MANSFIELD MATTERS:FOR THE FANS, BY THE FANS!
  • Home
  • 2022/23
  • MM Club Shop!
  • PODCAST
    • Series 1 (2017/18)
    • Series 2 (2018/19)
    • Series 3 (2019/20)
    • Series 4 (2020/21)
    • Series 5 (2021/22)
    • Stags Stories >
      • A Trip Down Memory Lane
      • Legends LIVE
  • Back In Time
    • Into The Unknown
    • The Conference Years >
      • Stags 2011-12 (Play-offs)
      • Stags 2012-13 (Champions) >
        • Audio Highlights
        • Reserves & Youth
        • Youth
      • 2011: When Dreams Came True
      • 2012: The Year Of The Stag
    • Stags 2013-14 (Football League Return)
    • Stags 2014-15
    • Stags 2017-18
    • Stags 2018-19
    • Stags 2019-20
    • Stags 2020-21
    • Stags 2021/22

Match Preview: Luton Town (H) BSBP Game #19

17/11/2012

0 Comments

 
Picture
Craig Priest looks ahead to tomorrow’s match with Luton Town...

Usually at this time on a Saturday I sit here at my desk reflecting on the events just to have unfolded, today however it’s different as we await the arrival of Luton Town to the One Call Stadium tomorrow.

Supposedly the holiest day of the week with people heading to church, I guess it’s quite apt that we have a Sunday home encounter – Football is our religion, Mansfield Town is our god and the One Call, well Field Mill to be fair, is out church – time to go and spread the gospel, that Mansfield Town CAN achieve something this season.

Refreshed after Tuesday’s drama at Slough, Paul Cox’s side return home to kick start a busy six days against Luton Town, a team who’s stature like ours suggests they should be playing at a higher level, like our good selves though there hear for a reason. Thing is, Luton come with a stigma: Arrogance – we all know where that get’s you. Expectations are raised every season at Luton, at some point they’ll crumble and the manager will take the fall. Tomorrow, for me at least, is another opportunity for us to show that sticking together is what takes you forward. Paul Buckle is an excellent manager and has had a fairly decent start with the Hatters this term, however with just one win in four, The former Torquay man’s side are beginning to buckle, it’s our job to ensure the shackles come completely loose so we can gain some of the ground we lost through our own poor form earlier on the season.
Picture
I know things haven’t been that great for us lately but I personally feel we are coming into a bit of form now, one loss in eight games isn’t too bad it’s just time to start putting a few more chances away and turn draws, three from the last four games, into wins. This comes from a consistent line up, of our last four games we’ve become settled in the 4-4-1-1 with solid partnerships being formed. Obviously tomorrow we’ll be forced into one change with John Dempster suspended after his sending off in extra time on Tuesday at Slough. 

Now this is for me the most delicate of changes to make as we’ve stopped making costly mistakes with him and Geohaghon as a pair, would we be able to say the same about Exodus and Ryan Tafazolli, Exodus and Luke Jones, Exodus and George Pilkington? I’m not sure. Statistically Geohaghon and Jones are the strongest combination of those options with six points from a possible nine in the three matches they’ve been paired together, Tafazolli comes in second to Jones alongside Ex with four points from a possible nine however with Tafazolli still injured, it’s unlikely that partnership will recommence. Coming in as the worst statistical pairing with Geohaghon is former Luton captain, now supposedly Stags skipper, George Pilkington, from two games with big Ex, the Stags have picked up just a point. In terms of goals against, Jones and Tafazolli are joint strongest with only four being put past the respective pair in the respective games, whilst five have been leaked in the two games Geohaghon has been paired with Pilkington – Jones is the only other player to have kept a clean sheet alongside Ex other than Dempster.

So who should come in, should it be Pilkington due to his relationship to Luton, should it be Jones due to the statistical solidness or should Sutton move to centre half and allow John Thompson to come back in at right back. I’d personally like to see the latter, Thompson’s worked hard and performed well in the reserves and to be fair, was having an excellent run until his injury at Cambridge, get him back in the side along with the captains armband – let him use his experience to enhance our run, and maybe introduce Speight for Wright, although I don’t think Hutchinson and Wright as a partnership has done anything wrong to be split up.

Ever since our FA Trophy show down with the hatters there has been no fear of them unlike in previous seasons, I hope this legacy continues tomorrow and we can grab three points to set up a big week of football with a smile.

LAST TIME WE MET

Picture
Back in January a goalless draw was played out at Kenilworth Road, the Stags first trip back since the dramatic extra time penalty to send us through to Wembley. Then Luton skipper George Pilkington was the hatters hero as he cleared two goal bound efforts to keep things level in front of the TV cameras. Earlier in the season back at the One Call Stadium, Matt Green bagged his first of thirty Stags goals for the season with a sublime curling effort beyond Mark Tyler, Luton’s Will Antwi grabbed an undeserved point for the hatters 12 minutes from time.

We all remember the historic two-legged affair with Luton in the FA Trophy Semi-Final of 2011, may I remind you that the first leg, in which we won 1-0 thanks to Danny Mitchley and the excellence of David Grof, was on a Sunday! It’s an omen right?! A week or so later Luton returned for a league show-down that ended goalless as did the clubs first meeting on Stags soil outside the football league, on March 2nd 2010. Fact is, Luton have NEVER beaten the Stags at Field Mill/ The One Call Stadium in a league match, they do boast a 4-3 League Cup in 1989.

Including the FA Trophy show down there have been 26 meetings between the two, the Stags have 43 goals to Luton’s 44 with nine, technically ten because of aggregate scores, wins to seven.

Who said Luton are better than us, the stats don’t lie – I just hope we can say that tomorrow!

TEAM NEWS

John Dempster, whose donned the captains armband in the last few games, will be absent through suspension whilst Ryan Tafazolli also looks set to miss out with the usual suspects, Dyer, Marriott and the disappeared Tolley.

John Thompson, Luke Jones and former Luton skipper George Pilkington will all battle it out for a start.

MATCH COVERAGE

Mansfield Matters is back on free to air tomorrow, join me for regular updates via our MM-LIVE page from 12noon.

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



Leave a Reply.

    ABOUT MM-BLOG

    If you enjoy the Mansfield Matters Podcast, our Blog page is very similar - just in article form as team members share their views on matches and events! 

    Fancy submitting an article, DM us on Facebook/Twitter to get our attention, or email mtfcmatters@gmail.com (please note, this inbox isn't monitored often so it may take a while to get back to you) 

    Please read the disclaimer on the home page. 

    Categories

    All
    2011 12 Season Review
    2011-12 Season Review
    2013 14 Pre Season
    2013 14 Pre-Season
    2013/14 Season
    2014/15 Pre Season
    2014/15 Pre-Season
    201516 Seson
    2016 17
    2016-17
    2017 18
    2017-18
    2018 19
    2018 19 Pre Season
    2019 20
    2019-20
    2019 20 Pre Season
    2020 21
    2021 22
    2021 22 Pre Season
    Awards
    Capital One Cup
    Checkatrade Trophy
    Craig Priest
    EFL Cup (Carabao)
    EFL Trophy
    EFL Trophy (Leasing.com)
    EFL Trophy [Papa Johns]
    Fa Cup
    Farewell Matt Green
    Featured Bloggers
    Friendly
    Game Review
    Green Energy Challenge Trophy
    History
    Hot Topics
    Into The Unknown
    John Thompson
    Jpt
    Kirsty Swann
    League Cup
    Legends Live
    Manager Review
    Mansfield Matters Weekly
    Mark Plumb
    Match Preview
    Match Preview 2012 13
    Match Preview 2012-13
    Match Preview 2013 14
    Match Preview 2013-14
    Match Preview 2017 18
    Match Report
    Match Report 13 14
    Match Report 13-14
    Match Report 14 15
    Match Report 14-15
    Match Report 17 18
    Match Report 18 19
    Match Report 19 20
    Match Report 2012 13
    Match Report 2012-13
    Match Report 20 21
    Match Report 21 22
    Memory Lane
    Mid Season
    News
    Paul Cox 100
    Player Review
    Play Offs
    Play-Offs
    Play Offs [League Two]
    Podcast
    Pre-season1213
    Pre Season 17/18
    Reserve Team
    Rhys Day Testimonial
    Road Trips
    Season Review 2012 13
    Season Review 2012-13
    Sky Bet League Two
    Stags Stories
    Stags Youth
    Supporter Blog
    The Exhibition XIs
    Twelve Against Time
    Under 21s
    Wembley 2011
    Where Are They Now
    Your Views

    Archives

    January 2022
    December 2021
    November 2021
    October 2021
    September 2021
    August 2021
    July 2021
    May 2021
    April 2021
    March 2021
    February 2021
    January 2021
    December 2020
    November 2020
    October 2020
    September 2020
    August 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    January 2016
    October 2014
    September 2014
    August 2014
    July 2014
    June 2014
    May 2014
    March 2014
    February 2014
    November 2013
    October 2013
    September 2013
    August 2013
    July 2013
    June 2013
    May 2013
    April 2013
    March 2013
    February 2013
    January 2013
    December 2012
    November 2012
    October 2012
    September 2012
    August 2012
    July 2012
    June 2012
    May 2012
    April 2012
    March 2012
    February 2012
    January 2012
    November 2011

Powered by Create your own unique website with customizable templates.
  • Home
  • 2022/23
  • MM Club Shop!
  • PODCAST
    • Series 1 (2017/18)
    • Series 2 (2018/19)
    • Series 3 (2019/20)
    • Series 4 (2020/21)
    • Series 5 (2021/22)
    • Stags Stories >
      • A Trip Down Memory Lane
      • Legends LIVE
  • Back In Time
    • Into The Unknown
    • The Conference Years >
      • Stags 2011-12 (Play-offs)
      • Stags 2012-13 (Champions) >
        • Audio Highlights
        • Reserves & Youth
        • Youth
      • 2011: When Dreams Came True
      • 2012: The Year Of The Stag
    • Stags 2013-14 (Football League Return)
    • Stags 2014-15
    • Stags 2017-18
    • Stags 2018-19
    • Stags 2019-20
    • Stags 2020-21
    • Stags 2021/22