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Archived News from April 2009

BRISCOE FIRES STAGS TO COMFORTABLE WIN
8th April 2009 21:33


Blue Square Premier
Mansfield Town 2 - 0 Ebbsfleet United
Briscoe 22, Duffy 47.
Attendance: 1630 (50 from Ebbsfleet)

Date: 7 April 2009

Martin Shaw at Field Mill

Mansfield Town were comfortable 2-0 winners over Ebbsfleet United at Field Mill on Tuesday night. Goals from man of the match Louis Briscoe, his first for the club, and Rob Duffy, his seventh of the season, were enough to secure the three points. Meanwhile the defence was rarely tested and Alan Marriott had little to do to earn another home clean sheet, the seventh in 8 games under David Holdsworth. There were some encouraging performances for the Stags with debutant Oliver Hotchkiss catching the eye in midfield, while Briscoe showed why manager Holdsworth rates him so highly with a terrific display.

Highlights from the Stagsworld audio commentary with Martin Shaw and David Jackson, here

Man of the match: Louis Briscoe

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report from KentNews.co.uk:
Fleet's good run comes to an end
Mansfield Town 2 Ebbsfleet United 0

The Fleet's three-match winning streak was abruptly ended by a clinical Mansfield Town side at Field Mill on Tuesday night.

With John Martin being recalled by Stevenage Borough, boss Liam Daish handed PASE graduate Michael West his full debut, while Sacha Opinel returned to defence and Giuseppe Sole was handed a recall.

The first of three games in a week, for the second week in a row, didn't appear to be evident in the early stages of the game and West's enthusiasm presented his side with their first chance on three minutes as he supplied Ricky Shakes whose cross caused confusion in the Mansfield ranks.

Fleet then won two corners that saw Michael Gash and James Smith go close, but there were warning signs from the home side and the ever-threatening Louis Briscoe bothered the Fleet defence with the first of many crosses on eight minutes, while on 16 minutes he fed Daryl Clare with a well-crafted pass but Darius Charles did well to put the striker off his shot.

But just as the Fleet travelling contingent were beginning to get into full voice, their side fell behind. On 22 minutes Clare lofted a pass into space that got the better of Opinel and Briscoe took advantage, executing a good run and shot past Lance Cronin.

The Fleet kept plugging away, utilising Shakes for the most part who was proving much quicker than his marker and the best opportunity on 32 minutes saw Mark Ricketts and Shakes combine to present Gash with a shooting chance, but his effort from distance was well held by goalkeeper Andy Marriott. The goalkeeper again got in the way of a speculative Sole effort from a corner as the Fleet kept pressing.

With two minutes to go until half-time, Cronin almost gifted the home side a second as he hacked an Opinel back pass straight at Briscoe, but the Mansfield goalscorer blazed his shot wide with the goal at his mercy.

Any thoughts the Fleet had about getting back into the match were undone within 90 seconds of the restart. Ryan Williams caught the Fleet defence napping and sent a decent cross towards the far post where Rob Duffy rose highest to glance the ball in off the woodwork.

There was still plenty of openings in the game though it had started to peter out in the last 20 minutes. Clare forced Cronin to save with his legs after rounding Crooks, though the Fleet defender had earlier denied Briscoe. And it was Clare again on 78 minutes who looked certain to score after Williams' low shot was parried by Cronin, but the Fleet goalkeeper recovered to avert the danger.

Substitute Danny Slatter kept Marriott working with a shot at the other end while Shakes got the better of Curtis Woodhouse to play in George Purcell and he in turn crossed for Gash who forced Marriott into a smart save, but that was the last of Fleet as an attacking force as their winning streak came to an end.

TEAM: Cronin, Crooks, Opinel (Purcell 60), Charles, Smith (Stevens 86), Ricketts, Long, West, Sole (Slatter 72), Gash, Shakes.
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