CTA #1 Stags Vs Bath

Blue Square Bet Premier Game #1 Mansfield Town Vs Bath City, Field Mill – Saturday 13^th August 2011

‘The First Page’

After 9 pre-season games, 8 involving the 1^st team and one involving a team of trialists, I’ve become used to the match day morning feeling, however waking up yesterday morning the match day morning feeling of excitement, wonder and hope was a million times stronger, infact it was like being 7 years old on Christmas morning. Yes, pre-season games provide some form of excitement as you know you’re not stuck at home watching repeats of Murder She Wrote, but they don’t have the same buzz as a proper competitive fixture, one involving points and of course, that often secret thrill of Chasing a dream.

Regardless of what type of fortunes your team endured during the last campaign, the expectations when you jump out of bed and skip towards the kitchen for a cup of tea are always high. Your team may have conceded the most goals away from home for the past 3 seasons running, your striker may have only bagged 6 goals in 35 appearances and your left back may have been beaten by every winger on the planet last season, but there is just something about opening day, which makes you believe you’re going to go from whipping boys to run away league leaders. That’s the beauty of opening day, every fan up and down the country has the same dream – this year, is going to be there year, in a way it’s sad that 3PM has to come along and ruin things!

Obviously in the last few seasons I’ve moved on from fan to journalist and by doing so, my routines prior to the games have changed. There was a moment yesterday in the press box after setting up the equipment, were I stood up and took a look around. I saw 2 people walk over in the distance from the bridge and over the retail park towards the ground – this reminded me of my first visit to Field Mill. I remember all the feelings of excitement that rushed through my body as I saw Field Mill appear in the distance, I wondered what football I would see, would I be cheering or sulking? Who would I meet and most importantly (& ironically with the situation I’m in with the stations future at the moment) would I ever return? I remember, as a young boy of around 11/12 turning the corner of the North Stand and heading towards the club shop, the turnstiles were already open and with each click as another body entered the ground, the excitement grew. I remember buying a programme and smelling the fresh print of each page. I remember my first walk into the ground itself, walking up and down the stand searching for a suitable seat, I remember running around with the other kids, trying to get a header of Sammy The Stag – shyly asking the players for their autograph. I smiled as I returned to the present day, watching on as several others made that same walk towards field mill, possibly for the very first time. I know there are plenty of other games that this will be done – but nothing quite beats that opening game, nothing beats being there when everything is brand new and sparkling. The opening day experience is bigger than Christmas day, is a feeling and a moment which is in a league of its own – simply because, next week when the routines are repeated the dreams and hopes may have changed from lifting the title on the final day to staying up! The opening day is a level playing field, pretty much like a first kiss – enjoy it whilst it lasts and then hope to god things work in your favour, in my experience so far – they very rarely do!

As if the buzz and excitement from the first day wasn’t enough, Paul Cox threw some petrol onto the excitement fire by offering Louis Briscoe a contract extension. It was revealed on the clubs website prior to kick off that Louis had accepted the deal and will now remain at the club until 2013.

Of course a new season brings lots of ‘New’ stuff, new kits, new players, new prices, new pitches, new look match day programmes and this season – a new look team sheet. On it, 6 new names in the starting 11 and 5 new names listed under substitutes. John Worthington, Martin Riley, Matt Green, Luke O’Neill, Matt Bell and Andy Todd were the 6 making their official debut in a 4-4-2 system yesterday afternoon.

Alan Marriott

Luke O’Neill – Tom Naylor – Martin Riley – Matt Bell

Louis Briscoe – Adam Murray (C) – Jon Worthington – Andy Todd

                                    Matt Green – Paul Connor

BENCH: Shane Redmond – Lee Stevenson – Nick Wood (Signed a 1 month deal following his trial) – Lindon Meikle – Ross Dyer.

Due to many fans taking up the Wembley £2 ticket offer, kick off was delayed by 10minutes to allow fans time to get into the ground, usually Mansfield don’t deal well with big crowds, I remember the ‘Pay What You Want’ deal against Gateshead a few seasons back – all the excitement and all the buzz, gone as soon as the referee blew his whistle, Mansfield lost 2-0.

When the season did finally get underway, the new look Mansfield took firm control and grabbed their first goal of the BSBP campaign, Matt Bells left sided throw in was return to him by debutant loanee Matt Green, Bells pinpoint cross found Paul Connor who leapt highest and headed down into the bottom corner past Glyn Garner – sprinting off to celebrate to an eruption of noise from the home faithful.

Stags 1-0 Bath

Being in front first on opening day always gives you that extra bit of confidence, sooner rather than later your brought back down to earth with a bump, however yesterday all the early signs suggested Mansfield’s confidence would keep growing as the new look stags seemed to dominate the early stages.

A minute after taking the lead, Mansfield should have had a second, Louis Briscoe’s chip forward saw Matt Green latch onto the through ball, His shot was deflected behind for a corner; Martin Riley headed Matt Bells strong in swinger just wide.

The game progressed and as the ten minute mark Mansfield found themselves through again, leading scorer Paul Connor slipped partner Green through on Goal, the hit mans powerful shot was well saved by Garner.

At the other end, Bath created little chances but did manage to give Mansfield a scare or two, Sekani Simpson’s ball over the top should of been easy to deal with, however a slip from Luke O’Neill saw Lee Phillips latch onto the ball inside the box, Phillips thankfully dragged his shot well wide of the target. 8 minutes later a deep free kick from the visitors was headed goal wards by Gethin Jones, the resulting corner was wasted however and Mansfield rebuilt.

How Mansfield didn’t double their tally with 22 gone is a mystery even the Scooby Doo team would fail to solve, Matt Greens powerful running earning Mansfield another corner which was the catalyst to the great stag no goal mystery. Matt Bell delivered a strong ball left footed; Martin Riley’s powerfully struck the post, rebounding back far enough for Tom Naylor’s boot was the one to connect amongst 6 others, his shot thundering against the bar – the ball stayed in play and Paul Connor chipped back into the box, Tom Naylor again the recipient thundering a seemingly unstoppable header towards goal, Glyn Garner sprung from nowhere to tip over for another corner, a truly wonderful save.

The game got a little heated just past the half hour mark, Mark Preece getting a booking on his return to Field Mill as his studs appeared high on former team mate, skipper Adam Murray. Matt Bells ball in from the resulting free kick floated harmless away, the first one of the game not to cause Bath any problems, I know we’ve been a little critical of Bells defensive abilities during pre-season, however his left foot is one of the strongest at the club.

With Mansfield seemingly dominating the first half play, it came as a bit of a surprise when Bath levelled on 34, Paul Stonehouse’s right footed pass inside found Adam Connolly on the edge of the box, stags failed to close down and Connolly struck, the ball took a deflection on the way through, wrong footing Marriott and nestling in the back of the net to level the game and bring the confident smiling faces to a more familiar, frown of ‘Oh god, here we go again’

Stags 1-1 Bath

The goal came as a blow to both the players and the enthusiastic crowd, flashes of what could be followed until the half time break, but ultimately neither side could make a change to the score line and so the teams headed into the dressing rooms as they’d started the game – Level.

Half Time: Stags 1-1 Bath

Mansfield seemed to dominate the first half and keep Bath off the ball for long periods, any hope of doing so in the second half was snuffed out virtually from the first whistle, the visitors sticking every man behind the ball and slowly passing it round, forcing a frustrated Matt Green into silly challenges, eventually picking up a booking.

Mansfield did have opportunities to regain the lead though, ten minutes into the second half Paul Connor found himself free after a mistake by Garner, perhaps taking one touch too many whilst bearing down on goal, with Bath skipper Gethin Jones sliding in well to prevent the danger. Connor was lively once again four minutes later, Luke O’Neill threaded a pass into the box, the stags hit man pulled the trigger and his shot was blocked by Mark Preece, whose intervention was spotted by everyone but the officials as a goal kick was awarded.

At the other end, Bath had their chances too, Alex Russell causing problems chipping a ball into the area for Phillips, his header straight into the hands of Alan Marriott.

The game needed some sparkle and something fresh, with 69 minutes gone Ross Dyer made his debut replacing goal scorer Paul Connor upfront, the former Forest Green Rovers man grabbed a brace at Chasetown last weekend and made an instant impact, first Dyer latched onto Greens pass wide right, cutting into the area and forcing Stonehouse into conceding a corner. 2 minutes later, Dyer rounded the keeper following Adam Murrays pass, Dyer shot and would have opened his account for the season had it not been for Mark Preeces goal line clearance.

Lindon Meikle made his debut shortly after Dyer’s introduction, replacing Matt Green upfront with many miffed as to why Green, who’d looked lively throughout, was replaced rather than Andy Todd who was flagging out on the left wing.

Mansfield continued to push late and Dyer was again at the heart of the action with 5 minutes to go, Chesting down Marriott’s long kick perfectly for Adam Murray who side footed his shot over the top of the bar under pressure on the edge of the box. Straight from the goal kick, Bath had a chance themselves, substitute Scott Murray crossed in for Lee Phillips, thwarted again by Marriott who easy caught the Bath front mans header.

Mansfield pushed until the very end, Naylor heading over a Bell corner before strong running by Briscoe earned the stags another corner deep into injury time, Bells delivery again causing trouble, landing at the far post for anyone to have a go, Bath clearing up as Mansfield complained to the referee about persistent shirt pulling.

Neither side could grab a late winner and eventually had to settle for a point as the referee called an end to a thrilling, then boring, then averagely ok game.

Full Time: Stags 1-1 Bath.

Attendance: 3,997 (80 Away) / League Position 13^th  

On reflection, I feel that had we not achieved those 5 consecutive victories at the back end of pre-season or scored at least 3 in each of those games, we’d have been happy yesterdays result and performance. We have to forget pre-season now and focus on the long road ahead of us. I’m disappointed we didn’t win, it’s always nice to win on opening day but at the same time, I’m not gutted and I’m certainly not crushing the dream. Our last 2 seasons we’ve won our opening games on home turf and it’s been downhill from there as we’ve got over confident and shot ourselves in the foot. Let’s take this season steadily and keep our heads, the foundations are still setting and we’ve players to come back from injuries and suspensions who will strengthen our weaker areas.

We’re off, not necessarily running, but we are moving – hopefully in the right direction. Next up, two long away trips, first Gateshead on Tuesday night then Braintree next Saturday, if you can’t get be sure to join me on Takeover Radio 106.9FM for full match commentary on both. Join me from 7.30PM Tuesday night for the Gateshead game; see the link on the right hand side to listen online and be sure to interact with us by visit our facebook and twitter. www.facebook.com/mtfcmatters or www.twitter.com/mtfcmatters

Thanks for reading, see you soon.

Photo Credits: Dan Westwell & James Williamson

Podcast: Mansfield Matters #1  

To Chase A Floodlit Dream

Dreams – funny things, made from a mixture of something you love with a massive dose of expectation and a little dash of hope. I remember just over three months ago sitting at this very desk, quickly penning a blog titled ‘Flashing White Lines’ for one of my 5 ‘Countdown To Wembley’ shows on Takeover Radio. Flashing White Lines looked back at a few of the darker times supporting the stags, including our very first game in the football conference – an away trip to then FA Trophy Holders Ebbsfleet United.

I worked my way from one dark moment to the next, eventually turning a corner and finding myself at the bottom of Wembley Way – Saturday 7^th May 2011. I painted pictures of Mansfield fans singing, dancing and once again crying – this time tears of joy as a tired and depleted Mansfield battle and bring home the trophy. I told readers to be proud, to enjoy every moment and forget every dark moment of our past, as I was sure our moment of glory would come true on that Saturday afternoon. As it happened, it turned out to be another dark moment on the pitch, Chris Seniors late strike once again shattered our hearts into a million pieces, we had to watch on as Darlington’s players danced in celebration with their fans – as a broadcaster, I had the toughest job of all – watching on as Darlington lifted the trophy aloft, lifting the trophy which I’d given a little air kiss the previous Wednesday on press day. I watched on mumbling words I can’t remember, feeling rejected as another dream faded away.   

You’d have thought I’d have learnt my lesson about painting pictures of dreams into both my head and yours – so why the hell am I sat at the same desk, just over 3 months after seeing dreaming sometimes gets you nowhere, using this blog as the blank canvas and my words as paint to yet another dream?

The reason is simple, Mansfield Town Football Club is part of me, it has been since the very first time I visited Field Mill back in 2002, it will be with me until the very ends – no matter what people say about me (don’t ask – I won’t rant!).

On Saturday afternoon, back on our home turf – the first whistle will sound and signal the beginning of yet another season, I understand that there’s only so much heartbreak and darkness a person can take and I also know it would be easy to quit now before we perhaps see the latest set of dreams about promotion back to the promise land smashed into oblivion. The thing is I honestly don’t think we will, this time around the dream mixture has that missing ingredient – true belief.  

I write now not as a supporter but as a sports journalist & broadcaster. I do so, as not to let my loyalties and bias sway what I’m about to type. I’ve been privileged enough to meet with & chat honestly to Paul Cox, the man who is tasked with making the latest dream become a reality. I’ve interviewed him in different scenarios and studied the way he seems to go about his business and I get the feeling that this year actually will be OUR year. The reason is not because of the signings he’s made or the fact his side have achieved 5 consecutive wins to end preseason, scoring 18 goals in the 8 games the first team have participated in. The reason is the same reason we keeping coming back week in week out – love. Paul Cox strikes me as a man who loves football and loves every aspect of his job, the thrill of the chase and the thrill each game brings is too much of a lure to ignore. I get the impression that this job is not about picking up a pay check each week, doing just enough to keep things ticking over and keep the pay checks rolling – this job is a new task and one which achievement for ALL involved is the ultimate aim.

Many would say managers are often in it for self glory, I don’t think Paul Cox suits that tag. I’ve heard stories about when Paul was manager of Eastwood Town. His players had just achieved another success, whilst the players danced and celebrated with fans, Paul stood away from it reflecting quietly at the other end of the pitch. At a recent press meeting, Paul confirmed this story to be true, saying something along the lines of ‘it wasn’t my victory – it was there moment’ I got the feeling that his victory & his moment was hidden somewhere deep within – his victory & his moment was one of pride in his team, his adopted family – quite like a parent when their baby says its first word, completes his or her first day at school – you get the picture. Paul also said he doesn’t really keep a scrap book of the things both he and his Eastwood side have achieved – he didn’t really give a reason why, but I imagine it’s because the headlines wouldn’t have told the story from within.

I was trying to think of an analogy to best describe Paul Cox during that press conference, it hit me by what I had in my hand – a notebook, or to work better, a piece of paper. This piece of paper is the luckiest in the world, just by touching it you will achieve everything to you desire. Paul Cox is handed this piece of paper and as he touches the paper, he is not drowned with money, fast cars, big houses and fit women. Upon the Mansfield managers touch, the stands around the press meeting room suddenly fills with every single Mansfield Town fan, the paper separates and a tiny piece nestles into the hands of those fans and in turn the players appear on the pitch to a loud rendition of ‘We are the champions’ followed by a humongous cheer of ‘YEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEESSSSSSSSSSSSS’ as Adam Murray holds the league trophy aloft, he kisses it as Louis Briscoe, Lee Stevenson & several others dance around him with a flag reading ‘BSBP Champions 2011-12’. I look back into the press room to the present day and see Paul Cox smile with a little piece of that paper fluttering in his hand – he lets it go and it settles in the centre circle of the Field Mill pitch, intertwining with every inch of the ground (bar the away end) making sure every stags fans hopes & dreams will come true forever. In short, Paul Cox’s glory comes not to himself, but in providing everyone with what they want – satisfaction of a job well done (like that time at Eastwood) is sometimes the greatest achievement of all.

A magical piece of paper isn’t going to get us the glory, but I hope you see my point that Paul Cox is the type of manager who has seen the unity of dreams and expectations and will make it his priority to make a floodlit dream, a daylight reality.

It’s not going to be a doddle, Paul understands that, he also knows that we won’t be top from start to finish, each game is a different battle whilst the entire season is a war – sometimes you have to lose a few battles to win the war. Paul has accepted they’ll be some afternoons & Tuesday evenings were things don’t go quite to plan and we end up losing a game, he accepts we’ll have to go away from home and ‘shut up shop’ but most importantly he knows how to turn these frustrating times on their head – not by bringing in a new player every day, but by physiologically testing and reading his team. If the occasion calls for it, he will subconsciously play games with his own players to help them get the best out of them, if the gaffer thinks a certain players had a bad game, he will either tell them straight or purposely not praise them, depending on the time of characteristics that player has. It works; I’ve seen it work during pre-season.

Without writing an essay and sending you to sleep, I look to draw this blog to a close by telling you, now as a fan AND a journalist, from the bottom of my heart I actually believe the strong foundations needed to achieve success are firmly in place. Yes, it may take a little while for them to set and for the train to pick up steam, but it will come.

Saturday 13^th August 2011 3PM – the referee blows the whistle to signal the start of the game, the start of the latest chapter. We love the thrill; we feed off the buzz each match day brings. They’ll be tears, they’ll be tantrums, they’ll be ups, and they’ll be downs but in the end, Saturday 28^th April 2012 5PM – Mansfield Town FC will be back in the football league.

I end now by revealing with you a passage someone once wrote at 4.07AM on Saturday 7^th May 2011. This person wrote because that afternoon, they were about to achieve a dream they never thought possible, because they knew that, THAT DAY would be magically, no matter the outcome, they wrote because they knew someday the words needed to be shared – today, ahead of this new season I feel that this persons words, need to be shared.

“I can see clear as day, yet I’m surrounded and trapped by the eternal darkness of our past. I need to break free from this negative trap and become blind to the darkness. I do so by embracing the glowing light of yet another floodlit dream. Standing in the light, I hope that one day I’ll know what is like to truly love someone or something. I hope to also feel the glory that the love will bring; I hope to find my happy ending. There is a song which says ‘No Hope, No Love, No Glory, No Happy Ending’ I understand now that hope is the key to all, without it, there is no chain reaction – so maybe, I should hope, one last time for this floodlit dream to become true.”

I won’t say who wrote it as that’s not important, what is important is to understand the moral of that – forget all that’s past us by during our time as Stags’ fans – lets be strong together and cheer the class of 2011-12 back into the football league.

THIS IS OUR YEAR!

Thanks for reading.

Pre-Season Friendly: Chasetown Vs Mansfield.

‘The Writer’

Quite a few of you will know that my hobbies will revolve around football & working in the media, only some will know that I have a passion for writing works of fiction. I read recently that most writers start their creation by writing the final scene first, therefore giving them an idea of how thing ends, but leaving the door open and getting a thrill from exploring how the characters reach that final scene.

As I looked at twitter and saw all the football league fans drooling over the opening day dreams yesterday morning, my ending scene suddenly changed from dancing on the Kidderminster terraces, Saturday 28^th April 2012 to 5PM last night. The full time Whistle on a beautiful day at Chasetown’s Scholars ground, being the closing scene in what has been a rollercoaster pre-season campaign.

Some of you may question why I chose to switch promotion celebrations to worthless pre-season reflections, its simple really – the end, is only just the beginning, the thrill is not is going backwards trying to figure something out, it’s in knowing where you want to go but enjoying every second of the story along the way.

‘Awoken to the pain of broken dreams’

Saturday 7^th May 2011, Wembley Stadium – Chris Senior has headed home the winner in the final minute of extra time breaking every single true Mansfield heart. I’ve told you before about my head hitting the press box desk and how tears trickled down my face, what I’ve not told you is about, is my exit from Wembley and the moment I realised you shouldn’t create the ending without planning the subplots.

I painted a very vivid picture of Adam Murray lifting the trophy to a roar of yellows and a flood created by tears of joy – I never for a second imagined our hearts would be broken and our dreams would fade away into the night. Chris Seniors late winner had seen Darlington lift the trophy, I packed up the equipment in utter silence trying and failing to hold back the tears – after exchanging a few half hearted conversations I headed back through the maze of corridors towards the exit, I took off my Wembley ID badge and hid it (well stole it, I couldn’t have the glory of winning I wanted my momentum!) and carried on the walk to the car – I past many Darlington fans dancing and celebrating, enjoying their moment and overheard them talk about how far their trophy winning side could go and I realised then, that any hope of the losing side staying together and coming back stronger was false. The definition of a true looser is to walk away at the right time before any more damage is done to the core, the core in this case being the name of Mansfield Town Football Club.

A week later the false hope became reality as Duncan Russell departed, quickly followed by around 95% of that Wembley squad. Things moved and varying speed, Paul Cox was appointed Russell’s successor and as more players departed, fresh ones arrived. The agony of no football washed away as I returned to my old village; to see a trailist side representing My Mansfield Town, take on Rainworth MW. From there we’ve hit the road, visiting the likes of Nuneaton, Hednesford, FC Halifax, Boston, Ilkeston and yesterday afternoon – Chasetown, we’ve even had a 2 game stop back home, at Field Mill. We’ve seen roughly 25 trailist’s (included the two fresh faces from yesterday) battle it out for a stags contract, we’ve seen the new lads fit in well and present us with flashes of positives, but in true Mansfield fashion the negatives have popped up to say hi along the way. We’ve been excited by signings, we’ve been disappointed by them too. Bragging rights have been lost and on Wednesday new rivalries have been created in upsetting fashion.

Standing pitch side at Chasetown last night, I reflected on how far we’ve come as a club in such a short space of time, 1 day short of three months (to the DATE, 3 months to the DAY) since the heartbreak, Mansfield Town have rebuilt and have turned frowns back into warm, appreciative smiles. The broken hearts not mended, but Doctors Cox & Moore seemed to have provided the right medicine. I didn’t head home stealing an ID badge; I didn’t head home via maze of corridors and I didn’t head home disappointed, wanting to blank everybody out. No, I headed home having stolen the confidence a win brings, I headed home through a side gate, chatting and laughing with the players – I headed home wanting more, having enjoyed the ride that pre-season has given – why go for the final scene of glory, when the true enjoyment lies deep within, following the story moment to moment, word to word – start to finish, that way the season does end you’re not reflecting on the big moment, your reflecting on the millions of little ones you’ve created along the way.

‘Journey’s end’

Back to the present day and onto the events of yesterday. Ever since the fixture was announced I’ve been looking forward to it, Chasetown is the team against who we really sparked our trophy dreams, a cold Tuesday night at the scholars ground saw doubt cast following a 2-2 draw, but 7 days later the doubt turned to belief as we ran out 3-1 winners on our own pitch. I remember very little of Chasetown for two reasons, the first – it was pitch black, the second – I was so ill that night I’m astonished I actually made it to the game, commentated (on my own for the second time) and made it home again!

The sunshine & near clear blue sky provided a nice setting for yet another extraordinary story, I arrived in the ground to find the press box had been moved to the corner flag. Last season, it was a little hut at the side of the tunnel from which a huge extension was ran to the nearby seating area on the half way line, this season the hut on the corner flag housed one power point and no nearby pitch side seating area. Knowing that there were at least 3 other members of the press attending the game, panic set in – there was no way we’d all fit in the press hut (capacity: 2 at a push) on a hot summers day, let alone have enough power. My thoughts then turned to the big 30M cable which has accompanied me to every pre-season away game, and has come in bloody handy! I ran the cable from the corner flag press hut, tidily along pitch side to roughly the side of the player’s tunnel giving myself and the other guys a pitch side view.

The Chasetown players warmed up in front of our newly forming ‘press area’ and laughed in bemusement, clearly thinking it’ll never work. However, a massive 30M cable, two extension leads, 3 tables & 4 chairs from the club house bar later.... our latest ‘office’ was ready for action.

After leaving the office for a chat with the gaffer, I discovered the afternoons team news as was informed of two new trailist’s a striker and predictably after Wednesday’s Ilkeston-Gate – a defender.

Matt (Matthew) Flynn – 22 year old defender, former clubs Macclesfield Town, Ashford United & Rochdale.

Odilon Koudemba – 26 year old French/ Congolese Striker/ Midfielder, former clubs Toulon, Rouen & Huddersfield (trial)  

Mansfield opted for a 4-4-2 again wearing the shirt numbers for the season ahead, bar for the 3 players on trial.

[23] Shane Redmond

[16] Luke O’Neill – [5] Matt Flynn (Trialist) – [22] Nick Wood (Trialist) – [18] Matt Bell

[19] Adam Smith – [4] Jon Worthington (C) – [8] Lee Stevenson – [20] Andy Todd

[15] Ross Dyer – [21] Anthony Howell

SUBS: [1] Alan Marriott – [7] Louis Briscoe – [9] Paul Connor – [11] Adam Murray – [10] Matt Green – [3] Joe Kendrick – [2] Tom Naylor – [22] Odilon Koudemba.

Chasetown got the game underway and put pressure on Mansfield’s second string defence early on, Mark Branch’s chip forward was easily headed away by Matt Flynn but the second ball was picked up and kept by a well drilled Chasetown, however the stags pressure and eventually regained the ball with the help of the offside flag.

Mansfield then wasted no time in going down the other end and opening the scoring with 5 minutes on the clock, a long ball over the top was cushioned down by Ross Dyer, Adam Smith picked it up and began his usual quick feet, looking to come inside then going out with a neat flick before spotting Chasetown’s Ryan Price off his line, Smith struck with a neat chip leaving Price helpless.

Chasetown 0-1 Stags

A minute later Ross Dyer and Smith linked up once more, Dyer the recipient on Smith’s pass into the right channel, former Forest Green man Dyer crossed low in search of strike partner Anthony Howell, the ex-Alfreton man didn’t reach the ball, but Lee Stevenson did, denied at the last second by Jimmy Tuner – The resulting corner was headed away but Mansfield kept on the pressure until an offside flag against Dyer saw the ball return to Chasetown.

Chasetown then kept the ball for a while and worked a few opportunities down both flanks, however the stag’s trailist centre backs both performed equally well and the hosts were reduced to long range efforts, Shane Redmond did well to hold onto Karl Edward’s striker with 19 on the clock.

Chasetown were made to pay for missing the target and giving Mansfield back possession of the ball a minute later as the stags built from the back and eventually doubled their lead. Luke O’Neill’s chip forward found Ross Dyer on the edge of the box, a neat turn saw Dyer move into the area and strike, his powerfully hit shot nestling into the bottom corner but stinging the palms of Price on the way through.

Chasetown 0-2 Stags

Whilst the majority of the Mansfield squad to face Chasetown last season had moved onto pastures new, the majority of the Chasetown squad had stuck together and it was a familiar face which helped Chasetown grab one back with 25 minutes gone. Ramone Stephens caused Mansfield problems on the right hand side and cut inside past Matt Bell to ping in the perfect cross, Gary Hay rose above O’Neill and gave Redmond no chance with a bullet header into the top corner.

Chasetown 1-2 Stags

Mansfield looked to regain that two goal advantage straight from the restart, Mansfield worked hard in all areas, Anthony Howell brought down a cross park ball, turning well and setting Dyer who was denied by the woodwork.

With over half an hour gone, more Mansfield movement between Smith & O’Neill earned the stags a corner, Matt Bells left footed in swinger caused Chasetown trouble, the ball ran loose on the 6 yard line and Ross Dyer made no mistake, smashing into the roof of the net.

Chasetown 1-3 Stags

Straight from the restart, Chasetown had another opportunity to again close the gap, a Mark Branch corner was looked dangerous but as Mansfield got clear, they began to counter, Adam Smith linked up with O’Neill who found Stevenson with a decent through ball, the ex-Eastwood man denied by the flag.

With 5 minutes left of the first half, Mansfield made it 4 in almost identical fashion to the third goal, Bells corner, this time an out swinger from the far side, was headed into space, Matt Flynn found himself unmarked and volleyed low into the bottom right hand corner, capping off another well worked set piece.

Chasetown 1-4 Stags

Mansfield looked to build again and looked sharp down both wings, Andy Todd & Matt Bell both moving well earning a number of throws, Dyer & Howell lurked patiently in the box awaiting the cross, however the referees whistle brought the first period to a close, just as some spots of rain looked to ruin my brilliant open air press box!

Half Time: Chasetown 1-4 Stags

No changes were made by Paul Cox at half time, the second half held very few chances compared with the 1^st, however a minute in Ross Dyer had a golden chance to seal his hat-trick, Andy Todd’s ball inside to Stevenson saw the midfielder push the ball on into space, Dyer was first there and miles onside, taking the ball into the area, rounding the keeper and hitting goal wards – Chris Peels last minute intervention denied Dyer a deserved hat-trick.   

Another familiar name caused Mansfield problems down the left wing, Dean Perrow giving O’Neill a hard time, the former Leicester man conceding a corner which was easily cleared by the impressive Flynn, Flynn’s clearance saw Mansfield move once more, Andy Todd fed Bell wide left, his cross headed away but only as far as the afternoons captain Jon Worthington, his volley was high & wide of the target with 51 gone.

Lee Stevenson headed an Adam Smith cross wide 5 minutes later, before a deep Matt Bell free kick came to nothing. It was soon substitution time, Trialist Koudemba replaced Worthington on the hour mark, Adam Smith taking over the captains armband whilst Anthony Howell dropped into midfield to accommodate Koudemba alongside Dyer. 15 minutes later, Tom Naylor was brought on at right back to replace Luke O’Neill.

Chasetown tried to create openings but were reduced to long range efforts, Jake Sedgemore’s 30 yard curler flying just over was the only one of note to cause Mansfield any real trouble, the game just fizzled out and both sets of supporters which made up the 321 crowd, seemed relieved when the final whistle blew on the game and pre-season itself – the serious stuff can now begin.

Full Time: Chasetown 1-4 Stags

All in all another good run out for the boys, this blog is already long enough before adding in a pre-season report and player stats, so I’ll save those for one of many special blogs during the week, wrapping up pre-season and looking ahead to our fourth year in the BSBP! Thanks, as ever, for reading I’m amazed by the views on my last blog (3,500 and rising!) I’d love the same again on this one so spread the word. Not long until the dream starts to become a reality! Bring on Bath City! 

Podcast below, Match photos credit: James Williamson.

Pre-Season Friendly: Ilkeston Vs Mansfield

‘A question of right & wrong’

Usually after a game, I find myself writing about the performance and the end result, however on this Thursday afternoon, I find myself writing about an ugly side to the beautiful game – injury’s, the incidents that surround them, and trying to figure out if the events of last night were right or wrong.

Mansfield lead 4-2 at Ilkeston last night (report below) in a fairly average encounter bar half a dozen incidents, which included 3 Mansfield players being subbed and taken straight to A&E. The first, a strong challenge on right back Ritchie Sutton which has reportedly seen Sutton rip two tendons in his shoulder. The second was an elbow to the face of Martin Riley who required stitches on his forehead. The third and final incident was the metaphorical straw that broke the camel’s back, John Thompson was barged into the pitch side hoardings by Gary Rickets, smashing his nose and also encoring a nasty head wound. Thompson was treated pitch side for a good 5 minutes although play did not resume whilst the former Notts County skipper received treatment, Paul Cox then withdrew Mansfield from the pitch refusing to complete the friendly for fears of players safety amongst other reasons. 

 (Left) John Thompson left in a bloody mess, revealed via Alan Marriott’s twitter (Right) Martin Riley reveals his stitches via his own twitter



Although I’m a Mansfield Town fan through and through, both sets of fans have had there say on the incidents and perhaps there elegance may have swayed their views, this is why I’m going to look at it from a neutral reporters point of view, having slept on it replaying the incidents many times in my head plus listening to the audio (podcast below), I’ve settled on a verdict to last night’s actions – it boils down to a case of right & wrong.

Following the incident which saw Thompson heavily injured, the match referee Jim Thornhill instructed the Ilkeston management to take Rickets off rather than produce a red card. Ok, it’s a friendly and all cards are avoided, however in a competitive match situation there would have defiantly been a straight red shown and Ilkeston would have been down to 10 men, however just replacing Rickets with another is unfair and in my view the first WRONG factor in last night’s case.

If you proceed to substitute Rickets and obviously Thompson to allow the game to continue you will get 22 players all wanting revenge and wanting to win the war after the battle from the original incident, the emotions will have been running high and on a warm evening this is something you do not need or want to see, it would be a matter of time before the time bomb exploded and another incident, possibly more serious, would have taken place. By withdrawing the players from the pitch, Paul Cox did the RIGHT thing – protecting his players from the possibilities of further injury and from committing any fouls themselves – therefore becoming as bad as the other side.

Add into the mix the friendly was Mansfield’s penultimate one before the season’s opener and that all 3 players injured were defenders, the choice to walk of an abandon the game is once again justified. If you take out the three injured players Sutton, Riley & Thompson your left with just ONE out & out centre half in Tom Naylor. Whilst Matt Bell can play centre half too, it would have been silly to throw Bell on and again risk injury (not just from the ‘revenge missions’ but from natural causes too), he is also naturally a left back and in honesty, didn’t look comfortable at centre back against Nuneaton a few weeks ago. This then becomes a task of not only managing the current situation of the games aggression levels, but also a task of ability – do you give bell a shot, do you give trailist Nick Wood a short term contract or do you look for a short term loanee as we wait for Rhys Day to become fully fit. All this would have been going around Paul Cox’s head last night, on reflection I feel he made the correct choice to lead his players off the pitch – the jeers of ‘Coward’ etc from opposition fans (& possibly management!) are petty, I think it took more bravery to take the players off, than to throw them back on and let the football do the talking.

Paul Cox will be judged on the decisions he makes throughout the season, I think the one he made last night goes someway to proving that the future decisions he does make, will be the right ones.

As the whole injury and ‘Ilkeston-Gate’ saga continues, it’s easy to forget the game as a whole; Mansfield departed the pitch with a 4-2 lead, despite the goals conceded being very suspect (again!) the stags, for the 3^rd game running had no trouble finding the net on numerous occasions.

Mansfield took to the field last night once again in their home kit, the team sheet a handwritten photocopy was fooled by the stags wearing their squad numbers for the forthcoming season. Line up as follows [Shirt numbers worn on the night in brackets, bar for trialist Nick Wood, whose number wasn’t on the team sheet and I couldn’t see!]  

[23] Shane Redmond

[17] Ritchie Sutton – [5] John Thompson – [6] Martin Riley – [3] Joe Kendrick

[7] Louis Briscoe – [11] Adam Murray (C) – [8] Lee Stevenson – [22] Nick Hegarty (Trialist)

[9] Paul Connor – [10] Matt Green

SUBS: [1] Alan Marriott, [24] Lindon Meikle, [4] Jon Worthington, [19] Adam Smith, [20] Andy Todd, [21] Anthony Howell, [15] Ross Dyer, [16] Luke O’Neill, [18] Matt Bell, Nick Wood (Trialist)

Mansfield started brightly at Boston on Saturday afternoon, Adam Murray opening the scoring after just a minute, it was fairly similar last night, 30 seconds in John Thompson’s long ball over the top was headed on by Matt Green, former Grimsby, York & St Mirren man Nick Hegarty found his way into the area and shot wide, however the latest stags trailist was flagged offside.

A minute later, Joe Kendrick made a good run advancing down the left wing before putting a cross into the box, Paul Connor headed wide of the target.

With four minutes on the clock, Mansfield were in front. Lee Stevenson did well in the centre circle to win the ball back, sweeping a nice pass wide left for Trialist Hegarty, the former Grimsby man’s cross found Matt Green inside the area, the Oxford loanee rose highest to head past Aaron Butcher in the Ilkeston goal from close range. Some reports suggest it was a Josh Hill own goal, others (including those behind the goal) say Green got the final touch – my view was blocked by the TV gantry so I missed who got the final touch, I’ll go with the official websites report and say Matt Green got the final touch, either way, stags were in front.

Ilkeston 0-1 Stags     

The lead lasted all of 3 minutes as Ilkeston punished Mansfield on the counter attack, Joe Kendrick’s left footed out swinging corner was cleared, Adam Murray attempted to volley the ball back into the area but missed the ball completely. The loose ball ran free to Daryl Thomas who pushed the ball inside onto Karl Dinedth who slotted past the one rushing Shane Redmond to level the game. Adam Murray will be disappointed in the part he played in the Ilkeston leveller, he had time to take a touch and bring the ball forward – a rare mistake by the otherwise impressive stags skipper, better to get it out the system now than in a few weeks time.

Ilkeston 1-1 Stags

The home side, who drew 1-1 with Alfreton a few weeks previous, looked to get in front, Joe Wilcoxs’ deep cross was headed well over by Gary Rickets.

It was just the wakeup call stags needed as Paul Cox’s men rallied and regained the lead with 15minutes gone, Nick Hegarty combined well with Kendrick who chipped a decent ball down the left channel, Lee Stevenson was first to it and soon burst into the box, his cross-come-shot was tapped in by Matt Green.

Ilkeston 1-2 Stags

A strong challenge on Ritchie Sutton from Gary Rickets saw Sutton receive treatment but carry on for a little while, he was on the pitch to see Louis Briscoe first test the keepers hands, the nearly burst the back of the net.

Lee Stevenson and Matt Green combined well on the edge of the box, the oxford loanee laid off Briscoe who cut inside and curled a powerful shot from 18 yards straight into the grateful hands of the keeper, however with 24 on the clock Briscoe gave the keeper no chance as he further extended the stags lead.

John Thompsons long ball was met by the on rushing Kendrick, his ball into the area was intended for Paul Connor but the stags front man was a fraction to late, the ball had already ran for Briscoe who, dropping off from the flank, cut inside and powered a shot right into the top corner, grabbing his 4^th goal in as many games.

Ilkeston 1-3 Stags

Another clash between Sutton & Rickets saw the stags right back replaced by Luke O’Neill, Sutton headed straight for the dressing room in some discomfort and later made his way to A&E.

Mansfield regained composure and pushed for a 4^th Martin Riley powered a left footed blast over from 6 yards following a Joe Kendrick corner, shortly before Kendrick pinged in a cross which Lee Stevenson headed thunderously against the cross bar.

A lapse in concentration on 42 saw the home side get a goal back, James Burgin played Ryan Wilson wide left, Wilson crossing in for Gary Rickets who powerfully headed past Shane Redmond.

Ilkeston 2-3 Stags

Right on the stroke of half time, Mansfield had a perfect chance to restore their 4 goal cushion, Matt Green crashed a shot towards goal, it hit the bar but struck a hand on its way, the referee pointing to the spot after Briscoe’s appeal. Briscoe placed the ball on the spot and struck powerfully, centrally into the roof of the net, grabbing his second of the evening and his third successful penalty conversion in as many games.

Ilkeston 2-4 Stags

There was barley time for the home side to restart play before the referee called an end on a goal packed first half, the stags heading into the dressing room in front once again.

Half Time: Ilkeston 2-4 Stags

A drab start to the second half wasn’t helped by the offside flag, Paul Connor & Matt Green both flagged off side in the early stages. With 50 on the clock, Gary Rickets was again at the centre of the controversy, leading with an elbow against Martin Riley who was promptly replaced by trialist Nick Wood, Riley followed in the footsteps of Ritchie Sutton, heading to A&E later receiving several stitches, keeping fans up to date with the latest goings on from kings mill via twitter.

Chances seemed nonexistent as the game moved onto the hour mark, a change in personnel soon created a rare sight of goal. Ross Dyer & Anthony Howell came onto replace Paul Connor & Matt Green on the hour mark, minutes later Skipper Murray was replaced by Jon Worthington who took over the captaincy.

The fresh changes saw Mansfield create a goal mouth scramble, Ross Dyer pushing the ball wide to Hegarty, crossing in from the left in search of Anthony Howell, Louis Briscoe crossed in from the opposite side when the ball didn’t fall for Howell, Briscoe’s cross headed away only as far as Worthington. The ex-Bradford man pushed the ball wide to Hegarty who again crossed in, Joe Kendrick kept the ball alive at the near post and chipped back in, Ross Dyer ended the move by hitting the ball into the side netting.

It was all change on the wings as Briscoe & Hegarty departed, Adam Smith & Andy Todd came on but saw all of 2minutes of action before the Thompson incident, A quick recap reminds us that Gary Rickets shoved Thompson off towards the pitch side hoardings, with the stags star smashing his nose and suffering other facial injury’s – leaving a pool of blood imbedded in the New Manor pitch as a reminder of the evenings final action. The clocks of the media kept running until the 73^rd minute when Paul Cox lead Mansfield off, however the paused time on the referees watch (the time of the initial incident), see’s the games official abandonment time set as the 68^th minute.

68 Minutes: Game abandoned due to player safety: Ilkeston 2-4 Mansfield

This of course leads us back to the top of the piece and the questions of right & wrong – I firmly believe (both as a Mansfield fan and a journalist) that the right action was taken by Paul Cox to take Mansfield Town off the field. Sometimes in football you get players who put themselves about and make the game physical, but the actions of Gary Rickets were inexcusable, I hope Ilkeston FC come up with an appropriate punishment following his suspension earlier today.

I wish Ritchie Sutton, Martin Riley and John Thompson a speedy recovery, it will be interesting to see what happens in the next 24 hours regarding medical assessments and transfer activity should we require another defender.

This game will be remembered for a while for all the wrong reasons, I urge everyone to let the respective actions be taken against Gary Rickets and back our players to a speedy recovery, this will be a test of our squads mental state for sure – a boost from the supporters will help to the squad to battle on and start the season with a positive mentality.

MTFC: Together as one.

Don’t forget to join me for full match commentary on Saturday afternoon from 2PM as the stags play their final pre-season friendly against Chasetown, listen on 106.9FM or online using the link on the right hand side.

Thanks for reading.

The views expressed in this blog are that of Craig Priest and not those of Takeover Radio 106.9FM