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Archived News from September 2009

DUFFY HAT-TRICK SEALS COMFORTABLE WIN OVER HAYES
30th September 2009 14:32


Blue Square Premier
Mansfield Town 3 - 1 Hayes & Yeading
Duffy 37, 48 pen, 60 pen. S.Canham pen 58.
Attendance: 3,180 (48 from Hayes & Yeading)

Date: 26 September 2009

Martin Shaw at Field Mill

Mansfield Town comfortably beat lowly Hayes & Yeading at Field Mill thanks to a hat-trick from Rob Duffy - the first hat-trick by a Stags player since Michael Boulding against Shrewsbury in April 2008, shortly before we were relegated. The Stags took the lead after 37 minutes when Hayes keeper spilled a low cross and Duffy swept the loose ball home from close range. Jake Speight earned the Stags a penalty early in the second half which was converted by Duffy. A horrible mix-up between Luke Graham and Marriott gifted Hayes a penalty which Scott Canham converted, but within two minutes Speight won a second penalty which Duffy again converted. Marriott made a couple of superb saves to preserve the two goal cushion and the Stags ran out comfortable winners. Duffy and Speight put in fine performances, as did Marriott, and Stevie Istead played well as a first half substitute for the injured Kyle Nix.

Man of the match: Rob Duffy

Stagsnet player ratings in the Match Centre

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report from official H&Y site:
Mansfield Town 3
Hayes & Yeading United 1

A game of three penalties went the way of Mansfield Town as Hayes & Yeading United went down to their third two goal defeat in a row.

Manager Garry Haylock shuffled his squad and changed his formation in an attempt to arrest a poor run of form which saw his side winless in the previous five games. In came George Daly to partner Sean Canham up front in place of Esmond James and Toby Little was preferred to Dale Binns on the left hand side making a 3-5-2 formation.

For much of the first half, the two sides were evenly matched. United had two early half chances. James Mulley hit a shot from outside the area following good work from both Marc and Sean Canham but he placed it straight at Mansfield goalkeeper Alan Marriott. Then a long Matt Ruby throw in was flicked back by Sean Canham into Little's path but his header drifted across goal and wide.

United had a wake up call at the back as Kyle Nix floated in a dangerous free kick which Robert Duffy headed inches wide of the far post. However, they were in an attacking mood and Ram Marwa's shot from Daly's clever pass was goalbound until Luke Graham deflected it into the side netting.

The action hit a lull until Little attempted another header which was an easy catch for Marriott. However, on 35 minutes, Mansfield got the ball in the net when Ryan Williams's throughball was headed beyond Simon Overland and into the near post corner by Jake Speight. Unfortunately for him, he'd just run too early and was flagged offside.

It was only two minutes afterwards that the opening goal was scored by Mansfield, as Lee Briscoe's cross was fumbled by Overland and Duffy had a straightforward finish.

Just three minutes into the second half, the first of those penalties was awarded as Speight went down under the challenge of Adam Green whilst contesting Briscoe's throw in. Duffy claimed his second goal by sending Overland the wrong way.

United got another shot on target when Danny Allen-Page cut in from the right flank and let fly from 25 yards, but Marriott was equal to his drive, diving to catch the ball to his right.

Substitute Scott Fitzgerald was to make a big impact soon after coming on as United were awarded the second penalty. Marc Canham's throughball was chested away from Sean Canham by Scott Garner but past his own keeper Marriott, who seemed surprised to find Fitzgerald challenging the ball and fouled him in the process.Sean Canham beat his outstretched hand to plant the ball int he right hand corner.

But United's hopes of applying pressure for an equaliser were dashed just three minutes later as Ryan Williams flicked the ball up onto Tom Cadmore's hand in the penalty area and another penalty was awarded. Duffy completed his hat-trick by sending Overland the wrong way.

Little tried his luck from 30 yards but Marriott was again able to keep out the long range effort. Meanwhile Overland held onto Speight's header despite an awkward bounce right in front of him.

United remained committed to chasing the game and Sean Canham's pass down the left flank allowed Fitzgerald the room to cross for Binns whose header was brilliantly tipped wide by Marriott. Two minutes later Marriott foiled Binns again as his low shot was blocked following Sean Canham's pass throguh a crowded penalty area.

However, Mansfield steadied themselves and were able to play out the rest of the match without further threat to their lead, and Speight almost increased the advantage but lifted his shot too high, and in stoppage time, Cadmore got in a block to deny Steven Istead following tricky on the left from Levi Porter.

Report by Nick Bell.

Photos by Ray Peploe.

United Man of the Match: Sean Canham.

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Evening Post report:
Superb Duffy hits three
A HAT-TRICK from Rob Duffy propelled Mansfield to their second home win inside five days after victory over Hayes and Yeading this afternoon.
It was a far from perfect performance by the Stags as they failed to rediscover the form that had seen them inflict on Oxford their first defeat of the season on Tuesday night.
But they still did enough to overcome a struggling side who have just one win to their name all season.
The result was enough to lift Mansfield back up into the Blue Square Premier play-off spots.
Early on, Kyle Nix whipped in a right-wing free-kick that was just out of Scott Garner's reach.
But it was the visitors who got in the first shot on target, although Alan Marriott dealt with James Mulley's 20-yard drive with a degree of comfort.
A long throw from Hayes' Matt Ruby caused problems and Toby Little might have done better when he headed wide at the far post.
Duffy was inches from giving Mansfield the lead when his flick header, from another Nix set piece, beat Simon Overland but dropped just wide of the left-hand post.
A misplaced pass allowed Duffy to let fly from the edge of the box in the 16th minute but his effort was charged down.
Mansfield were forced into a change in the 21st minute when Nix limped off after a late tackle by Mulley that saw him yellow carded.
Miway through the half, Hayes and Yeading struggled to clear a free-kick but Louis Briscoe was crowded out before Duffy volleyed wide from a difficult angle.
Mansfield thought they had broken through in the 35th minute when Ryan Williams' measured cross from the left was glanced in by Speight, only for the striker was ruled offside.
But it was 1-0 to the Stags two minutes later after a glaring error by United keeper Simon Overland.
Briscoe's right-wing centre was straight into his arms but he dropped the ball at Duffy's feet, who gratefully rolled the ball home from close range.
Mansfield went in search of a second and Williams played in Speight who was again halted by an assistant referee's flag.
The Stags were soon 2-0 in front after the restart when they were handed a 49th minute penalty.
Jake Speight was adjudged to have been tripped by Adam Green as he sped into the box with ball at feet, but the decision looked a little harsh.
But Duffy was not bothered about that as he sent Overland the wrong way from the spot, finding the right-hand corner for his second of the afternoon.
Hayes and Yeading responded with a drive from Danny Allen-Page but Marriott was right behind it.
Gary Silk then tried a rare shot from way out but effort was always rising over the top.
Hayes and Yeading were gifted a way back into the game just before the hour after a mix-up between Marriott and Graham.
The keeper called for the ball but the centre back intervened and as the ball ran loose, Marriott brought down Fitzgerald. Sean Canham stepped up to make it 2-1 from the spot.
A third penalty in a matter of minutes gave the Stags the opportunity to restore their two goal lead after the ball struck Tom Cadmore on the arm in the box following good work from substitute Levi Porter and Speight.
Duffy again stepped up and this time placed his kick in the opposite corner to complete his treble.
Soon after a Williams free-kick was headed on target by Clare but Overland gathered.
But United were not finished and only a superb save from Marriott kept out a Dale Binns header from a pinpoint left-wing Fitzgerald cross.
And the keeper was alert again to charge off his line and block another close range finish from Binns.
As the game drifted into the final ten minutes, Steven Istead burst forward from midway inside the Hayes and Yeading half before curling a shot over the bar from 20 yards.
In stoppage time, Istead tried his luck again but this time his low effort was blocked.

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Mansfield Town 3-1 Hayes and Yeading, Saturday 26th September
CHAD report, 26 September 2009
By Tim Morriss and John Lomas
A ROB Duffy hat-trick - including two penalties - gave misfiring Mansfield Town their second win in five days against Hayes and Yeading on Saturday afternoon.

http://www.chad.co.uk/stags/Mansfield-Town-31-Hayes-and.5681725.jp

In a match of three penalties in 12 second half minutes (none of which, remarkably, led to a yellow card), the Stags failed to hit the heights of the midweek win over Oxford - but fully deserved the three points that took them back into the play-off zone.

The otherwise excellent visiting keeper Overland spilled a 37th minute Briscoe cross and the alert Duffy slotted in his fifth goal of the season from close range to give the Stags a deserved lead.

Moments earlier a referee's assistant's flag had denied the Stags a 35th minute lead. Williams' dinked cross into the area was cleverly headed in by Speight, but he was judged to be offside.

However, there was a second goal four minutes into the second half. Speight was brought down by Mills as he ran across the area and Duffy calmly placed the spot kick into the bottom corner, his sixth goal of the season.

But in the 59th minute the visitors were handed a lifeline, a mistake by Graham leading to Marriott bringing down Fitzgerald and Sean Canham tucking away the penalty.

Just two minutes later, though, yet another penalty, the third of the match, restored the Stags' two-goal lead. This time Fitzgerald was harshly judged to have handled and Duffy rolled his hat-trick spot kick into the other corner - his seventh goal of the season.

However, the Stags were then indebted two a couple of vital saves from Marriott to preserve the lead as they struggled to find the intensity and level of performance which had toppled leaders Oxford in midweek against sometimes over-physical opponents.

Mansfield, unchanged despite midweek injury worries, were looking for a second home win in five days after Tuesday's win over leaders Oxford.

That meant striker Rob Duffy retained his starting place, while for the third successive match there was no keeper on the bench as Sandercombe recovered from a quad muscle strain.

This was the first time the Stags had played the BSP newcomers, although they did meet with Hayes in the FA Cup in the 90s.

Hayes, playing a 3-4-1-2 formation, were looking for a second win of the season over the 90 minutes -although they have been awarded the three points after Gateshead refused to complete their match earlier in the season after a serious injury to a player.

Hayes had an early let-off when a Nix free kick bounced through everyone across the six yard box and into touch.

But Yeading had the first shot on target on three minutes when Mulley turned outside the box and fired straight into Marriott's midriff.

The visitors came even closer on five minutes from a long throw by Riby from the right. It was cleverly backheeled across goal at the near post by Daly and Little flicked a header wide.

Green was booked a minute later for hacking down Speight. Keeper Overland came for Nix's free kick but was outjumped by Duffy who saw his header drop inches wide of an open goal with home fans convinced it was about to drop in.

Marwa saw a low shot cannon off Graham for the game's first corner which Stags comfortably cleared.

It was a scrappy affair littered with mistakes and few real chances though Duffy had a shot charged down at one end and Little's centre was just too high for Daly in a swift Hayes counter.

Nix had earlier been left limping for a few minutes after an off-the-ball collision with Cadmore. He seemed to have recovered but when he was then chopped down by Mulley on 20 minutes, the Hayes man booked for the foul, it was the end of the afternoon for the Stags midfielder, Istead on to replace him with just 21 minutes on the clock.

Marwar saw the third yellow card for his trip on Speight, the free kick seeing Briscoe have a shot blocked and then Duffy well off target from a tight angle on the right when he would have been better off to cross it for a team mate.

Speight was the target of foul after foul and he needed treatment after another crude challenge from behind but this time it was a warning only for Cadmore.

Marriott did well on 35 minutes to get down and hold onto a dangerous low cross by Little after good work by Mulley.

The Stags keeper then sent Williams on his way with a good throw to counter attack and his dinked high ball to the near post saw Speight race in and beat the keeper with a delightful backheader.

But his celebrations were halted by the sight of an offside flag.

Stags must have wondered what it was going to take to find the net at this point. But they were offered a helping hand two minutes later.

Overland somehow spilled a Briscoe cross from the right and the alert Duffy was on hand to slot home from five yards and give Stags the lead at last.

The second half began with Mansfield wanting the cushion of a second goal – and it came within four minutes.

Speight went down under the challenge of Green as he cut into the box from the right. He did seem to go down easily but the referee decided that Green had fouled him and pointed to the spot.

Duffy stepped up to stroke the coolest of penalty kicks low to the right of the keeper

Hayes responded with a 25 yard effort from Allen-Page that had Marriott diving to his right to gather.

Stags forced their first corner of the game on 54 minutes which was cleared to Silk in space 30 yards from goal and he blazed well over to the groans of the home fans.

However, a mistake by Graham on 58 minutes giftwrapped the visitors a way back into the contest they had rarely looked capable of grabbing on their own.

Shepherding the ball in his own box, Graham did not hear Marriott's call and chested the ball out of reach of the keeper which gave possession to sub Fitzgerald.

Marriott slid in to try to block him but could only bowl him over and concede the penalty which Notts county loanee Sean Canham buried high to Marriott's left.

Incredibly the referee awarded a third penalty kick within two minutes, this time to the Stags.

Porter found Speight to the left of the goal and, as the Stags striker tried to flick the ball over Cadmore, it struck the defender on the arm. The referee decided the defender had moved his arm towards the ball though it looked a close call.

But Duffy made no mistake in completing his hat trick with another ultra-cool, almost nonchalant, tap-in, this time to the keeper's right.

It was his last contribution as he walked off to huge applause to allow Clare a run out.

Speight headed at Overland from a Williams free kick in Mansfield's next threat.

Istead sliced over from distance for Mansfield.

But Marriott preserved Stags' two-goal advantage with a fantastic save on 74 minutes.

Hayes broke well down the left and the subs combined as Fitzgerald crossed for Binns in front of goal who met it with a good header that Marriott acrobatically turned over.

From the corner Ruby produced an on-target header which Marriott clutched above his head on the line with Hayes players unsuccessfully claiming the ball was over.

Two minutes later Binns was denied again as Scott Canham fed him into the box and his low shot was blocked by the keeper's spread body.

Istead and then Sean Canham were then both too high with long range attempts at either end as we played out the last few minutes

Allen-Page was added to the Hayes cautions in stoppage time for a late tackle on Porter.

MANSFIELD TOWN: Marriott, Silk, Garner, Graham, Armstrong; Briscoe (Porter 59mins), Somner, Nix (Istead 21mins), Williams; Duffy (Clare 64mins), Speight. Subs: Gardner, Sturrock.

HAYES AND YEADING: Overland; Cadmore, Ruby, Green (El-Abd 84mins); Allen-Page, M. Canham, Marwa (Binns 69mins), Little; Mulley; S. Canham, Daly (Fitzgerald 52mins). Subs: Rochester, Baker.

REFEREE:Mr Billy Khatib, of Sunderland.

BOOKINGS: Hayes and Yeading - Green, foul 6mins; Mulley, foul 20mins; Marwa, foul 26mins; Allen-Page, foul 90mins.

ATTENDANCE: 3,180 (48).

CHAD MAN OF THE MATCH: Speight.

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