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Archived News from August 2009

SPRIGHTLY SPEIGHT INSPIRES STAGS TO SLAUGHTER
24th August 2009 10:49


Blue Square Premier
Mansfield Town 4 - 1 Barrow
Duffy 27, Speight 66, Clare 78 pen, 90+0 pen. Walker 61.
Attendance: 3188 (106 from Barrow)

Date: 18 August 2009

Martin Shaw and Neil Shaw at Field Mill

Mansfield turned in another good display to dispatch Barrow 4-1 at Field Mill on Tuesday night. With the game tied at 1-1 after a bad mistake by Somner gifted Barrow an equaliser, manager David Holdsworth brought on Jake Speight and Daryl Clare. Speight scored with his second touch, having the won the ball with his first touch! Then Clare scored a brace of penalties. Thus Holdsworth deserves much credit for this victory. Incidentally, it was the first time since the start of the 1964-65 season that the Stags had scored four goals in each of the first two home games (thanks to Svante Bernhard for pointing out this fact via a text message a few minutes after the final whistle).

Stagsnet report in the Match Centre

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North West Evening Mail
http://www.nwemail.co.uk/afc/no_stags_party_for_barrow_afc_1_599769?referrerPath=afc
NO STAGS PARTY FOR BARROW AFC
Last updated 22:51, Tuesday, 18 August 2009

CENTRE-HALF Phil Bolland was sent off as Barrow AFC slumped to a 4-1 defeat at Mansfield Town in the Blue Square Premier tonight.

Bolland got his marching orders in the 74th minute for a foul in the penalty box. It was a second yellow card of the night for the 32-year-old summer signing.

Darly Clare converted the resulting penalty kick to make it 3-1 to the Stags, who bagged earlier goals through Rob Duffy (26) and substitute Jake Speight (65).

Jason Walker had equalised on the hour mark with Barrow's first goal in open play this season.

To rub salt into the Barrow wounds, the hosts made it 4-1 in the 86th minute when Paul Jones was adjudged to have committed a foul in the box and Clare once again netted from the spot.

It was a night on which Barrow picked up seven yellow cards, including the two for Bolland.

The Bluebirds have taken four points from a possible 12 since the start of the 2009/10 season.

Attendance: 3,188 (160 of whom were Barrow fans). (edit by Martin - was actually 106)

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Stags 4 Barrow 1
Evening Post

DAVID Fairclough eat your heart out – Mansfield Town have their very own 'super-sub.'
http://www.thisisnottingham.co.uk/football/Match-report-Stags-4-Barrow-1/article-1263758-detail/article.html

It was the Liverpool striker who earned the reputation as the best in the business in the 1970s for his predatory strikes off the bench.
But Jake Speight, signed by David Holdsworth from Droylsden in summer, isn't doing a half-bad impersonation.
With Mansfield wobbling a little after a Barrow equaliser, Speight was introduced into the action in the 64th minute for opening goalscorer Rob Duffy.
And within a matter of seconds he had changed the course of the game with an inspired 20-yard strike to put the Stags back in front – and back in control.
It was Speight's first involvement as he drilled powerfully into the left-hand corner with a low first-time effort after Perry and Jones had tangled for the ball to send the home fans wild.
It followed his goal on the opening day in the 4-0 home win over Crawley, again after coming off the bench.
What the diminutive winger-cum-forward gives Mansfield is raw pace against tiring defenders.
And manager Holdsworth waited until just the right time to unleash the speedster as he gave the Stags attack an extra dimension.
Fellow-sub Daryl Clare went on to make the scoreline emphatic with his first and second goals of the season – both from the penalty spot.
But it was Speight who sprung Mansfield into life and deserved a real pat on the back – and no doubt got one – from his manager.
The first half was a tight, at times niggly affair, as the teams largely cancelled each other out.
That owed much to the fact Barrow played 4-5-1 and piled men behind the ball, clearly setting their stall out for a point.
But Mansfield's patience eventually paid off in the end – despite Matt Somner gifting Barrow an equaliser midway through the second half.
The hosts showed their attacking intent early on as Duffy's flick found Louis Briscoe who forced Stuart Tomlinson into a diving, but comfortable save.
An 11th minute free-kick almost brought a breakthrough as Ryan Williams delivered the ball to the far post for Kyle Perry whose header back across the face of goal was cleared from the path of Briscoe at the last second.
But the Stags went in front in the 26th minute to give the vast majority of those in Field Mill a big lift.
Kyle Nix played a neat ball out to Williams who advanced to the left byline before crossing hard and low.
Boyd, in trying to clear, diverted the ball into the path of Duffy, who swept the ball home first time from the edge of the six-yard box.
Barrow replied with a long-range attempt from Jason Walker but Alan Marriott dealt with it easily.
A fortunate ricochet saw Briscoe burst clear but as, he tried to nick the ball past Tomlinson, he overran it and a goal-kick resulted.
There was a nervous moment for Briscoe soon after the restart when his back pass to Marriott was short but the keeper raced off his line to get there just ahead of Robin Hulbert.
At the other end, another pinpoint Williams free-kick was glanced goalwards by Scott Garner and pushed away by Tomlinson at full stretch.
Duffy should then have made it 2-0 when he was brilliantly teed up by Briscoe but he shot straight at Tomlinson.
As Mansfield hit a purple patch, Perry raced onto a long ball but drilled wide of the near post as the angle was getting tighter and tighter.
However, the Bluebirds drew level out of nothing. Somner's back-pass was woefully short and though Marriott managed to tackle Carlos Logan, the rebound fell for Walker, who lobbed calmly into an unguarded net.
But the Stags fans were not down in the mouth for long as Speight hammered an unstoppable drive past Tomlinson.
From then, Mansfield really started to open up Barrow, but Perry headed over with the goal at his mercy from Williams' measured centre.
However, they did earn a two-goal cushion when Phil Bolland pulled back Perry, was sent off for a second booking and Clare, on for Duffy, drilled home the spot kick.
The former Rushden striker was then fouled by Paul Jones in added time and again stepped up for the penalty to send Tomlinson the wrong way.
By then the terraces were rocking as the supporters celebrated another four goals and home win.
Roll on Saturday and the visit of Ebbsfleet.

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Mansfield Town 4 v 1 Barrow, Tuesday 18th August
CHAD.co.uk, By John Lomas
Inspired substitutions for the second time in four days once again saw Mansfield Town home to another victory against Barrow's bruisers in a Field Mill thriller on Tuesday night.
http://www.chad.co.uk/stags/Mansfield-Town-4-v-1.5565524.jp

Just as it seemed a poor Matt Somner backpass had gifted the Bluebirds an unlikely point on 61 minutes, Jason Walker wiping out Rob Duffy's 26th minute strike, David Holdsworth sent on Jake Speight and Daryl Clare on 64 minutes.

Within a minute Speight had netted and Clare then added two perfect spot kicks on 78 and 90 minutes to ice the cake as Stags made it three wins from four.

Only on Saturday Clare had come off the bench to spark the moment that produced Kyle Perry's winning goal.

It was the expected physical encounter with Barrow having six different men booked and Paul Bolland sent off for a second yellow in giving away the first penalty

Stags also had two booked but had more than enough on both the physical and footballing front to maintain their superb start to the season with another home game with Ebbsfleet ahead on Saturday.

As expected, Mansfield were unchanged from the side which won at Salisbury on Saturday, including the bench which made such a big second half impact.

That meant fit-again skipper Gary Mills had to sit in the stand while Clare was left waiting for his first start of the season.

With just Walker up front, the Bluebirds made their intentions clear from the start.

On two minutes Duffy flicked on a Marriott kick and Briscoe ran out to steady himself and rifle a low 18 yard shot at goal which forced Tomlinson to dive to his left to gather.

A poor touch from Marriott put himself under pressure as he cleared into the stand ahead of Walker. And when Barrow worked the throw-in to Boyd, Somner's advancing presence was enough to force him to miscue his shot.

The taking of a home free kick was held up as the referee went to his assistant who was flagging for something happening off the ball and Barrow's burly defender Jones was given a lecture.

When the kick was taken, Williams picked out Perry at the far post and headed across goal where Briscoe was unable to apply a finishing touch.

Stags were furious when the referee failed to spot Perry being held down in the box and then refused them a clear corner as the visitors cleared the danger.

Stags cleared the visitors' first corner and Boyd was wide from over 30 yards as the ball came out to him.

After a decent spell of possession for the visitors, Logan was warned for a dive as he lost the ball to Somner.

But on 21 minutes the first yellow card did arrive for Barrow after Hulbert went in with studs showing on Somner.

Bolland did well to clear a telling Briscoe cross away from in front of goal and once again the referee decided to give a goalkick instead of the home corner.

Perry chased a Williams ball down the left, beating Jones and crossing only to see Duffy unable to get any real direction on his final header.

Duffy produced the big breakthrough in the 26th minute. Nix fed Williams on the left and he crossed hard and low in front of goal where Boyd blocked, but couldn't stop the ball rolling to Duffy who swept home from close range.

Three minutes later Duffy was unceremoniously chopped down in the middle of the park by Bolland who was shown the second yellow card of the night.

Bond found Walker with a right wing cross and the Barrow striker controlled well and turned only to balloon a poor finish that was easy for Marriott to catch.

Briscoe might have doubled the lead on 34 minutes as he got past Jones to go clear. But the keeper advanced quickly and did enough to force Briscoe wide and the moment was gone.

Duffy was twice penalised for fouls in challenges with Jones and then needed treatment after a clash of heads with the same player.

Spender was booked four minutes from the break for a cynical trip on Williams as the winger turned him and Nix followed a minute later for a late tackle on Rutherford.

In stoppage time Williams was desperately unlucky as he ran at the Barrow defence, cut inside three defenders and with everyone expecting a 20 yard blast, instead tried a deft chip which had the keeper watching nervously as it just cleared his crossbar.

Deeper into time added on, a free kick was touched short to Boyd who lashed an effort goalwards from 25 yards which Marriott was always behind to preserve the interval advantage.

Williams had Tomlinson reaching for a good early cross as Mansfield began the second half on the front foot.

But a poor back pass from Briscoe almost let Hulbert in on goal, Marriott doing superbly well to race out his box and clear before the Barrow man could capitalise.

Somner was booked for kicking the ball away soon after. When Hulbert did get into a shooting position a few minutes later, Jones was there to make the block.

Spender was lucky when a loose ball ran to him and his sliced shot was headed just wide by Walker who was offside anyway. But it was clear Barrow had decided they were going to have a real go.

The home crowd were delighted to see the aggressive Jones become booking number six for taking Perry's standing leg from under him and also to see the diminutive Williams then charging in to wrestle the ball from Jones.

The resulting free kick saw Garner get a header on target which Tomlinson parried.

Duffy continued to be a handful and headed over and saw Tomlinson clear just ahead of him before forcing a good 56th minute save with a first time side-footed effort from Briscoe's low pull-back.

Briscoe wanted a penalty for handball after he tried to lift the ball over Bolland and it was blocked.

Then Perry sliced a shot wide after a good run down the left as the Stags began to get back on top.

But Mansfield committed hari-kari on 61 minutes as another dreadful backpass, this time from Somner which put Logan in on goal. Marriott again did superbly to rush out his box and make a sliding tackle but was then on the floor helpless as Walker lifted the ball into the empty net from 25 yards.

A great 20 yard shot on the turn by Logan was blocked by Marriott soon after to prevent further damage.

Holdsworth immediately made a double swap with Clare and Speight thrown on for Duffy and Briscoe with 21 minutes to go.

And that immediately did the trick as Speight restored the lead within two minutes.

Perry's challenge saw the ball run loose to his left where Speight looked up and drilled a low unstoppable 20 yard finish just inside the left post. Clare then headed well over from Perry's far post cross.

Before Williams took Stags' third corner of the night, Walker was cautioned for a foul earlier in the move that had led to the flag kick.

Then Williams did well to recover another short Somner pass and make space for a low shot that bounced wide.

Perry should have sealed the win on 76 minutes when Williams' brilliant lofted far post cross found Perry unmarked seven yards from goal only to get under the ball and see his final header fly over.

But he made amends a minute later as he tenaciously shielded the ball as Bolland held him in the box and ultimately hauled him down for a penalty.

Already booked, that was the end of Bolland's night with his second booking and the defender held the game up as he trudged deliberately slowly the length of the pitch.

Finally up stepped Clare with 12 minutes to go and blasted a perfect low penalty inside Tomlinson's right hand post and send the home crowd wild.

Logan curled a free kick well over for Barrow before Clare made it a spot kick double in the 90th minute.

A disconsolate Jones tripped Clare in the box and the striker stepped up to send the ball the other side of a helpless Tomlinson.

Dugdale saw the night's ninth yellow card five minutes into stoppage time as the final whistle ended Barrow's misery.

STAGS: Marriott; Silk, Jones, Garner, Armstrong; Briscoe (Speight 64mins), Somner, Nix, Williams; Perry, Duffy (Clare 64mins). Subs: Sandercombe, Istead, Graham.

BARROW: Tomlinson, Spender, Newton, Jones, Bolland, Hulbert, Bond, Boyd (Dugdale 71mins), Walker, Logan, Rutherford. Subs: Deasy, Pearson, Sheridan, Taylor.

REFEREE: M. Brown.

ATTENDANCE: 3,180 (edit by Martin - was actually 3188) (106).

GOALS: Stags - Duffy, 26mins; Speight, 66mins; Clare (pen), 78mins; Clare (pen) 90mins. Barrow - Logan, 61mins.

BOOKINGS: Stags - Nix (foul, 42mins), Somner (unsporting behaviour, 47mins). Barrow - Hulbert (foul, 21mins), Bolland (foul, 29mins), Spender (foul, 41mins), Jones (foul, 52mins), Walker (foul, 70mins), Dugdale (foul, 90mins).

SENDING OFF: Barrow - Bolland (foul, 76mins).

STAGS MAN OF THE MATCH: Ryan Williams.

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