Archived News from December 2004
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HIGH DRAMA AS STAGS SECURE ANOTHER AWAY WIN
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Southend United 0-1 Mansfield Town
Warne 77 Att: 7082 (232 from Mansfield) Martin Shaw at Roots Hall Mansfield Town picked up their second consecutive away win with a 1-0 success at Southend United this afternoon amid chaotic scenes in injury time. Paul Warne had given the Stags an undeserved lead after 77 minutes, but in the fourth minute of stoppage time the home side had a goal disallowed in controversial circumstances to enable the Stags to cling on to the points. The Stags victory at Southend puts them just 4 points off the play-offs with a game in hand. Stagsnet report now in the Match Centre. Stagsnet Man of the match: Derek Asamoah ------------------- Match Stats (Shrimpers/Stags) 11 Goal Attempts 11 4 On Target 7 7 Off Target 3 0 Hit Woodwork 1 4 Offsides 4 3 Corners 2 11 Fouls 14 ---------- Stags enjoy day by the sea CHAD report CARLTON Palmer continued to cement his claim to become Mansfield Town's new manager as he watched his flu-ridden side win 1-0 at fourth-placed Southend United this afternoon. That made it seven points out of a possible nine and three clean sheets on the trot for the Stags caretaker manager. All players have been told to stay away from Field Mill tomorrow to avoid the big spreading further with a roll call set for Thursday. Paul Warne was the hero today with his first goal for the club on 79 minutes proving enough to shoot down a confident Shrimpers side that had just enjoyed three successive 1-0 wins. Stags, with two men out ill and two more battling on with the same flu bug, did have to survive a torrid and dramatic finish in which Southend had a goal disallowed. But it would have been cruel on a Stags side that, in a game short on quality football from either side, had battled manfully to gain a result few outside Mansfield would have expected. Stags are now 14th and four points off the play-off spots and Palmer is expected to sit down with chairman Keith Haslam to discuss the future after the New Year games. Stags made two enforced changes when Alex Neil and Wayne Corden reported ill. Kitamirike came in for his debut at right back and Brown made his full debut on the wing. However, both Brown and Murray were playing with the effects of colds as well. Asamoah started alongside Barker up front with Warne switched to right wing. Stags started confidently and almost went ahead on four minutes. Barker's flick put him in space on the left and Asamoah cut in between two defenders to get into the box and forced a good block from keeper Griemink as he tried to beat him at his near post. The ball ran to Brown who crossed to the far post where Barker headed wide. Asamoah also crashed an 18 yard shot wide on 10 minutes after a Curtis pass had been blocked and left the ball loose. On 18 minutes the home side forced the game's first corner but Bramble's header was well wide. Another Shrimpers corner on 21 minutes from Maher was headed towards goal by Edwards and Bentley hooked a shot on goal from six yards only to find Pilkington well placed to make his first save of the day. Asamoah won a free kick in a good central area on 26 minutes almost 30 yards from goal. But when Curtis ran over it, Asamoah stepped up to curl his kick into the wall. Southend threatened briefly as the ball dropped nicely for Bramble 25 yards out and he bundled a shot well over. Then a low Bramble cross from the left flew through everyone. Pettefer rescued it as he ran into the box but sliced his shot. Dimech conceded a free kick 25 yards from goal just before the break but Eastwood put a poor free kick straight into the Mansfield wall. A mistake from Edwards almost let Asamoah in as he failed to cut out a Buxton through ball but then recovered well to get in a firm tackle in the box. Stags, after a lengthy lull, finished the half strongly and won their first corner. Taken short, it was wasted. But Stags got the ball back in the box but the referee had seen some pushing before Buxton's far post drive hit the upright. So half-time saw the game goalless with Stags starting and finishing the half well and Southend having the best of the rest without ever really looking like breaking through the visiting defence. Stags almost hit Southend with a swift counter attack two minutes into the second half. Curtis hooked a Southend cross clear towards Asamoah who showed a superb turn of pace to race away from the halfway line, outpace two opponents and finally get in a shot that Griemink kept out with his legs. Southend responded with corner but Barrett was penalised for pushing. Asamoah got in a swift volley under pressure which flew straight at the keeper. Southend began to build up a spell of pressure and the Stags penalty area was very busy for a time as Stags defended stoutly and survived two free kicks from the edge of the box. A low ball in from Kitamrike from the right found Asamoah whose shot on the turn clipped Brown, who had swapped wings with Warne, and flew over on 57 minutes. As Southend became more frustrated, Eastwood tried one on the turn from just outside the box on 66 minutes but it was always going well over. Barker's flick onto a long clearance almost slipped Asamoah through. But a combination of defender and keeper squeezed him out just outside the box, Griemink requiring treatment afterwards. Bentley almost broke the deadlock on 74 when he got a header onto Pettefer's cros from the right. But he couldn't direct it on target from seven yards. Tempers flared on 76 minutes after Murray and Bentley slid into a tackle with studs showing, Murray staying down hurt as players from both sides waded in, pushing and shoving. Dudfield replaced Bramble while Murray received treatment and Bentley was shown a yellow card. Then Murray limped off to be replaced by McLachlan. But a drab afternoon really exploded into life with a Mansfield goal 11 minutes from time. Again Asamoah was the sp-ark as he ran at the home defence on the right of the box and, unable to make space for a shot, pulled the ball back to Curtis. He laid an intelligent ball into the path of Warne who kept his head to slot a perfect low finish past Griemink. Warne was then booked for his celebrations as he ran to enjoy the goal with the visiting fans. Former Stags defender Barrett almost levelled on 84 as he headed narrowly wide from Gray's cross as Mansfield prepared for a grandstand finish from the high-flying home side. There was a lengthy stoppage as Asamoah was treated for a bang in the face which had home fans furious. On the eventual restart Stags survived a scramble in the six yard box with home players screaming for a penalty for hands. Mansfield broke and Asamoah threatened again with a chipped attempt from just inside the box that sailed over. But as the game entered stoppage time all hell broke loose at the Mansfield end as Southend piled on the pressure. A diving Gray header beat Pilkington but Dimech cleared off the line. The ball ran to Dudfield whose shot was superbly saved by Pilkington. Still the ball wasn't cleared and Dudfield finally buried it into the net. However, celebrations were cut short as the linesman had spotted an offside and the referee said he had also seen another infringement. Indeed, Stags players said they felt the ball had also gone out of play for a goalkick before it came back to Dudfield. Whatever, the effort was ruled out. The home fans and players were furious and one fan had to be restrained and then arrested as he ran on towards the linesman. The whistle finally went as stoppage time entered a sixth agonising minute and the referee remained in the centre circle with protection from stewards as the home players went to protest further. ----------- http://www.southendunited.premiumtv.co.uk Southend vs Mansfield Town 0 - 1 Date: 28/12/2004 Venue: Roots Hall Attendance: 7082 Southend were unable to capitalise upon a fine Boxing Day victory over Wycombe Wanderers as Mansfield Town visited Roots Hall. Despite dominating the match and rarely looking threatened by the Stags attacking play, Steve Tilson's side slipped to a disappointing 1-0 defeat as Paul Warne slotted home for the visitors with ten minutes of the match remaining. It appeared as though the Blues had cancelled out Warne's strike just eight minutes later as Lawrie Dudfield lashed the ball home after a goal-mouth scramble, but the Blues celebrations were short-lived as the Assistant Referee ruled out the strike for a dubious offside decision against midfielder Mark Bentley. Despite a late flurry of Blues pressure, the Stags were able to leave Roots Hall with a shock victory as they continue to move away from the relegation positions. Steve Tilson was forced to make one alteration to the side that earned a superb 1-0 victory at the Causeway Stadium on Boxing Day due to an injury to Mark Gower. Gower, who was substituted at half-time in the Boxing Day clash, was replaced by Tes Bramble. After just five minutes of play skilful striker Derek Asamoah tricked his way though the Southend rear-guard with a mazy dribble to find himself with a clear chance on goal. The former Northampton Town forward released a powerful low strike that was dealt with superbly with a brave block from the on-rushing Bart Griemink. Neither side seemed able to construct any meaningful attacks to break through the opposition back-line in the opening twenty-minutes of play. In the twenty-fifth minute the Blues had their first goal-scoring opportunity as Kevin Maher delivered a lofted corner-kick towards the far-post. The ball was met by Andy Edwards who could only head the ball down into the six-yard box. Mark Bentley spun quickly to unleash a right-footed volley, but former Manchester United goalkeeper Kevin Pilkington reacted superbly to claim the ball with a fine point-blank save. After the half-time interval the match tempo instantly appeared to have increased and Derek Asamoah once again seemed to be the opposition's main threat. The Ghana-born striker showed an amazing turn of pace as he slipped the ball past Lewis Hunt before out-pacing the former Derby defender to regain possession in a Mansfield counter-attack. Asamoah then continued to race goal-wards, but Bart Griemink showed fine awareness to rush out and bravely block the ball at his feet. The Blues began to push forward as they searched for their fourth consecutive League Two victory. Fredy Eastwood dashed across the edge of the penalty area with the ball under his superb close control before slotting a neat pass into the path of Carl Pettefer on the right-side of the penalty area. Pettefer delivered a curling ball across the face of goal that was met the head of Mark Bentley, but unfortunately the former Dagenham and Redbridge midfielder could not connect with the ball suitably as his effort glanced weakly wide of the target. With fifteen minutes of play remaining a poorly timed two-footed challenge from Bentley on midfielder Adam Murray sparked confrontations between the players of both sides. It took both the referee and his assistants to calm down the situation which involved twenty-three player, with Blues' custodian Bart Griemink the only player who was not involved in the incident. Mark Bentley received a yellow card for the original challenge with referee P Robinson happy that there would no further punishment. In the seventy-seventh minute of play Tes Bramble was replaced by hard-working striker Lawrie Dudfield. Carl Pettefer moved over the left-wing with Wayne Gray taking over on the right-flank. This allowed Dudfield to join Eastwood in the forward-line. The visitors also made a change with Fraser McLachlan replacing Adam Murray, who suffered an injury due to the challenge of Mark Bentley. Mansfield broke away on a fast counter-attack to take the lead against the run of play as the match entered the final ten minutes. Derek Asamoah used his lightening pace to out-sprint the Blues defence once more as he dashed down the right-wing before delivering a low cross into the Southend penalty area. Tom Curtis was able to flick the ball on into the path of loanee Paul Warne who calmly slotted the ball into the bottom-right corner of the net with precision to give the Stags an undeserved lead. The Blues came close to a quick reply as a long ball forward from Bart Griemink resulted in a battle for possession in the Stags penalty area. Adam Barrett eventually took control of the ball and played a short pass out to Wayne Gray who controlled the ball before clipping a cross into the centre of the penalty area. Adam Barrett positioned himself well to meet the return pass with a firm header, but his aerial attempt skimmed just passed the angle of crossbar and post with eight minutes of the match remaining. With just two minutes of normal time remaining the Blues appeared to score a vital equaliser much to the jubilation of the large home support only for the Assistant Referee to disallow the strike for offside. A cross from the right by Carl Pettefer curled across the face of goal agonisingly out of the reach of Mark Bentley, but Wayne Gray was able to send a shot towards goal at the far post. His right-footed strike was blocked by Jason Talbot sending the ball back towards his own goal. Mark Bentley then saw his strike blocked by a combination of defenders and goalkeeper Kevin Pilkington as he was bundled to the ground. The ball ricochet away from the goal where Wayne Gray headed it forwards where the goal-mouth scrambled continued before Lawrie Dudfield was able to lash the ball home on his third attempt. Roots Hall erupted in celebration only for the Assistant Referee to raise his flag to rule out Dudfield's late strike for offside. Lewis Crowe ------------- Southend United 0 Mansfield Town 1 by Mark Wallis , thelittlegazette.com SOUTHEND United slipped to a first home defeat since September, going down to a single goal, in a dull and drab Bank Holiday afternoon clash at Roots Hall against Mansfield Town… An appalling last gasp decision by referee John Robinson and his assistant Ian Gosling denied Southend a point they would have scarcely deserved on Monday afternoon, Wayne Gray's late strike ruled out for an offence spotted by nobody else amongst the large Roots Hall crowd. Indeed, officially 7,082 crammed into the ground, although the real figure would hover somewhere around the 9,000 mark, but as they often do, the Shrimpers failed to perform infront of a large audience. One change from the side which defeated Wycombe Wanderers at Adams Park two days earlier saw the injured Mark Gower replaced by Tesfaye Bramble on the left flank whilst a returning Spencer Prior had to make do with a place on the bench with Andy Edwards retaining his place. In a match of very few chances, the only real note of the first half was the Shrimpers inability to deal with pacey striker Derek Asamoah, and it was he who poked a fourth minute shot at the legs of Bart Griemink. The only other first half opportunity, on 21 minutes, seeing a Kevin Maher corner flicked on by the head of Edwards only for Wayne Gray to poke the ball into the arms of shot-stopper Kevin Pilkington. Half-time: Southend United 0 Mansfield Town 0 Asamoah again caused Southend problems after the break, and Griemink's legs once again denied the former Northampton Town-man two minutes after the break. Another Asamoah chance saw a quick-fire shot zip over the crossbar before he set-up the only goal with ten minutes remaining, sprinting into the box before picking out the unchecked run of Paul Warne who had the simple task of side-footing home from fifteen yards. (0-1) That goal suddenly brought life to United for the first time in the afternoon, and a Gray cross saw Adam Barrett head just off target. As the game ticked into stoppage time Southend were denied a blatant penalty when Jake Buxton blantantly handled a Carl Pettefer centre before the real drama ensued when, after an intense scramble, Gray poked the ball past three Town defenders on the goalline, but Gosling had his flag in the air, we can only presume for an unseen foul, to deny Steve Tilson's side a point. MATCH FACTS SOUTHEND UNITED...(0) 0 MANSFIELD TOWN…(0) 1 Division Three, Monday 28th December 2004 @ Roots Hall Line-ups: The Shrimpers (4-4-2; navy shirts, navy shorts, navy socks):- Bart Griemink; Lewis Hunt, Che Wilson, Adam Barrett, Andy Edwards; Kevin Maher, Mark Bentley, Carl Pettefer, Tesfaye Bramble (Lawrie Dudfield 77); Wayne Gray, Freddy Eastwood. Unused subs – Nicky Nicolau, Jim Corbett, Spencer Prior, Darryl Flahavan. The Stags (4-4-2; white, orange, orange):- Kevin Pilkington; Luke Dimech, J Kitamirike, Jake Buxton, Alex John-Baptiste; Tom Curtis, Simon Brown, Adam Murray (Fraser McLachalan 78), Paul Warne; Ritchie Barker, Derek Asamoah. Goal: Mansfield: Warne 80 (side foot finish; inside area; timed at 79:17) Bookings: Southend: Bentley (71 – foul). Sent-off: None. Total Goal Efforts: Southend 9, Mansfield 8 Shots/headers on target: Southend 1, Mansfield 4 Shots/headers off target: Southend 4, Mansfield 3 Blocked shots: Southend 4, Mansfield 1 Hit Woodwork: Southend 0, Mansfield 0 Corners: Southend 3, Mansfield 2 Free Kicks: Southend 21, Mansfield 13 Caught Offside: Southend 4, Mansfield 3 Match Time: First Half: 45:13. Second Half: 50:42. Total: 95:55. Indicated stoppage time: First Half: 0 minutes (Actual: 00:13), Second Half: 3 minutes (04:42) Referee: John Robinson (Humberside FA), 0 out of 10 (General Control 0/5, Application of Laws 0/3, Personality & Appearance 0/2) – this idiot gets the same mark he received at Layer Road. Assistants: Ian Gosling (Kent FA) and Ian Searle (Essex FA) Attendance: 7,082 Mark Wallis http://www.thelittlegazette.com ------------- |
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