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Archived News from July 2012

PRE-SEASON FRIENDLY: GAINSBOROUGH 0 STAGS 0
26th July 2012 12:25



Friday 20 July 2012
Gainsborough Trinity 0-0 Mansfield Town
Att: unknown

(4-3-3): Marriott; Beevers, Pilkington, Jones, Benjamin (trialist); Hand, Clements, Tolley; Stevenson, Green, Rhead.

Subs
46: Meikle for Stevenson (injured).
61: Dyer for Rhead
61: Howell for Hand
67: Wright for Green
67: Sutton for Beevers
72: Roberts for Clements

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Paul Cox post match interview on Takeover 106.9/Mansfield Matters with Craig Priest

It was an excellent work out for us. They have had some fantastic results in pre-season and you can tell why they are up there with favourites for Conference North title.
They worked us well.
For 60 minutes we looked strong.
we looked a little unorganised after 60 minutes after we made the substitutions.
Gainsborough didn't have a shot in first 60 minutes.
For 60-70 minutes we did well against a tough side, and I was impressed with our fitness.
I learnt a lot about individuals tonight.
We came to a hard place and ground out a decent result.
I thought we had a the best chances and were a bit unlucky on a few occasions.
Lee Stevenson was coughing up blood so an ambulance was called to make sure he was ok. We hope he's ok and fit to resume training on Monday.
Lindon [Meikle] when he came on looked lively.
[On Sam Benjamin] - I need to sit down and talk with Sam to see what his feelings are on joining us. But he's not done bad. Though he's one of a number of players we're talking to.
Against Hucknall on Monday we'll give people game time who haven't played tonight. It's important we give people game time.

transcribed by Martin Shaw

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Mansfield Town held 0-0 at Gainsborough Trinity in pre-season friendly
chad.co.uk report by John Lomas

MANSFIELD Town fought out a full-blooded 0-0 pre-season friendly draw at Gainsborough Trinity tonight.

http://www.chad.co.uk/sport/football/mansfield-town-fc/mansfield-town-held-0-0-at-gainsborough-trinity-in-pre-season-friendly-1-4761896?utm_medium=twitter&utm_source=twitterfeed

Although they failed to win or create as much as they would have liked, it was still a third clean sheet in three friendlies for Paul Cox's men away to the side beaten in last season's Blue Square North play-off final.

The step-up in quality of opposition was evident as the tackles flew in thick and fast on a cool, wet, damp misty that felt more like November than July.

A bigger black cloud was that Stags midfielder Lee Stevenson finished the night in hospital after coughing up blood following a challenge that saw him leave the field at half-time.

“We hope Lee will be okay to resume training on Monday but our physio called an ambulance at half-time to get him looked it,” said Cox.

“That was an excellent work-out. They have had some fantastic results pre-season and you can see why they are up there as favourites. They worked us very hard.

“I thought for 60 minutes we looked very strong. But once we started to make substitutions, we started to look a bit disjointed and it was only then Gainsborough had their first shot. But we need to get players minutes on the pitch.

“We do need to be a bit more cohesive going forward. But we have come to a very hard place tonight and ground out a decent result.”

Gainsborough began the game with three ex-Stags, Ryan Williams, Jon D'Laryea and Paul Connor, with a fourth, Jason White, on the bench.

In the fifth minute Roma was caught in possession by Green to start a move which ended with keeper Budtz having to help a deflected Stevenson cross over his bar.

Young did well to beat Green to a Rhead flick, but the game was largely an even midfield battle.

However, on 25 Beevers launched a long ball in from the right which Rhead was unable to help on but did enough to see the ball bounce invitingly for Stevenson whose crashing half-volley came down off the underside of the bar.

The Stags midfielder claimed it had crossed the line but the officials disagreed and the score remained 0-0.

Stevenson then needed treatment for what looked to be a shoulder injury after a flying aerial challenge with Holy Blues' skipper Leary.

Rhead was again causing all sorts of problems, winning a header from a Benjamin throw, despite two opponents all over him, and, seconds later he fired a 20 yard half-volley just wide of the far post.

Trinity finally had a goal attempt on 33 minutes as a half-cleared free-kick reached Williams 25 yard from goal, his hurried first time shot well wide.

But the interval arrived with the scores still level.

Stevenson appeared to still be troubled by the shoulder injury as he left the field and he was replaced for the second half by Meikle.

An elbow by Waterfall on Rhead earned Stags a free kick 25 yards out which Tolley blazed straight at Leary.

Hand was then lectured for a nasty tackle on Leary.

A low Tolley effort from the edge of the box found the sidenetting after more great work from Rhead to set him up.

Marriott had work to do on 61 minutes as ex-Stags Williams and D'Laryea combined, Williams' pulled-back cross from the right by-line reaching D'Laryea, his low shot forcing Marriott down to parry to his right.

Meikle's delicate ball over the defence then invited Green to have a go, but he shot wide of the near post.

A Howell shot took a huge deflection off Waterfall which sailed up and over the bar with Budtz stranded.

Promising youngster Hawkridge cut back onto his left foot to swerve a decent effort just wide of the near post as the deadlock remained.

Marriott helped a Stamp header over for the second of two home corners.

The referee wanted words with Sutton or his late tackle on Wilde, then, as the home side began to finish the stronger, Roberts was horrendously late on Stamp which saw players piling in to remonstrate with him.

Three minutes from time a neat move from the home side ended with a clear shooting chance for Leary, from which the advancing Pilkington did just enough to force him to shoot wide.

Meikle saw a shot deflect just wide, after being get up by Howell, and didn't even get the corner.

Dyer was flattened by a challenge from behind in the last action of a physical and well-contested game which will have been of huge benefit to both sides.

GAINSBOROUGH: Budtz, Roma, Ridley (Wilde 56), Waterfall, Young, Leary, D'Laryea, R. Williams, Clarke (J. Williams 76), Connor (Stamp 63), Yates (Hawkridge 54).

STAGS: Marriott; Beevers (Sutton 68), Pilkington, Jones, Benjamin; Hand (Howell 63), Clements (Roberts 72), Tolley; Stevenson (Meikle HT); Green (Wright 68), Rhead (Dyer 63).

REFEREE: Craig Grundy.

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Gainsborough 0-0 Stags
Andrew Webb reports from The Northolme Ground for mansfieldtown.net

Mansfield Town maintained their unbeaten start to pre-season with a goalless draw against Gainsborough Trinity at the Northolme.

http://www.mansfieldtown.net/page/NewsDetail/0,,10325~2856272,00.html

In a game of few chances, the Stags once again opted to rotate his squad with 17 players in total enjoying a work-out on what was a cold night in North Lincolnshire.

The Stags began brightly and Lee Stevenson almost found the net with the first chance of the game on four minutes, when his cross-cum shot forced a back-peddling Jan Budtz to tip the ball over the woodwork.

Matt Green almost found an opening on 12 minutes when he reached the end of a long ball out of defence from Luke Jones. However, the Stags talisman was unable to find space in a crowded area and eventually conceded possession to Trinity centre-half Luke Waterfall.

Stevenson connected with a pinpoint right-wing cross from full-back Lee Beevers to rattle the woodwork shortly afterwards, before Matt Rhead fired wide from the edge of the box on the half-hour mark as the Stags began to look more menacing in their attacks.

No further chances were to be had by either team prior to the half-time interval, with the only other incident of note being an innocuous shoulder injury picked up by Stevenson, which forced the former Eastwood Town man to be replaced by Lindon Meikle.

Four minutes after the re-start Jamie Tolley fired a powerful free-kick straight into the body of Michael Leary and the game soon began to develop into a feisty contest as Jamie Hand and Waterfall were penalised for full-blooded challenges.

On the hour mark, Alan Marriott was at full-stretch to prevent Jonathan D'Laryea from opening the scoring, after the Gainsborough midfielder found space inside the area after linking up with Paul Connor.

Ross Dyer and Anthony Howell replaced Rhead and Hand respectively in a double-substitution on 62 minutes, with Howell coming close only four minutes later with a deflected effort from the edge of the box that sent Budtz scurrying across goal in order to keep it out.

Gainsborough then enjoyed two chances in quick succession, firstly as Terry Hawkridge flashed an effort wide of goal from distance, and then as Connor tested the reflexes of Marriott with a looping header following a right-wing corner from Ryan Williams.

Leary wasted a golden chance with only three minutes left on the clock as he fired wide of goal under pressure from George Pilkington inside the area, before Meikle was unable to convert the final chance of the game after a ball from Howell played him through on goal.

After the game, manager Paul Cox commented: "Tonight was a fantastic workout for us and for 60-70 minutes we looked strong against a good Gainsborough side.

"I thought we had the best chances during the game and the lads are getting fitter and stronger with each outing, which is the main thing in pre-season.

"Lee Stevenson was coughing up blood, which was why he went off at half-time. He's gone to the hospital as a precaution, but should be okay for Monday's game at Hucknall Town."

Mansfield Town: Alan Marriott, Lee Beevers (Ritchie Sutton 68), Luke Jones, George Pilkington, Sam Benjamin (trialist), Jamie Hand (Anthony Howell 62), Chris Clements (Gary Roberts 72), Jamie Tolley, Lee Stevenson (Lindon Meikle 46), Matt Rhead (Ross Dyer 62), Matt Green (Nick Wright 68).

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THE66POW
http://the66pow.blogspot.co.uk/

Friday, 20 July 2012
Gainsborough Trinity 0 v Mansfield Town 0 - Pre Season Friendly

Friday 20th July 2012, at the Northolme

Admission £6, No programme issued

Friday night football, arranged thus, because the Mansfield Town chairman is going to be busy for the rest of the weekend, tying the knot with the clubs CEO Carolyn Still, at a ceremony in Barnby Moor, near East Retford (my invite must be delayed in the post ... eh guys!?).
Worksop Town were originally meant to be hosting the Stags tonight, but they had to pull out of that arrangement, because the Tigers don't actually own their own ground (they're tenants to Worksop Parramore FC, of the NCEL Premier Division) and after arranging the game, found out that the Windsor Food Services Stadium (AKA Sandy Lane) wasn't actually available on today's date.
However, it all worked out OK in the end for Mansfield, because it meant they got to play against last season's Blue Square Bet North play off finalists, instead of a mid table Evo-Stik side.
So all's well that ends well.
It was good to see Steve Hymas and Andy Saunders, two of the recently departed Stags directors, who are bankrolling the newly formed CMFL (North) club, AFC Mansfield, present at the Northolme, to give their support to their first love ... The Stags.
The side Mickey Taylor has assembled at the new club, look, on paper at least, to be odds on favourites to win their league this season.
But obviously a few of the more established clubs at that level, will be wanting to put that theory to the test and there are bound to be a few interesting encounters along the way.
I'll definitely be going down to Forest Town a few times this season, to see how it all unfolds for them.
Good luck to everyone involved with the new venture.
But, you've got no chance when you visit Harworth!
But I digress ... It wasn't actually a dirty game tonight, but neither side were especially bashful at times, about going in firmly, but (borderline) fairly.
Though goalmouth action and slick passing football wasn't exactly on the menu, on this damp and drizzly night in the Wild West of Lincolnshire, you couldn't accuse the players of not being committed.
Possibly, the surface rain on the lush grass, gave one or two of the heavier tackles an element of 'exaggerated acceleration' and made them look worse than they were intended ... but either way, there was definitely the potential for this game to turn 'a little bit feisty' on a couple of occasions. But it never spilt over into actual confrontation.
Matt Rhead (Mansfield) v Luke Waterfall (Trinity), had quite an intriguing contest throughout the night, both on and off the ball.

For those of you watching in black and white ... Trinity are in all yellow,
while the Stags are wearing navy shirts and white shorts.

Trinity's vastly experienced centre half, Michael Leary, was involved in both teams best goal scoring opportunities, which both came in the second half.
When the Stags Matt Green, cued up an angled shot on goal from 10 yards out, Leary managed to have a crafty tug at his shoulder on the ref's blind side, that caused Green to lose his footing at the vital moment. One of the oldest tricks in the book, but also one of the most effective too ;-)
And at the other end, inside the final 5 minutes, Leary smashed the ball narrowly over the bar from ten yards out.
Anthony Howell also had a decent effort on target for the Stags from outside the box, but Greg Young managed to block it and deflected the ball over the bar.
Gary Roberts, a second half substitute for the Stags, got himself yellow carded, for making the sort of challenge that isn't in keeping with the protocol of pre season warm up matches.
He's a fiercely competitive player and no mistake, but, err ... there's a time and a place for that kind of stuff ... and Friday night, in a friendly at the Northolme, doesn't tick either of those boxes.
On the whole, the visitors had started the game in a lively fashion and pegged Trinity back for around twenty minutes, without actually causing them too many problems.
But then, all too often, they seemed to adopt a long ball, direct approach. Which the home sides defence was dealing with pretty effectively.
Lindon Meikle came close to scoring a late winner for the Stags, against the run of play, but it deflected wide off a Trinity defender, again ... on the ref's blind side and he awarded a goal kick.
Trinity, to their credit, tried to keep the ball down and played a passing game ... they certainly finished the stronger of the two sides and were perhaps a bit unfortunate not to nick the result in the end.
The 'Holy Blues' certainly gave Mansfield a game tonight and a few things to think about, especially in the second half.
Lee Stevenson of Mansfield had to go off, half way through the game, after getting hurt following an accidental knock.
An ambulance was called when, by all accounts, he had coughed up some blood.
And it was decided that it would be common sense for him to get it checked out at hospital, as a precautionary measure.
Hopefully he's feeling OK very soon.

Full time 0-0
Posted by Ian Communicado

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