Archived News from October 2012
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MEIKLE IN ENGLAND C TEAM,BUT GAME OFF-WATERLOGGED
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16 Oct 2012
Lindon Meikle was selected in the eleven to play for England C in Albania. But the game was postponed moments before kick-off due to flooding. ------------- twitter.com/MattBadcock_NLP Game off, waterlogged pitch, waterlogged changing rooms. BUT there is another ground nearby that may be playable. All aboard coach #EnglandC then later: So definitely no game.There was brief talk about another venue but not happening. The rain only really started when we left hotel #EnglandC -------------------------------------- Stags winger Meikle returns from England C Albanian adventure chad.co.uk, Friday 19 October 2012 LINDON Meikle arrived home on Wednesday night from his Albanian adventure without having kicked a ball. http://www.chad.co.uk/sport/football/mansfield-town-fc/stags-winger-meikle-returns-from-england-c-albanian-adventure-1-5041426 Stags' trip to Macclesfield on Tuesday was moved to allow Meikle to join up with the England C squad for the international friendly only to see it fall foul of the same fate that the senior England team suffered in Poland due to the heavy rain. Meikle admitted he was relieved to get out of the stadium in one piece and even more relieved to get back to England. He said: “It was disappointing as you always want to play, but what can you do? “You go out there and it's sunny one day, the next day it's chucking it down. “The pitch was covered I water as were the dressing rooms and we had to get everything off the floor. There were power cables in the water on the floor and we were standing in that water so there were health and safety issues too. We just wanted to get away as soon as possible.” He added: “I have a lot of friends who say they want to get out of England as it's not the best place. But I think it is one of the best places to be. It's so well-made when you look at places like Albania which is so run down. Just driving through, the locals all look so miserable.” Meikle spent all of Wednesday travelling back with a two-hour stopover in Berlin and then heavy traffic on the motorway on the last leg back from Heathrow. But he was back in training on Thursday and hops he might force his way back into the starting XI for Saturday's FA Cup game at Workington -------------- Giant-killer Lindon Meikle warns Mansfield Town what to expect against Workington Friday, October 19, 2012 Nottingham Post MANSFIELD Town winger Lindon Meikle says his own FA Cup giant-killing experience means there is no way he will take Workington lightly tomorrow. http://www.thisisnottingham.co.uk/story-17122962-detail/story.html And he has warned his Stags team-mates that their fourth qualifying round tie at Borough Park will be as tough a game as they will face all season. Mansfield make the 400-mile, eight-hour round trip to Cumbria to take on their Blue Square Bet North opponents, who are a league below them. But Meikle knows exactly what to expect, having played there a number of times during his Eastwood Town days. It was while with the Badgers that he enjoyed success in the FA Cup, reaching the third round in 2009 after scoring in the previous round to knock out Wycombe. That is why he knows tomorrow's game is going to be really tough if they are to reach the first round proper. He said: "I remember playing against teams in the league above and you were super fired up. "So I have told the lads they can't go into it thinking it will be easy because it won't be a breeze. "I have told them it will be harder than some of the games in our own league and the pitch won't help at all as it will be boggy. So they'd better be ready." Mansfield go into the game on the back of a good 1-0 win against high-flying Forest Green Rovers. And Meikle said that should get the stuttering Stags going again. "I don't see why people are shocked about us beating them. They seem to be underestimating us," he said. "We should be the team that is feared and we need to get that back into our game so wherever we go, people expect to win." More from Meikle: Page 44 ------------------------- Strange and long week for Meikle as he looks to end it on FA Cup high Friday, October 19, 2012 Nottingham Post FROM Albania to Workington, it has been some week for Lindon Meikle. http://www.thisisnottingham.co.uk/story-17123707-detail/story.html And hardly one that has gone to plan. While the England senior side saw their game in Poland put back a day because of a waterlogged pitch in midweek, Meikle was having similar problems of his own out in the coastal city of Durres. He was out there with the England 'C' non-league side, looking to win his fourth international cap after being named in the starting line-up, when the game was postponed. Torrential rain had left the pitch, the changing rooms and the car park under water and the Mansfield Town winger ended up flying back to Britain without even kicking a ball. But, ahead of the long trip to Cumbria to face Blue Square North Workington in the FA Cup fourth qualifying round tomorrow, he feels it could prove a blessing in disguise. For he is feeling refreshed, revived and ready to cause havoc with his speed and skill. "It was disappointing to see it called off but what can you do?" said Meikle. "You go out there and one day it is sunny, then the next it is chucking it down and there is water everywhere. "They tried to get the water off the pitch but couldn't do it. They tried to get another ground but couldn't do it so that was it. You just have to get on with it. "Around the pitch there was a moat of water, there was water flooding into the changing rooms, over the television cables and everything had to be cleared out. "People's cars were flooded out in the car park and you would not have been able to play if we had tried. "There were power lines going under water and it was a health and safety thing too, as we were using that same water. "But to be fair I am feeling fine. We only had two light sessions so because we did not have a game, I have had time to relax and just chilled all week." Mansfield's reserve side beat Bradford City 7-0 in midweek, with Nick Wright scoring a hat-trick and Ben Hutchinson bagging a brace. Hutchinson was instrumental is almost every goal and shone, with both players putting themselves in contention for tomorrow's game, as the Stags look to build on last weekend's 1-0 league victory against Forest Green Rovers. Meikle himself is looking to get back into the side, after coming of the bench last Saturday, and he has enjoyed some giant-killing days of his own in the FA Cup with Eastwood, scoring in a memorable win against Wycombe Wanderers as they reached the third round. And he knows just how much Workington will want to cause an upset, now the boot is on the other foot. However, Meikle is hoping to start and create cup history for himself and get the Stags into the first round proper. "I love the FA Cup and have had a good time in the competition," said Meikle. "I have played a few times at Workington so I know what to expect, I am used to it. "It is a normal place for me to go. I have told the lads to be ready for a boggy pitch and it is not the best. "They have always been big and strong and it will be hard. "It was disappointing last year going out against Fleetwood and hopefully we can have a big run this time round. "The FA Cup is always exciting for players and fans. "I want to start but I don't mind coming on, I felt I made an impact last week and it is down to the gaffer if he wants to start me or go with me from the bench. "I do what the gaffer says and last week I came on and we won the game." --------------- http://www.thefa.com/England/england-c/News/match-centre/2012/albaniavengland/report.aspx Fairclough's line-up named Tuesday, 16 October, 2012 England C Manager Paul Fairclough selects side to face Albania By Mike Appleby in Albania England C manager Paul Fairclough has named his side to face Albania in Durres this evening. The starting line-up is made up of players who took part in the recent victory in Belgium, a rare pleasure for Fairclough! England C: Edwards (Ebbsfleet Utd), Turley (Forest Green Rovers), Thomas (Grimsby town), Ainge (Luton Town), Oshodi (Forest Green Rovers), Vincent (Kidderminster Harriers), Gilles (Gateshead), Watkins (Kidderminster Harriers) Gray (Luton Town), Forbes (Forest Green Rovers), Meikle (Mansfield Town) Substitutes: McAuley (Cambridge Utd), Farman (Lincoln City), Taylor (Forest Green Rovers), Wilson (Guisley), Spencer (Hyde). ----------------- |
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