to see or hear the stat on the amount of times our players intercepted possession in the Salford half, and then as a result, how many chances were created. George Lapslie netted a brilliant goal to open the scoring before the inform Jordan Bowery pounced for the second goal – forcing Salford into a change in personnel and shape at the break, which is another testament to the way the Stags set up and played – for once we dictate how the game goes, not the opposition. Salford’s change in shape pushed the Stags back a little but Nigel Clough’s men defended resolutely and kept finding new openings, and in truth were unlucky not to have been comfortably out of sight. Tired legs maybe played a part in the visitors netting a scrappy late goal and making the last two minutes nervy, but ultimately Salford deserved nothing from the game and got just that – the victory lifting the Stags upto the dizzy heights of 15th – nosebleed territory. The form guide makes for very eye opening viewing, had the league started 12 games ago – (11 league games under Clough, one under the caretakership of Richard Cooper) Mansfield would be THIRD! However tempting it is to start dreaming, wishing, hoping etc – focus is needed on one word: FACT. The season did not start 12 games ago, it started 22 games ago and those extra ten games have killed us and put us into a battle at the wrong end of the table. It’s very easy now to start looking up and ahead – but do that too much, you’ll miss that massive pot hole, trip and fall. The single most important thing about victory last night is the fact we’ve put a six point gap between ourselves and the drop zone – huge as several teams around us have games in hand on us, some two – which could make a big difference. Our focus now shifts to the FA Cup, a very winnable game against fellow League Two side Cheltenham Town. Let’s get through, hopefully in normal time, and net ourselves some must needed income, which can then in turn can be drip fed to the transfer budget for Clough to strengthen. The winning feeling is a beautiful one – long may it continue! Click HERE to read the clubs official match report. STAGS: Marek Stech | James Perch, Farrend Rawson, Ryan Sweeney, Mal Benning | Harry Charsley, Ollie Clarke ©, George Maris | George Lapslie, Jamie Reid, Jordan Bowery Unused Subs: Aidan Stone, Corey O’Keeffe, Rollin Menayese, Andy Cook, Aaron O’Driscoll, Stephen McLaughlin, Tyrese Sinclair Sky Bet League Two | Saturday 2nd January 2021 – One Call Stadium [Behind Closed Doors]  When the clock strikes midnight and the bells of big ben chime to signal a new year, for many a subconscious part of the mind takes control and motivates positive changes into your life. Mansfield Towns New Year’s resolution was to start winning at home – and boy did they do that in style.
Port Vale had won once in their previous nine league matches before yesterday’s match but despite their poor form nothing was a given and the Stags needed to start taking control of their own destiny and show teams who visit the One Call Stadium that visiting brought no guarantees. You have to give credit to the Stags’ hunger and desire to start well, taking the lead inside the opening minute as skipper Ollie Clarke grabbed his first goal for the club. From then on, Mansfield controlled the majority of the game and looked very comfortable throughout the first half – going into the break 2-0 up thanks to Jordan Bowery’s well struck effort on 32 minutes. Nigel Clough’s side were playing some very fluid football and the only danger in my mind of losing the game from the second goal onwards, was the weather as snow covered the One Call Stadium pitch during the break. Port Vale going down to ten men disrupted the Stags’ flow a little and they had Marek Stech to thank for keeping out Tom Pope, but that wake up call was all Mansfield needed to press on and ensure victory with Bowery adding two more and sealing his first ever hat-trick. Bowery has particularly impressed under Clough who has instilled confidence into the experienced front man – his all round play has been a massive contributing factor to the Stags form – who had the season started when Clough took charge, would be sixth in the league two table. It’s important to remember that one brick doesn’t build a house and as such yesterday’s victory won’t solve the Stags’ problems – but it’s a huge boost for the boys who, thanks to postponements elsewhere, used the match as their game in hand over a few teams around them – the same will apply again on Tuesday with the re-arranged game with Salford. Fresh faces are still needed and I believe they will be added in due course as a busy January continues to unfold – for now though let’s enjoy the winning feeling and make the resolution to stay focussed, take things game by game and focus on still being a Football League club at the start of the 2021-22 campaign. Click HERE to read the clubs official match report. STAGS: Marek Stech | James Perch, Farrend Rawson, Ryan Sweeney, Mal Benning (Stephen McLaughlin 81) | Harry Charsley (Aaron O’Driscoll 83), Ollie Clarke © (Corey O’Keeffe 83), George Maris | George Lapslie, Jamie Reid (Andy Cook 81), Jordan Bowery (Tyrese Sinclair 83) Unused Subs: Aidan Stone, Rollin Menayese Sky Bet League Two | Saturday 26th December – Sands Venue Stadium [Behind Closed Doors]  Following a substandard performance against the (then) leagues bottom side, the Stags needed to show some more festive fight and spirit on Boxing Day – and whilst it wasn’t pretty, the Stags did what was needed to seal a big win over fellow battlers and the bottom, Scunthorpe United.
We’ve seen far too many times this season the Stags struggle against the teams around them when they really needed to step up – so it was pleasing to see Mansfield return to their more pressing game and play on the front foot, ultimately sealing three much needed points. Victory, after yesterday’s results elsewhere, moves the Stags to four points clear of the drop zone – the important thing now is to press on and continue bridging that gap with 23rd place Southend in form and with a game in hand. We can’t allow ourselves to worry about other results, we can only control our own after-all – we must now take the confidence boost, continue to improve and try desperately to break our horrendous home form, starting with the tough test of Salford in midweek. I felt the boys put in a much improved display, however I still feel we need to freshen things up – I’d like to see us pair James Perch with Ryan Sweeney at the back at the expense of Rawson, although he put in a much better performance yesterday. We also need to alter things up top, Jamie Reid has got the quality but needs time to unlock it, time we don’t particularly have – I’d like to see Andy Cook up there with Bowery, yes they’re too similar players but with the likes of Lapslie and Charsley pushing on from midfield we’ll be OK for a few weeks until the window opens and we can bring in a new front man. 3-2 suggests a tighter game than it was, we were sloppy in some areas and on any other day may well have kept a clean sheet. For me at this stage, performance comes second to the result – points are what we need right now. Click HERE to read the clubs official match report. STAGS: Marek Stech | Kellan Gordon, Farrend Rawson, Ryan Sweeney, Mal Benning | Harry Charsley, Ollie Clarke ©, George Maris | George Lapslie, Jamie Reid (Andy Cook 80), Jordan Bowery Unused Subs: Aidan Stone, James Perch, Stephen McLaughlin, Corey O’Keeffe, Tyrese Sinclair, Rollin Menayese Sky Bet League Two | Saturday 19th December – One Call Stadium [Behind Closed Doors]  We all remember that very first Christmas when we were sat down by our parents or grandparents and told the real story about Santa and Christmas – and we remember that feeling of the magic draining away, waking up on Christmas Day feeling completely numb and underwhelmed.
Watching Mansfield over the last three games has left me with the same feeling this Christmas, with yesterday’s 1-1 draw with bottom side Southend the latest feeling of bah bloody humbug. Nigel Clough pulled no punches in his post-match interview, highlighting it was the poorest display the team had shown during his tenure and that a repeat performance of the first half – would not be accepted. The first half was so far off the pace and completely stripped of every value and promise we’ve worked towards since Coughlan was rightfully dismissed and we were punished. The second half we showed a little more of what we are about and thankfully levelled through Jordan Bowery’s powerful strike – but in truth it’s another game we’ve completely failed to put distance between ourselves, and the hungry chasing pack. The last three, no four, games we’ve gone backwards. Crawley, we’re in complete control but switch off and make it ridiculously hard for ourselves and in the end a point is a good one – but it should have been three. Grimsby, again poor, not being ruthless enough and if it’s not for a penalty we take nothing from the game and the gap opens. Carlisle is expected but on balance shouldn’t have happened, one moment of quality has undone us and despite good play in midfield, we’re so weak and ineffective in the final third it’s a very easy night for the hosts. And then yesterday against Southend – the bottom side, regardless of form, should not be coming to our place and dictating the first 45 minutes of play. I’ve said it a number of times – we need to go back to the diamond in midfield and play to our strengths which is through the middle with support from the wing, not the other way around – with James Perch the lynch-pin at the back, we’ve really missed his experience and composure. Scunthorpe on Boxing Day – for me a point isn’t enough, we need to show some fight and desire, setting ourselves up for a far better 2021. Click HERE to read the clubs official match report. STAGS: Marek Stech | Kellan Gordon (Corey O’Keeffe 90), Farrend Rawson, Ryan Sweeney, Mal Benning | Harry Charsley, Ollie Clarke ©, George Maris (Andy Cook 45) | George Lapslie, Jamie Reid (Stephen McLaughlin 53), Jordan Bowery Unused Subs: Aidan Stone, James Perch, Tyrese Sinclair, Rollin Menayese Sky Bet League Two | Tuesday 15th December – Brunton Park  Taking on a side in good form on their own patch was always going to be a difficult ask – however as the Stags’ team made the long journey home last night there was a lot of time for reflection following another night where things could, and should, have been very different.
Going into the match, both sides had only recorded five defeats in the league – but one was riding high in the top three and had the capability to take chances and be ruthless, the other was Mansfield Town. At Grimsby on Saturday the Stags really struggled to get good quality crosses into the box to cause any danger – it was the same story last night, we had enough creativity in midfield and going forward to create opportunities, but it’s like there’s some kind of shield stopping us from being dangerous in the final third – and it’s really costing us. I’m a big fan of trying to let partnerships develop and have some form of stability, but when things are flat you really need to inject some life and energy to get things going again – and with a HUGE game on Saturday, it’s very much needed. Personally I’d be looking at going back to the 4-4-2 Diamond rather than 4-3-3 and get Lapslie at the top of the diamond again, he hit real form when he played their a few games ago and as a result, brought the best out of Jordan Bowery, who in the 4-3-3 has drifted over to the left hand side and has been ineffective. If James Perch is available, he’d be straight in for Rawson to partner Ryan Sweeney and strengthen us at the back, whilst I’d be potentially looking to bring in O’Keeffe down the right hand side to try and solve the problem of poor crosses into the box. Back to last night briefly, I felt we had some good spells on the ball against a physical side and on any other night may have taken a point – but Carlisle are in the top three for a reason, they’re clinical and created numerous openings and took them. The down side to last night was Southend winning, whilst they can’t catch us on Saturday – should they beat us, they’ll move to within one point of us, whereas two games or so ago they were out of sight – we’ve missed the opportunity to put distance between us and failure to win Saturday puts is back into real danger. Three more games until the transfer window reopens where I’m very sure we’ll strengthen almost immediately, Southend, Scunthorpe and Salford – this may be ambitious, but I think we need at least six points from those nine, if not seven to start another unbeaten run. We certainly must beat both Southend and Scunthorpe. We’re better than what we’ve been over the last two games – time to prove it. Click HERE to read the clubs official match report. STAGS: Marek Stech | Kellan Gordon, Farrend Rawson, Ryan Sweeney, Mal Benning | Harry Charsley, Ollie Clarke ©, George Maris (Andy Cook 68) | George Lapslie, Jamie Reid (Tyrese Sinclair 79), Jordan Bowery Unused Subs: Aidan Stone, Aaron O’Driscoll. Stephen McLaughlin, Rollin Menayese, Corey O’Keeffe Sky Bet League Two | Saturday 12th December – Blundell Park [Behind Closed Doors]  Mansfield Town are in a long distance race and so far have lacked the pace to be on the medals table, finding themselves instead in a battle to stay in the race at all. When that happens, you can’t afford to lose the pace with those around you also trying to pull away – so with that, perhaps a point against fellow stragglers Grimsby, is a good point.
Nigel Clough is right when he says if you’re not at the races, just make sure you don’t lose – but I can’t help but feel, for want of a better word – Grim, this Sunday morning as with the exception of bottom side Southend, all those sides around us lost and in truth, we’ve wasted a big opportunity to pull away ourselves. Missed opportunities though is the story of the afternoon, we’ve done really well to break down Grimsby in the second half as they flooded the midfield, but after you’ve done that you have to be way more effective than we were in the final third. It’s like our build up play in the middle was all the promise of a trip to the seaside of a beautifully day, the sound of laughter and busy prize arcades fills the air. You can feel the warm sea wash the sand through your toes as you take a paddle. You can taste the chips, the doughnuts, the ice cream. And then you get to the final third, open your eyes and where do you end up? Yup, bloody Grimsby! We missed so many opportunities to really hurt Grimsby and couldn’t find our groove – it’s been the same story against the sides around us which is a cause for concern, with two of the next three against said sides – two games where we can’t afford to miss opportunities and rely on others. Carlisle are in good form and will prove to be tough opposition on Tuesday night, so again we can’t afford to look back at the Grimsby game. I could sit here and write about errors and mistakes, but for now I think it’s best left for the tide to wash away. Let’s take a breath, let’s dig our heels in and go again on Tuesday. Click HERE to read the clubs official match report. STAGS: Marek Stech | Kellan Gordon, Farrend Rawson, Ryan Sweeney, Mal Benning | Harry Charsley, Ollie Clarke ©, George Maris (Stephen McLaughlin 61) | George Lapslie, Jamie Reid (Andy Cook 68), Jordan Bowery (Nicky Maynard 68) Unused Subs: Aidan Stone, Tyrese Sinclair, Rollin Menayese, Corey O’Keeffe Sky Bet League Two | Saturday 5th December – One Call Stadium [Behind Closed Doors]  Football often throws up some strange games, yesterday was no exception as Stags fans went through every emotion going from their sofas – from one-nil up in complete control, to three-one down and looking well-beaten, to a last minute equaliser from the bench. Football is a beautiful game, stressful – but beautiful.
As much as you want to dwell on the negative of conceding three goals in the space of 15 minutes at the start of the second half – the main thing to take away from the game was the Stags never give up attitude and the way they rallied themselves to take a vital point away from the match. Again it’s clear that Mansfield really need to be more clinical when the chances come around, but to slightly defend the Stags’ fire power – at half-time you had to give immense credit to the Crawley keeper who produced a string of good blocks to keep the score at just 1-0. Week by week under Nigel Clough we’re getting much better on the ball and are playing some top quality stuff for more prolonged periods of the game, we’re creating chances now and getting more and more shots off – does it really matter that the strikers aren’t getting the goals, so long as they’re coming from somewhere! For now, no. Our form is improving and we’re settling into an adaptable system which everyone is comfortable with. We’re being more expressive and whilst we have to be careful to being caught on the counter, like we were twice yesterday, we’re proving a lot tougher to play against and control – and with some big games coming up which can shape our season, that change in mentality and belief within the squad has come just at the right time. After a busy few weeks we’ve now got a week on the training ground to work on preventing the counters, before another busy period on the road – let’s not look back, not dwell on the negatives and instead, start to enjoy the festivities, knowing we’ve always got Christmas Cookie to make things better! Click HERE to read the clubs official match report. STAGS: Marek Stech | Kellan Gordon, Farrend Rawson, Ryan Sweeney, Mal Benning | Harry Charsley, Ollie Clarke ©, George Maris (Andy Cook 90) | George Lapslie, Jamie Reid (Nicky Maynard 83), Jordan Bowery Unused Subs: Aidan Stone, Tyrese Sinclair, Aaron O’Driscoll, Rollin Menayese, Corey O’Keeffe Sky Bet League Two | Wednesday 2nd December – Abbey Stadium Attendance: 1,917 (Home supporters only)  Following Sunday’s Dramatic scenes at the One Call Stadium – we thought the script writers were done, as Nigel Clough’s side went to Cambridge, a side unbeaten at home in the league all season ready to welcome back up to two-thousand fans to cheer them onto a nailed on victory. How wrong we were!
Jamie Reid netted his first league goal for the Stags to cap off a brilliant display up front alongside the also excellent Jordan Bowery – but whilst Reid’s strike proved the difference at one end, at the other Stags’ shot stopper Marek Stech deserves a heap of credit for a brilliant display between the sticks. It was a very open game played at a good pace and both sides enjoyed chances, Mansfield with a little more luck, confidence and sharpness could have scored three or four – whilst the hosts, second top scorers in the division, could have also netted the same had it not been for Stech and a committed defensive display. Nigel Clough said post match that many will see the two sides’ league positions, look at the score line and say “smash and grab” but it really wasn’t – it was for me, a real insight of how effective and expressive we could be, as Clough went 4-3-3 and took the game to Cambridge. Yes, we had lulls in the game and it took some players a while to get going, but as the game progressed we really grew into it and suited the system – with Maris in particular, back at his old club, really effective in helping to drive us forward and bring in Bowery and Reid, whose partnership looked sharp and dangerous. Having played Sunday and with the game pushed back 24 hours, results on Tuesday night had dropped us into the relegation zone – and whilst it’s too early to panic, it’s imperative to keep the pace and let momentum carry you, the rest will sort itself out. Another positive is collecting our fourth consecutive away win in all competitions, it’s so important now to carry that into Saturday’s home match with Crawley and keep that bounce going. COME ON YOU STAGS! Click HERE to read the clubs official match report. STAGS: Marek Stech | Kellan Gordon, Rollin Menayese, Ryan Sweeney, Mal Benning | Harry Charsley (Andy Cook 90+3), Ollie Clarke ©, George Maris (Corey O’Keeffe 89) | George Lapslie, Jamie Reid (Nicky Maynard 82), Jordan Bowery Unused Subs: Aidan Stone, Tyrese Sinclair, Aaron O’Driscoll, Farrend Rawson FA Cup, Second Round | The One Call Stadium – Sunday 29th November 2020  “Did that actually happen?” – That’s the question I kept asking myself after two minutes of pure BAFTA worthy drama unfolded at the One Call Stadium, as deep into extra time – Mansfield Town edged past Dagenham & Redbridge, to book a place in the third round of the FA Cup.
Nicky Maynard’s goal was dramatic enough, but the build-up too it made it a moment of pure magic. With the game heading to a penalty shootout, not Mansfield’s favoured method of winning having not won one since 2012/13 – Nigel Clough opted to swap keepers, as Aidan Stone was seen warming up in the stands. For a few minutes we all thought it was mind games, but no, as the ball went out for a throw – Stech raced off to be replaced by the young shot stopper. Fair enough, Nigel Clough did admit that Stone was the better penalty specialist during practise – Stone though, had other ideas. He got his first touch as Benning restarted play with a throw in to the shot stopper – a long ball forward was flicked on by Bowery, but headed away. Ollie Clarke won the second ball, fed Reid who in turn played in a lovely reverse to the advancing Bowery – his shot deflected away and somehow, Maynard tucked it home! Absolute scenes in my living room – mainly laughter! Away from the madness though, credit must go to Dagenham for defending sternly to take the game to extra time, but also to how Mansfield have changed their resolve – we didn’t crumble, we didn’t give up, we played some good stuff and when it mattered, found the goal. We all know that we need some more fire power in the January window, it’s been obvious for a while – but taking the positive out of it, again we played some very good football and created some good opportunities, on another day, Dagenham get spanked there. Playing 120 minutes will have been far from ideal, especially as we head to third placed Cambridge on Wednesday, reverted to a 7.45pm kick-off with the return of home fans – but let’s use the win as momentum, the togetherness as momentum and see if we can repeat what actually, has been a pretty good month. Round three awaits, but first we focus on the league – safe in the knowledge that if we’re drawing in the 90th minute, we can bring on Aidan Stone! Click HERE to read the clubs official match report. STAGS: Marek Stech (Aidan Stone 120+1) | Kellan Gordon, Farrend Rawson, Ryan Sweeney, Mal Benning | Harry Charsley (Nicky Maynard 115), George Lapslie, Ollie Clarke ©, Stephen McLaughlin (George Maris 57) | Andy Cook (Jamie Reid 76), Jordan Bowery Unused Subs: Tyrese Sinclair, Aaron O’Driscoll, Corey O’Keeffe |
