Archived News from December 2003
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STAGS TAME TIGERS
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Report from Pinkfootball.com (!!)
Hull City 0 - 1 Mansfield Mansfield scorers and times: Mackenzie(84). Hull City team sheet Myhill, Dawson, Joseph, Hinds, Delaney, Keates (Allsopp 60), Green, Ashbee, Burgess (Holt 83), Elliott, Price (France 60). Subs: Musselwhite, Whittle. Mansfield team sheet Pilkington, Hassell, Day, Vaughan, Artell, Williamson, Lawrence, Disley (Corden 74), Curtis, Christie (Mackenzie 63), Mendes. Subs: White, Dimech, Larkin. Attendance: 15005 Mansfield leapfrogged promotion rivals Hull in this dour game which saw very few clear cut chances and was decided by a piece of individual brilliance from a Stags substitute Neil MacKenzie. The first half was relatively low key and pretty even, with Mansfield winning a corner in the first few minutes, but City's new keeper Boaz Myhill was brought into action with a comfortable catch. After a quarter of an hour, two corners in succession for Mansfield put a bit of pressure on City, before Stuart Green had his appeal for a penalty waved away after appearing to have been shoved in the box. After 21 minutes, a dangerous shot from Junior Mendes flew inches across the goal, with no-one there to slot in what would have been a certain goal. Four minutes later, Lee Williamson also had his appeal for a penalty turned down. After half an hour, a 20-yard shot from Iyseden Christie flew well over the bar, but sparked the massive Mansfield away following into life. Five minutes before the break the best chance of the game fell to Christie, who shot wide with an open goal at his mercy. At the other end, Green ran clear and forced a save out of Kevin Pilkington. Stuart Elliott then saw his header saved before a shot from Ben Burgess hit the right post in the very last seconds of the half. After the restart, a thundering shot from Liam Lawrence was blocked by City's defence, before a header from Elliott was plucked out of the air by Pilkington. Minutes later a header from Jason Price went wide as City began to put on the pressure. Williamson and Tony Vaughan both went close before substitute Wayne Corden looped a shot inches over the bar on 77 minutes. But it was substitute MacKenzie who stole the vital three points with a great individual goal from 25 yards which beat everyone and left Myhill with no chance. City substitute Danny Allsopp went close twice in a frenetic last few minutes for City but they could not produce anything to match the style of the goal that was the difference between the two sides. hullcity-mad.co.uk A late Neil MacKenzie goal gave Mansfield Town victory, and City slip down to 5th. Stuart Green was denied an early penalty when he was bodychecked in the area, and then Junior Mendes shot across the face of goal in the 21st minute but City survived the scare. Two blocks on the line kept out the visitors after debutant goalkeeper Boaz Myhill was challenged off the ball. Iyseden Christie caught City's defence napping 5 minutes before half time but flashed a free shot wide. The last action of the half saw the Tigers' best chance go begging as Jason Price hit the post from a Dean Keates corner. City failed to create any clear chances, and Mansfield punished them when Neil MacKenzie's low drive left Myhill with no chance in the 85th minute. That sparked City into being the most threatening they had been all game. Substitute Danny Allsopp flashed a header just wide, and Kevin Pilkington got his fingertips to another Allsopp effort to claw it out and preserve his clean sheet. Mansfield now go a point above City into 4th place, with Peter Taylor's side in 5th with 41 points. Annanova: Mansfield leapfrogged Hull in Division Three with a spectacular late goal from Neil MacKenzie in a tight top-of-the-table encounter. Super sub MacKenzie grabbed the only goal of the game with six minutes remaining and the visitors were well worth their win. Hull won a free-kick when David Artell saw yellow for a bad challenge on Elliott, but goalkeeper Kevin Pilkington saved Marc Joseph's 30-yard drive. Peter Taylor's men won another free-kick when Jason Price was felled by Tony Vaughan and former Scunthorpe man Andy Dawson's fierce effort deflected off the defensive wall. Iyseden Christie had Mansfield's first real effort just after the half-hour mark but he drilled over the crossbar from the edge of the area. This sparked the visitors into life and Junior Mendes had two good chances before the interval - the first was blocked by Ian Ashbee and the second was a spectacular volley which flew wide of the left-hand post. Hull striker Ben Burgess then had a fine chance in first-half injury-time but his shot crashed back off the woodwork. After the restart, Mansfield's Lee Williamson powered through midfield and fired in a fine cross but Liam Lawrence's volley was blocked by Dawson. Burgess was once again denied when Pilkington pulled off a top-drawer save to prevent his powerful header from giving Hull the lead. Taylor tried to freshen things in attack by bringing on Allsopp for Dean Keates and Ryan France for Price but the visitors went close again when Vaughan's long-range effort was caught by Myhill. Mansfield pressed forward and were unlucky not to take the lead when Wayne Corden's curling shot flew over the bar. Mansfield's resolute defence continued to frustrate the hosts, who were caught offside on several occasions, and midfielder Stuart Green could only try his luck from long range. But the visitors finally got their reward when youngster MacKenzie, who came on for the injured hitman Christie, sent a searing 25-yard strike past Pilkington from the edge of the area. Hull nearly grabbed a last-gasp equaliser as they pressed upfield but substitute Allsopp headed agonisingly wide off the post following a deceptive cross from Green. Then, with seconds remaining, Pilkington parried an Allsopp drive and Elliott fired wide with the goal at his mercy as Hull slipped to fifth in the table. |
Latest | December 2003