Archived News from August 2006
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DEFENCE LETS STAGS DOWN AS FORRESTER RUNS RIOT
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Mansfield Town 2 - 4 Lincoln City
Reet 66, Barker 90 pen. Forrester 15 pen, 23, 29, 49 pen. Attendance: 4,596 (902 from Lincoln) Martin Shaw at Field Mill Mansfield Town suffered a surprising defeat to Lincoln City in a bizarre game at Field Mill this afternoon as well-travelled striker Jamie Forrester scored his first ever hat-trick and then went on to get 4 goals. It was a terrible display from the Stags back four, who must look at themselves after this game, but the rest of the team really weren't too bad and scored two goals of their own, missed a penalty and missed many other chances. The performance of the Stags defence has the alarm bells ringing loudly around Field Mill, and has to be addressed quickly if the promise of the side in terms of attacking prowess is not to be completely wasted. Man of the match: Stephen Dawson ------------- CHAD report: Forrester chops down shellshocked Stags LINCOLN City's jinx over neighbours Mansfield Town continued in spectacular style as they ran out 4-2 winners at Field Mill this afternoon. But the scoreline went nowhere near to doing Stags any justice in a game in which, amazingly, Lincoln caused few problems and the home side created a wealth of chances. Lincoln keeper Alan Marriott and striker Jamie Forrester proved the key men as Marriott pulled off a string of superb saves while Forrester, having never scored a hat-trick in his career, helped himself to two goals in open play and coolly bagged two penalty kicks to end the afternoon with all four goals. At 4-0 down, Danny Reet deservedly pulled one back after a period of Stags pressure and Richie Barker, who had seen his spot kick saved in first half stoppage time, made sure with his second penalty at the end of the 90 minutes. But it was February 2002 and seven games ago that Stags last won a match against Lincoln and this game saw Mansfield's unbeaten record crash while Lincoln maintained their unbeaten League run and made it three out of three away wins for them. Mansfield manager Peter Shirtliff said: "Obviously I am not happy at all that we conceded four goals. "But it was a strange game in many ways with four penalties awarded. "It one just one of those days for us. Everything they hit flew into our net in the first half and we didn't take our chances at the other end. "Their keeper played very well and it was just one of those games. "Someone just said to me he felt it could have easily finished 7-4 to us and he was probably right. "But the bottom line is that we have lost and let four goals in and we will start being labelled a soft touch if we are not careful. "I am not happy about the number of goals we keep conceding and I am going to have to do something about it. "That possibly could mean bringing in someone and also changing it round with what we've got here." Stags made just one change with Carl Muggleton returning in goal in place of White. Barker slipped a good early ball into the box that took Boulding to the by-line, but the winger's cross lacked power and was easily cut out. Lincoln's first raid came on six minutes which ended with Buxton blocking Kerr's shot for a corner. On nine minutes visiting keeper Marriott had to make the first save of the game. Boulding showed good close skills in the six yard box before finding Barker who made space for a low close range shot that Marriott blocked, diving to his right. Kerr was booked for a foul on Dawson as Stags tried to break on 12 minutes. Soon after Boulding was only just too high with a cross for Brown. However, Lincoln went ahead on 15 minutes from the penalty spot. The visitors put together a sharp passing movement which was ended when John-Baptiste jumped in with a badly timed tackle that brought down Frecklington. Forester struck his kick to Muggleton's left and, although the keeper got his fingers to it, the power of the kick saw it home. Mansfield were almost level within a minute. Brown slipped Boulding in on goal with a neat pass but the keeper got his body in the way as Boulding tried to poke a finish past him. Amoo sliced a hopeful 20 yard effort well wide for Lincoln while Marriott was safely behind Brown's 25 yard blast as the game hotted up. Marriott safely gathered the first home corner on 19 minutes. Lincoln extended their lead on 23 minutes after Stags left Forrester in acres of space in the box to receive Amoo's cross. Mullins ran across to cover but Forester turned inside him and curled a brilliant finish under the far angle with Muggleton clawing fresh air. Jelleyman flashed a left foot curler over the angle from 20 yards as Mansfield looked for a quick way back into the contest. The sparkling Forrester completed his hat-trick inside the first half hour as John-Baptiste's loose ball in the box found Amoo. He was forced wide but was able to cross to Forrester at the far post where he saw Muggleton acrobatically keep out his first shot but helpless as Forester slotted home the rebound. Frecklington was only jut over with a long range shot on 33 minutes. Brown tried to burst between two defenders a minute later and still managed to get a shot in, despite the pressure on him, but it was straight at Marriott's chest. Marriott was relieved to end up with the ball after a scramble in his box which could have ended with it going anywhere. He was also perfectly placed to take Hamshaw's 20 yard curling free kick. Marriott continued to cover himself in glory with three crucial saves as half-time approached. A long forward ball came off a visiting defender's head and fell kindly for Brown six yards from goal. But Marriott got a hand in the way and then was able to regain his position in time to also block Brown's follow-up. This time the ball rolled to Boulding who was felled in the box by Beevers before he could get a shot away and the referee awarded the penalty. But Marriott was equal to Barker's spot kick and threw himself to his left to parry superbly. Some home fans booed as Stags left the field but, in truth, the score did not reflect the game as Mansfield had played their part with no luck going their way whatsoever. Brown had a chance to pull one back in the first minute of the second half after he did well to control Hamshaw's lofted pass. But from 12 yards he shot the wrong side of the post. Lincoln duly extended their lead on 51 minutes and it was that man Forrester again from another coolly taken spot kick.Mullins caught Mayo with a stretching challenge in the box and there was no question about the award. This time Forrester slotted home a kick low and straight down the middle with Muggleton electing to dive to his left. Stags tried to lift themselves again but Buxton saw Marriott safely down to gather his long range low shot and then Brown was well wide with a header from Hamshaw's cross. Boulding burst into the box on 56 and poked a shot on goal but Marriott was there yet again to deny him. Then Boulding exchanged passes with Brown in the box but Morgan got in a good block to snuff out his attempted finish as home frustrations grew. Shirtliff made a change on 62 with the ineffective Hamshaw withdrawn, Brown dropping to right midfield and Reet coming on to partner Barker. Quickly Brown got in a good chipped cross for Reet but the sub headed wide from six yards. Marriott again pulled off a superb save on 67 minutes to parry a low Brown. But he was finally beaten a minute later as another Brown shot found its way to Reet six yards out and he slipped a finish under Marriott. Amoo was cautioned for his foul on Boulding on 72. Stags continued to throw everything at the Lincoln goal but had to wait until stoppage time for any more reward as Frecklington handled Brown's cross and Barker this time did drill home from the penalty spot. But it was too little too late on an afternoon when Lady Luck was clearly not wearing a Stags shirt.Lincoln head coach and former Stags midfielder John Schofield said: "Obviously we came to try to win the game but not for one minute did I expect to score four goals. "We had a game plan and everyone stuck to it. We mixed our play up, went long for periods and then tried to pass a bit. "That's the way I want to play, attractive football. Jamie was outstanding. The pick of the bunch in a top drawer display from start to finish. "If the four penalties, the first three were definitely penalties – the last one was dubious. But I am glad that came right at the end when the game was won. "In the second half we could have kept the ball a bit better but that's nit-picking. "Mansfield are a good side and will be there or thereabouts at the end of the season." ---------------- theimps.tk Forrester gets 4 and City make it 5 By Nathan Jackson - August 26 2006 Jamie Forrester scored 4 goals against Mansfield Town as the Imps make it 5 straight league away victories as City won 4-2. Forrester not only scored his first goal of the season but also went to the top of the divison's goal scoring charts with 4 very different goals. Mansfield kicked off the game but it was 5 minutes in before something happened. Kerr won the Imps' a corner and surprisingly, Hughes managed to get it over the first defender but it couldn't find it's way into the net as the Stags defence cleared well under pressure. Prolific Mansfield striker, Richard Barker came close to scoring but Marriott produced a fine stop to keep the scores level. The game calmed down again but Scott Kerr received a yellow card, one of the very few Imps have received so far this season. 2 minutes later and City had a chance to gain the lead when Lee Frecklington burst into the box before being brought down by Alex John Baptiste. Forrester and Mayo argued as to who would take the penalty and all the other players seemed to plead with Mayo to let Forrester take it and the defender reluctantly gave the ball to the striker. Forrester stuck hard to ex-Chesterfield goalkeeper, Carl Muggleton's left and it was 1-0 to the Imps and to be fair, it came as a surprise after a game that had been restricted to the central third of the pitch. Simon Brown, who scored his first ever professional goal against the Imps for Kidderminster a few years ago, sent a 25 yard shot towards goal but it was easy for Marriott to save the ball. City then hit Mansfield on a great counter attack when Amoo broke down the right before crossing to Forrester. The striker seemed to set to volley in with his left foot but instead controlled with his right, played with his back to goal and unleashed an unstoppable curling effort that went in at the back post to give him a brace within 20 minutes of the game's start. Amoo was again the creator 10 minutes later when he burst into the box and chipped the ball towards the far post, Forrester's header was saved by Muggleton but the ball fell to him again and he had an easy tap in to score his first hatrick for the Imps and there was only half an hour gone. It was almost 4 less than a minute later when Frecklington sent the ball wide from 25 yards after mixing well with Stallard. Mansfield came into the Imps' half for seemingly the first time since the Imps' scoring spree started and won a free kick for their troubles, it was however easily saved by Marriott. However, a few minutes later and Beevers upended Brown in the area. Barker stepped up and hit his penalty well, however, it was easily saved by Marriott who also collected the rebound well. It was the first time Marriott had saved a spot kick since November 2003. That was the final incident of the first half. Within minutes of the restart and City had a second penalty when Mayo ran onto a ball by Forrester and John Mullins tried to tackle him. There appeared to be minimal contact and Mayo appeared to dive as much as certain World Cup teams and ended up getting the game's 3rd penalty. He again argued with Forrester as to who would take it and after a while of arguing, Forrester took the ball and smashed it straight down the middle of the goal and into the net to make it 4-0 and with 40 minutes left to play, the ground virtually emptied of all home fans. Paul Morgan's defending denied Brown a chance on goal and City easily cleared Mansfield's corner. Hamshaw was replaced by Reet just after the hour mark. Marriott saved well from Brown but with just over 20 minutes left, Mansfield did get one back when Danny Reet tapped home following a scramble and despite appearing to be in an offside position, the goal was allowed to stand. After Mansfield had wasted a free kick, Stallard and John-Baptiste got into a heated argument which caused several other players to separate them. Both were booked for the argument. A minute later and Boulding's goal bound header was headed off the line by Paul Morgan. The game slowed down to a very slot rate and the next noteworthy incident came in the mid-80 minute period when first Stallard was replaced by Gritton and then a minute later, Forrester was applauded off by both sets of supporters as he was replaced by Ryan. Heading towards full time and Paul Morgan apparently handled the ball in the box and Mansfield were awarded another penalty, the game's 4th. Richard Barker did what he couldn't do in the first half and put his penalty away to make it 4-2 but it couldn't distract from a great day for the Imps. ---------- http://www.theimp.lincolnfans.co.uk Forrester Hits town For Four Mansfield Town 2 Lincoln City 4 26th August 2006 It might only be August but Lincoln City highlighted their claims for automatic promotion when they obliterated Mansfield Town at Mansfield on Saturday afternoon. Lincoln City's Head Coach John Schofield made one team change to the side that were eliminated from the Carling Cup in midweek. The change saw Alan Marriott return in The Imps' goal in place of Simon Rayner, who had let in four goals during Lincoln's 4-3 defeat at Scunthorpe United. It was a scrappy start to the match but Lincoln won the game's first corner when Scott Kerr's 5th minute shot was deflected out of play. Jeff Hughes delivered the ball to the near post, where it was headed clear. Two minutes later, Mansfield created their first chance of the match when Lee Beevers was penalised for handball. Jake Buxton's free-kick was met by Ritchie Barker's head, but Marriott was able to punch the ball clear. Soon afterwards, Kerr was cautioned for impeding Stephen Dawson. Lincoln took the lead in the 13th minute when Alex Baptiste was adjudged to have fouled Lee Frecklington inside the penalty area. Taking responsibility for this penalty was Jamie Forrester, whose powerful penalty saw him register his first goal of the season for 1-0 to Lincoln. The game then reverted to it original cagey play, with both sides limited to a few long range shots at goal. Mansfield had the pick of the bunch, when Simon Brown saw his curled 30-yard shot caught by Marriott. By now, Lincoln were enjoying the majority of possession and were comfortably holding on to their lead. That lead was extended in the 22nd minute when Ryan Amoo's superb pass found Forrester. In turn, Forrester dummied his marker before curling a shot into the top-right of the goal to make the score 2-0 to Lincoln City! The old adage about buses seemed to apply equally to Forrester's goals, as he completed his hat-trick in the 28th minute. Amoo cross was head at goal by Forrester but a defender partially cleared. Forrester reacted the quickest to send a low shot into the net for 3-0 to Lincoln City! Mansfield almost pulled a goal back in the 32nd minute when Marriott could only half clear Brown's shot away. Thankfully, his defence completed the clearance by sending the ball out for a throw-in. Mansfield's best hope of scoring was from a set-piece as illustrated in the 37th minute when Hughes fouled Brown to conceded a dangerous free-kick. Fortunately, Marriott was able to catch Matt Hamshaw's goal bound curler. Marriott clearly had a point to prove after facing criticism for his performance against Walsall last Saturday. In a rare Mansfield attack, Brown forced Marriott into a double save, only for Beevers to foul Michael Boulding inside the penalty area. Barker stepped up to take the penalty only to see Marriott punch the ball to safety. The half-time whistled sounded with the scores at a deserved three-goal lead for Lincoln. The question was now: are Lincoln City one half wonders? All was about to be revealed. It was thought that the questioned was answered within three minutes of the second half beginning when Forrester scored his and Lincoln's fourth goal. Once again, it was from the penalty spot after Johnny Mullins had fouled Paul Mayo. Three minutes later, Mansfield had a good chance but Brown headed Hamshaw's cross wide. Although 4-0 down, Mansfield were now ironically enjoying the majority of the possession. This lead to Boulding having two shots blocked in and around the 55th minute mark. Five minutes later, Mansfield replaced Hamshaw with Danny Reet in the game's first substitution. Reet was immediately involved when he headed Brown's cross wide of the post. Then in the 65th minute, Reet's aiming improved when he converted Brown's cross to make the score 1-4 to Lincoln. The goal also signalled Mansfield's second substitution when they replaced Jonathan D'Laryea with Callum Lloyd. Imps' fans might care to remember that it was D'Laryea who earlier this week had expected Lincoln to play a different style - see here! Paul Morgan came to Lincoln's rescue in the 67th minute when he headed Brown's shot off the goal line. Amoo collected a caution when he fouled Boulding in the 69th minute. Baptiste and Mark Stallard would quickly join him in the referee's notebook. It between, Mullins had curled a shot just wide. For some strange reason, Lincoln City play the two halves of a match completely differently. Yet again, the second half performance was vastly different to the first, with Mansfield looking by far the better team - although in fairness, Lincoln were 4-1 ahead! As the game drew to a close, Stallard and Forrester were replaced by Martin Gritton and Ollie Ryan respectively. Both players were on the field to witness Mansfield score their second goal. Having won a 88th minute corner, they were further rewarded for a possible foul by Frecklington on Barker inside the penalty area. Barker placed the penalty past Marriott to put his earlier miss behind him. The match would end as Mansfield 2 Lincoln City 4. |
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