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Archived News from September 2012

COX,STEVENSON,TAFAZOLLI, ALAN DEVONSHIRE REACTION
20th September 2012 21:26



Essex Chronicle
Iron manager Alan Devonshire said he was also bitterly disappointed with the result adding: "We should have done much better particularly when attacking and in the first half when we had three or four good chances to have scored.

"At this level of the game you have to take those chances when they come along, if not you pay the penalty for missing them and that's what happened to us today.

"I've still a young side and they are still learning but we need to find the net when we have some chances.

"In the second half we just didn't seem to pass the ball to each other properly and if you don't at this level you get quickly punished.

"They are a big side, particularly at the back, so you've got to work your way around them but we didn't and disappointingly nobody took on that responsibility."

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video interviews with Paul Cox, Lee Stevenson and Ryan Tafozolli:
http://www.mansfieldtown.net/news/article/cox-we-looked-solid-368818.aspx?pageView=full#anchored

Cox: We looked solid

Manager Paul Cox was quick to praise his side after our home victory against Braintree Town at One Call Stadium this afternoon.

Goals from Lee Stevenson and Jake Speight ensured we earned three valuable points to move up to eighth position in the Blue Square Bet Premier table.

Speaking shortly after the final whistle, our boss was evidently delighted with the result.

Cox said: “It was a good team performance. The whole side looked very solid and one thing I thought today was that we were never going to be broken down.

“But credit to Braintree, I thought they were a good side. They're very solid, well-organised and they gave us a good game.”

Ryan Tafazolli was handed his debut for the club and played in the heart of a three-man defence alongside Exodus Geohaghon and Ritchie Sutton.

And Cox was highly impressed with how the youngster performed.

He continued: “For such a young boy, he was immense. He looked commanding, dealt with everything really well and he's also quite articulate with the ball too.”

“He had an excellent debut and for a 20-year-old lad, he looked more like an experienced 33-year-old centre-half.

“If he plays like that for the rest of his career, then he has a very bright future ahead of him.”

On a positive day at One Call Stadium, Jake Speight struck his fourth goal of the campaign to maintain his average of one goal per every 86 minutes on the pitch this season.

Our boss added: “The good thing about Jake Speight is that he will still get fitter and stronger. There is definitely more to come from him.”

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Stevenson told Mansfield 103.2: "we can't play that formation in every game. We couldn't play it against Luton who have got ggod wingers."

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VIEWS FROM THE DRESSING ROOM:
Mansfield Town manager Paul Cox tells BBC Radio Nottingham (audio interview):
http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/football/19528105

"I never thought Braintree were going to break us down and we looked solid and the three centre backs looked solid.

'It is one result and nobody is getting carried away but the boys have come in there with a smile on their face.

"There's more to come from the lads, and the lads have got rid of this little bit of anxiety. The lads were starting to come in and look like they were not enjoying their football but it's amazing what a win can do."

Braintree Town manager Alan Devonshire told BBC Essex:

Play media"I'm really disappointed. We didn't pass it, we just lumped it. They are a very direct side and they just banged it and threw it in the box, and we started doing the same.

"It's not something we wanted to do. We wanted to get it into people's feet and play. We just didn't pass the ball at all, in any shape or form.

"We've come a long way in a year and I'm not going to let it end up going like this.

"It was a poor, poor performance from us."

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Enjoy your football, Mansfield Totwn boss Paul Cox tells players
chad.co.uk, By John Lomas

PAUL Cox has told his side to start enjoy their football as they ground out a nervy 2-0 home win over Braintree Town on Saturday.

http://www.chad.co.uk/sport/football/mansfield-town-fc/enjoy-your-football-mansfield-totwn-boss-paul-cox-tells-players-1-4928053

Said Cox: “We were only at 60 per cent today. We seem to play with an awful lot of anxiety at home.

“I have told them to go out there, put a smile on their faces and enjoy playing football, especially in the last third.

“In the build-up to the game some of them were walking around as if they had the world on their shoulders.

“I was pleased that we looked strong, kept our shape and Braintree never looked like they were going to break us down.

“I thought we passed the ball well at time, too, and it was good to score two goals and keep a clean sheet.

“I still have belief in the boys and think we will be there or thereabouts. That is not being arrogant. We must stick to our principles, work hard and keep our mindset and we have as good a chance as anyone.”

Cox added: “I thought Lee Stevenson looked a threat all game and Jake Speight did what he was brought in to do.

“These players will get fitter and stronger. Ryan Tafazolli was absolutely immaculate on his debut for such a young boy.”

Braintree boss Alan Devonshire said: “I was disappointed today.

“We had three or four good chances in the first half. But in the second half we didn't pass the ball and just ended up lumping it.

“We had a go after half-time but just stopped passing the ball. Against a big side like Mansfield you have to try to pass round them and no one took responsibility.

“But we go on and we now move on to the next one.”

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Stags' Stevenson delight with goal in Mansfield Town's 2-0 win over Braintree
chad.co.uk

MANSFIELD Town's Lee Stevenson marked his first start of the season with a goal in Saturday's 2-0 win over Braintree and admitted: “There was probably a bit of frustration in that finish but I have enjoyed it today.

http://www.chad.co.uk/sport/football/mansfield-town-fc/stags-stevenson-delight-with-goal-in-mansfield-town-s-2-0-win-over-braintree-1-4928058

“The gaffer told me to be patient and take my chance and that's what I have done.”

Debutant Ryan Tafazolli, who featured as part of a three-man defence in a 3-4-1-2 line-up, added: “I was anxious today as I wanted to do well on my debut and show the fans what I can do.

“The fans were great and really behind us and that made a big difference today. They stuck with us.

“I am hoping we can take this momentum into the next game now and start climbing the table.”

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Mansfield Town boss Paul Cox purrs over Tafazolli debut
Nottingham Post

MANSFIELD Town boss Paul Cox was quick to praise young debutant Ryan Tafazolli for his part in the Stags' solid 2-0 victory over Braintree Town.

And he hopes the commanding performance of the 20-year-old is a sign of things to come.

Tafazolli played in the heart of a three-man defence alongside Exodus Geohaghon and Ritchie Sutton as the Stags shrugged aside previous defensive problems to keep a clean sheet.

Cox said: "For such a young boy, he was immense. He looked commanding, dealt with everything really well and he's also quite articulate with the ball too.

"He had an excellent debut and for a 20-year-old lad, he looked more like an experienced 33-year-old centre-half.

"If he plays like that for the rest of his career, then he has a very bright future ahead."

Goals from Lee Stevenson and Jake Speight saw Stags move up to eighth in the table and Cox added: "It was a good team performance.

"The whole side looked very solid and one thing I thought was we were never going to be broken down.

"But credit to Braintree, I thought they were a good side. They're very solid, well-organised and they gave us a good game.

"It is one result and nobody is getting carried away but the boys have come in with a smile on their face.

"There's more to come from the lads, and they have got rid of this little bit of anxiety.

"They were starting to come in looking like they were not enjoying their football but it's amazing what a win can do."

And Cox is also looking for more from Speight, who scored his fourth goal of the season.

He said: "The good thing about Jake Speight is that he will still get fitter and stronger.

"There is definitely more to come from him."

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