Archived News from April 2008
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PREVIEWS
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Mansfield v Wrexham
BBC.co.uk, 31Mar2008 A training accident looks to have ruled Wrexham's Neil Roberts out of the game and Danny Williams is also sidelined. Steve Evans and Robert Duffy are back in training but unlikely to feature, though Danny Sonner could return. Mansfield boss Paul Holland will choose from the same squad that drew 0-0 with Notts County on Saturday. Lee Bell remains the only absentee with medial knee ligament damage and the midfielder is not expected to feature again this season. ---------------- Keeper should be fit for Mansfield Evening Post, 31Mar2008 GOALKEEPER Carl Muggleton should be fit to face Wrexham, despite admitting to soreness in his groin after Saturday's match with Notts County. The veteran, 39, has only just returned after missing matches against Bradford, Grimsby and Bury with the injury. But boss Paul Holland today confirmed the former Leicester man should recover in time to be available against the Red Dragons. Full story at Evening Post website here --------------- Stags aiming to pass their way to safety CHAD.co.uk, 31Mar2008 PAUL Holland said Stags would continue to try to play their way out of trouble when bottom club Wrexham visit Field Mill for a must-win game tomorrow night. Seven points from safety with only seven games left, Mansfield boss Holland said: "A point tomorrow is no good to either side so I don't think they will be coming here for a draw. "That may help us and it could be a good, open game of football. "We will try to pass the ball. That is the only way we can play. In the games where we have got it down and passed it we have looked a very good team. "We do not have the personnel here to play the long ball and percentage game. We will keep trying to do the right things and hope we get our rewards." Full story at CHAD website here He concurred with the general opinion that anything less than three points would be disastrous. "Yes, this is a must-win game," he said. "It is a massive game. People identified this fixture a couple of months ago as crucial. But I am confident if the lads are prepared right and we play as we can then we will win it. "Our home game against Barnet on Saturday is must win too really, realistically we need a minimum of four points but preferably six this week. "We know Wrexham are a big team and Drewe Broughton is a handful up front. But if we get the ball down and pass it as we did on Saturday there are not many teams in this league can cope with our tempo. "Since I have taken over five games have produced four good performances which you would take over a season. We now have to turn performances into results." Stags took a massive 3,317 following to Meadow Lane for Saturday's 0-0 draw and he hopes many will return tomorrow in Mansfield's hour of need. "The fans were magnificent on Saturday as they always are at Notts County and have been brilliant all season," he said. "I urge everyone to come down tomorrow and get behind us against Wrexham and in the rest of the games we have left." Despite some good attacking displays and a first clean sheet in 16 outings on Saturday, the Stags have only scored three times in their last six games, two of them at Bradford. Holland admitted: "We have to start taking the chances we are creating, though I would be more worried if we were being beaten and not creating any chances. If we keep creating chances somewhere along the line they will go in. "I was good to get a clean sheet and we need to produce some more between now and the end of the season. It was a decent defensive performance and we defended better as a team as well as playing some good football in the first half. Some believe the two relegation places are now between three sides but Holland said: "Macclesfield have had a couple of good results but still have a very hard run-in. Dagenham and Redbridge are slipping back into it and Chester are as well and they only have five games left." The off-field club takeover happenings, which reached new heights of incredulity late last week, have made Holland's job harder as he tries to focus his players on the relegation battle. He said: "My job last week to was keep things quiet and play the down. It didn't help us – the players hear things. "But it was all quiet on Sunday and so far today and hopefully it will stay that way until kick-off so we can concentrate on what is happening on the pitch." -------------------- Let's get focus back on pitch and fill Mill, says chief exec ahead of £10 game By Tim Morriss, CHAD.co.uk, 31Mar2008 STAGS chief executive Stephen Booth has called on fans to continue to back the team in their relegation battle – and recreate the passionate atmosphere from Saturday's derby at Notts County. Tuesday's match with Wrexham has a reduced admission of £10 for adults - £6 for students/OAPs and £4 for juniors. Voucher holders from the previous home match with Grimsby will be admitted for £5/£4/£3. Full story at CHAD website here Mr Booth said: "Let's get the focus back on the pitch and forget all that is going on off it. "The players need the fans' support. We still have a great chance to stay up – seven winnable games. "Let's see the passion from Saturday at Field Mill on Tuesday – and again on Saturday. Two home game in five days, it is a great chance for us. "On Saturday the fans were fantastic, they out-sung the County supporters and I think Notts were embarrassed. "Our supporters generated a great atmosphere. Let's see 3,500 home fans at the Mill on Tuesday. That would be nice." ---------------------- Hamshaw's anger over bid Evening Post, 31Mar2008 Matt Hamshaw today put on record his opposition to a takeover of Mansfield by John Batchelor. The former York City chairman launched his bid to buy the Stags at the end of last week. But midfielder Hamshaw is worried by the businessman's apparent disdain for Stags fans. He feels it would be a bad move for the club to pass into the hands of someone who could drive away long-standing supporters. "You want people to come into the club and invest money to try to make it successful," said Hamshaw.. "But if someone is saying they aren't interested in what the fans think, then that can't be good. Full story at Evening Post website here "Supporters are the most important thing to any club. If he has said he doesn't want to engage with supporters, which apparently he has, that's wrong - and we don't want people like that involved. "It does act as a distraction, especially with the Harchester thing, but as players we just have to concentrate on the games." The first of those against Wrexham tomorrow night is a game in hand for both sides and gives them a chance to make up some ground. Hamshaw feels the losers will almost certainly go down. He said: "If we beat Wrexham I think that would put them down and, if it went the other away, it would look grim for us. "Wrexham is massive because the winners of the match can still survive in my book. We have to make sure it is us." Hamshaw had the opportunity to grab a last-gasp win in the 0-0 draw at Notts County in stoppage time, only to blaze wide from a tight angle. -------------------------- |
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