Archived News from April 2009
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HISTON PREVIEWS AND COMMENTARY LINK
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Commentary of Tuesday's game at Histon will be brought to you free-to-air by BBC Radio Nottingham online. Follow the link here. Commentary will be by David Jackson and Martin Shaw.
Remember that you need to have RealPlayer installed on your machine. ------------------ Boss: Stags can beat top sides in Conference Evening Post, March 31, 2009 DAVID Holdsworth believes the way his Mansfield side have performed against some of the Blue Square's Premier's top teams proves they have nothing to fear at Histon tonight. Full story at Evening Post website here The fourth-placed Stutes have only lost once in the league at home all season and have a reputation of being a tough and uncompromising long ball side. But Holdsworth, who has promised changes to his line-up at the Glass World Stadium, is quietly confident his side can meet the challenge. The manager points to the Stags having competed well with those teams gunning for promotion. "A lot of things have changed since December 29. Standards have risen and now when we take a step back, we don't fall down like a pack of cards," said Holdsworth. %3Cbody%3E%3Cdiv%20id%3D%22adDiv%22%3E%3Ca%20href%3D%22http%3A//ads.anm.co.uk/ADCLICK/CID%3D0000b139f7f5f6ff00000000/AAMSZ%3D452x118/POS%3D/SITE%3DTHISISNOTT/AREA%3DFOOTBALL/SUBAREA%3D/ARTICLE%3D860209/acc_random%3D9128247818/pageid%3D/RS%3D10307.%22%20target%3D_top%3E%3Cimg%20src%3D%22http%3A//iad.anm.co.uk/house/1x1.gif%22%20alt%3D%22Click%20here%21%22%20border%3D0%20%3E%3C/a%3E%3C/div%3E"I think fans would have seen a defeat in the Torquay game earlier in the season. "But I believe every club represents what their manager is about and I want us to be positive. "We have seen the likes of Oxford and Cambridge and Torquay and Crawley as well, and we have not been walloped by any of them. "It shows that we are set up in the right way and if we can add substance in certain areas and tidy up in others we have got the makings of a very good squad." Adie Moses, Scott Garner, Louis Briscoe, Rob Duffy and Alan Marriott all have slight knocks but Holdsworth is hoping they will all be available. Meanwhile, Mansfield have drafted in former Notts County striker Spencer Weir-Daley on loan. The 23-year-old was released from his contract at Meadow Lane by mutual consent in January. Holdsworth said: "He has a good pedigree and wants the chance to show what he can do. "He has got bags of pace and he is a good finisher and he is keen to impress." ------------- BBC Radio Nottingham audio interview with Scott Garner here Garner enjoying Conference life BBC.co.uk Mansfield defender Scott Garner has said his game has stepped up a level since joining the Stags. The 19-year-old, who has had a loan spell at Ilkeston Town, arrived at Field Mill in January from Leicester. Garner told BBC Radio Nottingham: "It's a lot more enjoyable [Conference football] because you're not getting injured every week. "You're playing with and against talented players... I have improved a lot here." Garner said: "You can tell their experience by where they put the body and how they use it - that's hard to play against sometimes. "There is more passing in reserve football and the Unibond is like a big fight but I enjoy playing in this in-between level." Garner said he is learning a lot from the more experienced players at Field Mill. "Adie Moses helps me out... in a normal training session he'll be advising me on positioning. "He must have improved my game 10 or 15% by playing next to him," he said. Garner, who began his career as a trainee at Leicester, won the Blue Square Premier player of the month award for January. -------------- Stags prepared for Histon battle CHAD.co.uk, 31 March 2009 By Stephen Thirkill MANSFIELD Town travel to Histon tonight knowing they must prepare for a big battle. Full story at CHAD.co.uk here The Cambridgeshire side are currently flying high in the Blue Square Premier play-off zone, with their physical long-ball game blowing many sides away. But Stags are going into the game full of confidence after their excellent 1-1 draw against TorADVERTISEMENTquay proved they can more than match the division's top sides. And winger Ryan Williams, who was many people's man of the match against the Gulls, knows only too well about Histon's threat after they beat his former Weymouth side 5-2 earlier in the season. Said Williams: "They are a route one side who play to their strengths, but they are up at the top end of the league for a reason. "They have a long throw and we are going to have to battle and compete well. "Our back four are playing well as a unit as they can cope with what Histon will throw at us. "When I was at Weymouth they kept scoring from set-pieces, it wasn't a 5-2 game." Boss David Holdsworth is expected to make changes from Saturday's draw, but Moses, Garner, Briscoe and Marriott are all expected to overcome knocks and be available for selection. ------------ Marriott: Stags will have to scrap at Histon Evening Post, March 31, 2009 IN the 1990s, Cambridge United almost followed in Wimbledon's footsteps in making it all the way to the top flight of the English game. Full story at Evening Post website here Managed by John Beck, the Us' direct style was not one for the purists, but with players such as Dion Dublin, Alan Kimble and Steve Claridge, it was certainly effective. Fast forward a decade and it is the same kind of approach that is working for Beck again, just up the road from Cambridge in Histon. As first team coach under Steve Fallon, his influence has been undeniable as Histon have proven themselves to be one of the best sides in the Blue Square Premier this season. Having made the remarkable rise from the Eastern Counties League Division One, they are now the team no-one wants to play. %3Cbody%3E%3Cdiv%20id%3D%22adDiv%22%3E%3Ca%20href%3D%22http%3A//ads.anm.co.uk/ADCLICK/CID%3D0000b139f7f5f6ff00000000/AAMSZ%3D452x118/POS%3D/SITE%3DTHISISNOTT/AREA%3DFOOTBALL/SUBAREA%3D/ARTICLE%3D855200/acc_random%3D5137742540/pageid%3D/RS%3D10307.%22%20target%3D_top%3E%3Cimg%20src%3D%22http%3A//iad.anm.co.uk/house/1x1.gif%22%20alt%3D%22Click%20here%21%22%20border%3D0%20%3E%3C/a%3E%3C/div%3EMansfield beat Histon 1-0 at Field Mill in their second game of the season but were subsequently docked the three points when it transpired they had fielded players not correctly registered. First choice Mansfield goalkeeper Alan Marriott was still a Rushden and Diamonds player at that point. But the 30-year-old has seen the Stutes in action and is well aware of the challenges a trip to the Glass World Stadium is likely to pose. "Histon are going to be a complete contrast in style from Torquay, who showed on Saturday (in a 1-1 draw) they like to play a bit of football," said Marriott. "It is going to be route one and they get the ball into the box as much as they can to create chances. "It is not going to be an easy place to go. It isn't an easy place for anyone to go. "We know it is going to be a battle and a physical encounter and I know I am going to be kept busy along with everyone else." Marriott is one of those players whose future next season is already secure, having signed an extension to his original 18-month deal to remain with the club until 2011. But he is not about to get complacent after a good run of clean sheets at the start of his Stags career. In fact, he feels the security will bring out the best in him. He said: "The season is still very much alive as well because people are playing to stay in the team for contracts and for personal pride. "Some players thrive on the pressure to perform if they want to secure their future. "Others are at the other end of the scale who like to have things sorted so they can just get on with the job and concentrate on their football. "I'm probably in the latter of those two schools, so it pleasing to have got an extension to the deal I had in the first place." Marriott has been delighted with the way Mansfield have defended since he was brought into the team at the start of David Holdsworth's reign. He says Gary Silk, Adie Moses Scott Garner and Paul Mayo have all played their part. "The back four has got a lot of experience and we have played a lot of games between us except for Scott Garner who is a very good player," said Marriott. "It is a combination of a good defence and then everyone communicating and talking to each other. "It is important that we all know what each other is doing – and we do. "It is also about defending from the front and the midfielders and strikers have done a fantastic job." The form of Garner has particularly impressed Marriott, who believes the teenage central defender has a bright future in the game. He said: "Scott is a great defender but at the same time he has lots of things he can work on. "I think if he just tidies up on a few bits and pieces then he has got all the qualities to make Mansfield Town a lot of money and for him to have a good career." -------------- Histon v Mansfield BBC.co.uk Striker Danny Wright is set to miss out again for Histon with a hamstring injury, but Lee Roache is pushing for a place after regaining match fitness. Jamie Barker is a major doubt after a recurrence of a rib injury so Neil Andrews is poised to start in midfield. Curtis Woodhouse returns to the Mansfield midfield after missing the 1-1 draw at the weekend to win his 10th straight fight as a professional boxer. Midfielder Matt Somner is available after serving a suspension. ------------ Stags to give Weir-Daley trial Evening Post, March 30, 2009 MANSFIELD are to give a trial to former Notts County striker Spencer Weir-Daley. Full story at Evening Post website here The 23-year-old had his contract with the Magpies cancelled by mutual consent in January after struggling to win a first team place at Meadow Lane. The Leicester-born player, who began his career as a trainee at Nottingham Forest, has been training with the Mansfield squad today. And he is likely to get a run out for the Stags' reserves, although they are not in action this week. "He is a young man who has a good pedigree," said Mansfield manager David Holdsworth. %3Cbody%3E%3Cdiv%20id%3D%22adDiv%22%3E%3Ca%20href%3D%22http%3A//ads.anm.co.uk/ADCLICK/CID%3D0000b139f7f5f6ff00000000/AAMSZ%3D452x118/POS%3D/SITE%3DTHISISNOTT/AREA%3DFOOTBALL/SUBAREA%3D/ARTICLE%3D855265/acc_random%3D3669121848/pageid%3D/RS%3D10307.%22%20target%3D_top%3E%3Cimg%20src%3D%22http%3A//iad.anm.co.uk/house/1x1.gif%22%20alt%3D%22Click%20here%21%22%20border%3D0%20%3E%3C/a%3E%3C/div%3E"He wants the chance to show what he can do and we can have a look – to me it's a no brainer. "He has got bags of pace and he is a good finisher and he is keen to impress." ------------------ Stags take former Forest player Spencer Weir-Daley on loan CHAD.co.uk, 31 March 2009 By Stephen Thirkill FORMER Forest striker Spencer Weir-Daley has joined Mansfield Town for a trial this week. Full story at CHAD.co.uk here Weir-Daley, who was released by Notts County in January, will train with the club and could feature in a reserve team outing in two weeks time. Boss David Holdsworth said: "He is a good player with a good pedigree and is keen to show us what he caADVERTISEMENTn do. "He has got bags of pace and good ability. We will give him a chance to show us what he can do and take a look at him." ------------ |
Latest | April 2009