Archived News from January 2007
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DEARDEN, BUXTON AND COLEMAN REACTION
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Stags fear the worst on Coke injury
CHAD website, 17 January 2007 BILLY Dearden may be forced back into the transfer market if the news on midfielder Giles Coke is as bad as expected this week. The youngster was stretchered off midway through the first half of last night's 3-2 defeat at Accrington and the inital assessment was knee ligament damage. "I have to say it doesn't look too good for Giles and I am very disappointed for the boy," said Stags boss Dearden. "He can't straighten it and we were going to send him to hospital. But there is too much swelling to look at it properly just now so he has had an injection in it until the swelling goes down." It was just part of a disappointment night overall as Stags crashed to a disappointing 3-2 defeat against a very average Accrington side. Mansfield did so well playing their football in Saturday's 3-1 win at Hereford. But they were not given anywhere near as much time last night as a very physical and direct Accrington simply outbattled the visitors. After gifting Accrington an early goal, Stags hit back to led 2-1. But after Stanley levelled, Mansfield wasted two great chances before the home side grabbed a winner. "At half-time I didn't think we deserved to be 2-1 up and I told them so," said Dearden. "I thought it was a very poor show. "We gave them a very sloppy goal after 25 seconds through the goalkeper and centre back not sorting it out between them. "We did come back to lead 2-1. But we didn't get the ball down and pass it like I wanted. We were out-battled "I praised them for the way they played on Saturday but this one was the exact opposite and they have let themselves down. "I expected Michael Boulding to put his chance away when the keeper kicked it to him. He could have gone round him. "I was very disappointed with the goals against us. "No doubt I will spoil my day looking at the video again today. There were so many mistakes from both sides it was unreal. "It was probably a good game if you were not involved with any of the teams, but both managers saw a lot of mistakes from their players. "After Saturday I fully expected to win this one. Now they have got to pick themselves up." League Two leaders Walsall are the visitors to Field Mill on Saturday. SWEET AND SOUR FOR STAGS DAWSON Evening Post, 17 January 2007 Mansfield Town's Stephen Dawson insisted he would gladly have swapped his first goal of the season for three points at Accrington. The Irish midfielder netted his first goal of the season and his first since his Stags debut in August, 2005, to put his side 2-1 up just before the break. But Stanley fought back in the second half to win 3-2, leaving Dawson to reflect on what might have been. "It was good from a personal point of view for me to score, just as it was good for me to play my first game after such a long time out, at Hereford on Saturday," he said. "I know that is an area of any game that has been lacking and I knew if I kept getting forward then the chances would come and I would eventually take one of them. "But the fact the goal has come in a match we have lost has taken the gloss off it and it's bitterly disappointing. "I would much rather we'd have won the game and not scored. I would always take that." He said: "I can only apologise to the fans who have come up here for the game because that was not an acceptable performance. I am not pointing the finger at anyone because I think it is a team thing. "We did have some chances at the end but we didn't really deserve anything. So we just have to try to lift ourselves again for the Walsall match this Saturday." MANSFIELD PUNISHED FOR THEIR MISTAKES Evening Post, 17 January 2007 Billy Dearden admitted Mansfield were "out-fought and out-battled" in their 3-2 defeat at the hands of struggling Accrington Stanley. "We didn't deserve to be 2-1 up at half-time after a poor show and I told the players that," said Dearden. "I told them to go out in the second half, pass the ball and play football. But we never did. "We made mistakes and we were punished for it." Giles Coke looks to be out long-term with ligament damage after being forced off in the first half. ACCRINGTON RELIEF Evening Post, 17 January 2007 John Coleman is urging his side to build on a rare home victory as they look to avoid relegation back to the Conference. Stanley are in danger of losing their league status just a year after earning it. But the Accrington boss hopes the success over Mansfield will be the start of an unbeaten run. He said: "It was a dream start for us. I have said that we haven't had much luck but they gifted us the opening goal. "We then took control of the game but we still went in at the break 2-1 down. "It was a great goal that Welchy scored. I kept telling them that they should blast any shots from free kicks. "It was a massive boost for us and now we have to make sure that it is not a false dawn." --------------- Audio interviews with captain Jake Buxton and manager Billy Dearden from BBC Radio Nottingham here ------------ Evening Post website: BILLY DISAPPOINTED WITH DEFEAT Accrington manager John Coleman hopes their 3-2 home win over Mansfield "isn't another false dawn" for his relegation-threatened side. It was only Stanley's second league triumph in 14 attempts and Coleman knows the Reds now need a run to pull away from the bottom-end of the table. Coleman said: "We beat Wrexham on New Year's Day and thought we would go on a run and we didn't so we have got to make sure we don't get too carried away even though it's a massive result for us. "We could have let our heads go down when we went 2-1 behind especially after our recent results but we have got a tremendous spirit here and now we have got to take it into Wycombe on Saturday. "I believe we can get something there and now we will go with our confidence high." Coleman also confirmed he is chasing two Conference strikers and may make a bid for a central defender this week. Meanwhile, Mansfield manager Billy Dearden was disappointed as it was a good chance for his side to put some distance between them and the bottom sides. "We were out-fought and out-battled and the players have been told that and one or two of their heads have dropped," he said. "It was a great result on Saturday against Hereford but we have gone the opposite way and let ourselves down. We did not play well at all. We missed some really good opportunities and I am just so very disappointed. "I don't want to look at the video but I'll have to and I think I'll be amazed at how many basic mistakes there were for both sides." He also confirmed highly-rated midfielder Giles Coke may be out for a while after injuring himself in a tackle. "Giles had damaged his knee ligaments and I am disappointed for the lad. We will let the swelling go down but it doesn't look good." |
Latest | January 2007