Archived News from November 2013
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COOPER, CLUCAS AND JAMES GRAY REACTION
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Cooper delighted by Stags' ruthlessness mansfieldtown.net, by Andrew Webb First Team coach Richard Cooper was delighted with the performance of our team in today’s emphatic 8-1 victory at St Albans City. Read more at http://www.mansfieldtown.net/news/article/cooper-delighted-by-stags-ruthlessness-1164448.aspx?#gvx2D3jFgVP8g6Vo.99 Our side eased into the Second Round of the FA Cup with Budweiser, thanks to a ruthless performance at Clarence Park. Sam Clucas netted four times - taking his tally for the campaign to nine goals - whilst Lee Stevenson, Anthony Howell, Junior Daniel and Ollie Palmer were also on the score-sheet. But our flurry of goals didn’t come until after Darren Locke had headed the Southern Premier League side into an eighth-minute lead. Nevertheless, the victory is our third-largest in the history of the FA Cup with Budweiser, whilst it is also St Albans’ second-heaviest loss. Cooper said: “I thought the first 30 minutes they put a lot of pressure on us and we had to earn the right to be here today. “Five minutes before the end of the first half, we got our foot in the game and scored two goals pretty much on the break. “We settled ourselves down before the break and gave it a really good go in the second-half. Our fitness probably came through and our ruthlessness in front of goal came into play which has been missing the last few weeks.” He continued: “It’s an FA Cup game, at the end of the day, so first and foremost you earn the right to be in any game, regardless of the opposition. “You go about your business and don’t give them anytime on the ball. We tried to get into their faces a little bit quicker and did everything with a bit of a tempo. “Today we did that and some of our wide play was exceptional including Sam Clucas who got himself four goals in the second-half. “But it’s like any game. You have to earn the right to be in it. You don’t just think you can come to these places, turn up and expect to be given a victory. “Victories are well-earned, whether that’s in the first minute or the 90th minute - sometimes, you have to keep going and today we did that. “We have gone about our work in the second-half with a real grip, determination and the boys have worked really hard for each other. “Credit to St Albans, they were up for it. I just think second-half our quality has came through a bit more.” Cooper also believed a reason as to why our team scored with such fluidity in the latter stages of the second half, was down to confidence. He continued: “It’s a confidence thing. The goal posts don’t change. It doesn’t matter who you play, people have got to step up. “It’s not like we haven’t created chances in the previous games because we have and today they have gone in. Hopefully now, the lads can kick on a bit which gives them more confidence. “Ollie Palmer had a great game today, he scored a great goal as well as Stevenson, but there was some good play and hopefully we will see more in the upcoming games.” On Sam Clucas four goals in 17-minutes, Cooper added: “Some of Clucas’ finishes were exceptional and were at the top level. He had a 10 minute spell of devastation. He committed players and rampaged their defence. “Sam will get the plaudits but overall, the second-half was 10 out of 10 for all of the boys today. “It’s like anything. When you’re not scoring goals, you have to look at all your options. Players have got to put themselves into contention for places whether it is a first-team game or reserves game. “At any time you have the opportunity to show the gaffer what you can do, and today we did that.” ------------------ Cooper praises goal-crazy Stags for second half super show chad.co.uk Mansfield Town coach Richard Cooper praised the Stags side for their perseverance at St Albans this afternoon, where they came from behind in a testing first half to go on and win the FA Cup first round tie in style by a commanding 8-1 scoreline. http://www.chad.co.uk/sport/mansfield-town/cooper-praises-goal-crazy-stags-for-second-half-super-show-1-6232604 Deputising for boss Paul Cox at the post-match press conference, he said: “I thought the first 30 minutes they put a lot of pressure on us and we had to earn the right to be here today.?“Five minutes before the end of the first half we got our foot in the game and scored two goals pretty much on the break. “We settled ourselves down before the break and gave it a really good go in the second half. “Our fitness probably came through and our ruthlessness in front of goal came into play which has been missing the last few weeks. ?“It’s an FA Cup game, at the end of the day; first and foremost you earn the right to be in any game, regardless of the opposition. ?“You go about your business and don’t give them any time on the ball. We tried to get into their faces a little bit quicker and did everything with a bit of a tempo. “Today we did that and some of our wide play was exceptional including Sam Clucas who got himself four goals in the second-half. ?“It’s like any game. You have to earn the right to be in it. I’ve said that a couple of times now but generally mean it. “You don’t just think you can come to these places, turn up and expect to be given a victory. Victories are well-earned, whether that’s in the first minute or the 90th minute - sometimes, you have to keep going and today we did that.?“We have gone about our work in the second half with a real grip and determination and the boys have worked really hard for each other.”?He added: “Credit to St Albans, they were up for it. “I just think in the second half our quality has came through a bit more.?“It’s a confidence thing. The goal posts don’t change. It doesn’t matter who you play, people have got to step up. “It’s not like we haven’t created chances in the previous games because we have and today they have gone in. “Hopefully now the lads can kick on a bit which gives them more confidence.”?Cooper picked out Ollie Palmer and four-goal hero Sam Clucas as two of the day’s star turns,?“Ollie Palmer had a great game today, he scored a great goal as well as Stevenson,” he said. “There was some good play and hopefully we will see more in the upcoming games. ?“Some of Clucas’ finishes were exceptional and at the top level. He had a 10 minute spell of devastation. He committed players and rampaged their defence.?“Sam will get the plaudits but overall, the second half was 10 out of 10 for all of the boys today. “It’s like anything. When you’re not scoring goals you have to look at all your options. “Players have got to put themselves into contention for places whether it is a first team game or reserve game. “Any time you have the opportunity to show the gaffer what you can do, and today we did that.”??? ????? ---------------- Cox: Eight flattered us (comment by Martin - these are Cooper comments, not Cox) http://www.teamtalk.com/mansfield/9018885/Cox-Eight-flattered-us? Paul Cox admits Mansfield were flattered by the scoreline after they came from behind to claim an 8-1 FA Cup win against St Albans. Sam Clucas struck four after half-time as the Stags ran riot late on but it could have been so different after Darren Locke's opener for the Southern League Premier side. "I am gracious to St. Albans because for the 30 minutes they put a lot of pressure on us and I think they definitely had the right to be here," said Cox. "We got our foot in the game in the last five minutes of the first half and scored two goals on the break. "We settled ourselves down at half-time and our fitness came through in the second half and a bit of ruthlessness in front of goal, which we have missed in the last couple of weeks." Lee Stevenson and Anthony Howell had turned the tie on its head just before half-time before the Stags ran riot after the break, Clucas bagging four while Colin Daniel and Ollie Palmer were also on target. ------------------------------- Sam Clucas told the NLP: The lads were saying make sure you get the ball, but the keeper kicked it out of the ground! ----------------------- Boys buoyed by win - Clucas mansfieldtown.net Midfielder Sam Clucas believes our side will now be full of confidence following the emphatic 8-1 victory at St Albans City in the FA Cup First Round with Budweiser. Read more at http://www.mansfieldtown.net/news/article/boys-buoyed-by-win-clucas-1164515.aspx#qUimw3XKxJVokHtd.99 Stags ended a four match goalless run, comfortably beating the Saints as well as proving to be clinical in front of goal. Clucas expressed his delight at the victory and was more than pleased following his four goals which helped us progress into the Second Round of the FA Cup. “It’s a confidence boost and everyone is buzzing inside the dressing room now, especially after coming from 1-0 down,” said the 23-year-old. “We showed what we are made of and proved we can score goals. The last few games have been a drought and today we certainly showed we can put our chances away. “I’m just glad to get on the scoresheet, but more importantly we’re in the hat tomorrow for the draw. “I go out there every game and give 100%. The most important thing for me every match is the team getting three points or progressing through to the next round of the cup. We have done that today so I’ll be looking forward to the draw tomorrow to see who will play in the next round.” Meanwhile, the midfielder stated he doesn’t mind who we are drawn against in the next round, and believes today’s result will be important heading into our next league game at home to promotion-chasing Oxford United. He added: “I want anyone in the next round. If we perform well we can beat any team on our day. “We’ve got two hard league games coming up now, but we are into the next round of the FA Cup so the confidence will be high heading into these fixtures. “We have scored a few goals, but maybe could have kept a clean sheet. However, we scored eight goals and are through to the next round. You can’t ask for more than that so now we will look forward to the next few games.” --------------------- Four-goal Stags hero Clucas buzzing ahead of FA Cup draw chad.co.uk Mansfield Town’s Sam Clucas took home the match ball from yesterday’s FA Cup first round 8-1 blitzing of non-League St Albans City after serving up a memorable personal four-goal haul at Clarence Park. http://www.chad.co.uk/sport/mansfield-town/four-goal-stags-hero-clucas-buzzing-ahead-of-fa-cup-draw-1-6233472 The youngster feels the score and goals were just the tonic the Stags needed to get back on track after the recent poor run. “It’s a confidence boost and everyone is buzzing inside the dressing room now, especially after coming from 1-0 down,” he said. “We showed what we are made of and proved we can score goals - it was just the last few games have been a drought. Today we certainly showed we can put our chances away. “I’m just glad to get on the scoresheet but more importantly we’re in the hat tomorrow for the draw. “I go out there every game and give 100 per cent. The most important thing for me is the team getting three points or progressing through to the next round of the cup. We have done that today so I’ll be looking at the draw tomorrow to see who we get. “I want anyone in the next round. If we perform well we can beat any team on our day.” The pick of Clucas’ goals was an inch-perfect lob from just outside the box. “I didn’t know where the defender was but saw the goalkeeper off his line and thought I’d go for it, then it went in,” he said. I don’t know how it came about. There seemed to be a mix-up between the defender and goalkeeper so I just latched on to the end of it. I saw him off his line and dinked it over the goalkeeper so I was delighted it went in. “We’ve got two tough League games coming up now, but we are into the next round of the FA Cup so the confidence will be high. “We have scored a few goals, but maybe could have kept a clean sheet. However, eight goals and through to the next round - you can’t ask for more than that. Now we will look forward to the next few games.” The second round draw will be live on ITV at 4.10pm. ------------------------ jamie mcguire @JAMIEMCGUIRE23 Honoured and privileged to captain the side last couple of games and in the FA cup today! Great 8-1 win today thank you for your support ! X Ollie Palmer @OliverJPalmer Great away win! Tough FA Cup game! Buzzing to have scored.. Talking about scoring.. people need to donate at http://www.mobro.co/olliepalmer #winning James Jennings @JamesJennings03 Great win in the FA Cup today! Special mention to @samclucas with 4 goals...kid was on flames Paul Black @paul_black3 Great peformance from the lads.... In the hat for tomorrow! Nice to get make my debut too! ?? #Stags #FACup j4k Paul Bastock @bazza1115 Can safely say I won't be watching the tv tonight #nightmares ----------------- St Albans joint manager James Gray told the NLP: We were in it for as long as we possibly could be. I don't think the scoreline reflected the game and it flattered them massively, because in the first half, it was very evenly matched. We had extra-time and penalties against Billericay omn Tesday so we knew our lads needed a two goal cushion to hold on to, to go through the pain barrier at the end. I'm disappointed with the result and disappointed with the scoreline, but I'm really proud of what the boys have done so far. It's a tough journey to get to this round and we can learn from this and push on in the league. ---------- St Albans City joint manager Graham Golds was proud of his side despite their 8-1 FA Cup defeat to Mansfield Town St Albans & Harpenden Review, By Adam Newson http://www.stalbansreview.co.uk/sport/localsport/10802248._/? St Albans City may have suffered an 8-1 defeat against Mansfield Town in the FA Cup first round but joint Saints manager Graham Golds was proud of his side’s performance and said it was a great day for the club. The final scoreline is a convincing one but doesn’t tell the whole story as, for an hour, St Albans more than matched their League Two opponents. However, the Saints tired during the second period and Mansfield showed their class and ruthlessness in front of goal. Golds felt St Albans’ extra time 4-2 win against Billericay Town in the FA Trophy four days earlier played a part in the Saints’ late collapse. He said: “We were doing very well until around 60 minutes and then we started to tire and the midweek game against Billericay certainly played a part. “We would’ve played in midweek no matter what but we would’ve rested players if it wasn’t the trophy. “But we are very proud of the lads because in the first half we more than matched them and we were the better side.” Golds added: “We passed around them and got the goal to go ahead. We deserved that but their two goals just before half-time put us in a head spin. “We got them in at half-time and sorted things out. We started the second half well, got the equaliser but it was ruled out. That was demoralising and in the end it was important.” The Saints went ahead eight minutes into the contest as Darren Locke headed home a David Keenleyside cross. It was a lead they held until just before the interval. Lee Stevenson equalised and Mansfield led at the break as Anthony Howell tapped home. St Albans were stunned but regrouped in the second period. The home side - playing in front of 3,251 supporters - thought they had levelled when John Frendo smashed home from 18 yards after a stylish Locke pass. However, the assistant referee ruled the goal out, deciding the ball had gone out of play prior to Locke’s cross. Golds said: “If that goal had stood, the adrenaline would have carried us through. We still may have lost but I am sure it would not have been 8-1.” Any chance of a cup shock was extinguished in the final 20 minutes of the contest as Mansfield struck six times. Colin Daniel thumped a volley past Paul Bastock and Sam Clucas added the fourth. Oliver Palmer notched the fifth and Clucas then grabbed a nine-minute treble to complete the rout. The attendance was the Saints’ highest since the visit of Torquay United in the second round of the FA Cup in 1980 and Golds praised the home side’s support. He said: “The final score doesn’t really reflect the game but even with us conceding eight, it was still a great day for the club. “We were expecting maybe a couple of thousand fans but we ended up having more than 3,000 supporters at the game and they were all fantastic.” St Albans, who took on Royston Town in the Herts Senior Trophy last night (Tuesday), remain in cup action on Saturday as they take on Chelmsford City in the FA Trophy. Golds believes the Saints are capable of advancing in the competition and says it is important for the club. He added: “Chelmsford are a side in a bit of turmoil and Dean Holdsworth left the club last week after they had a run of poor results. “The FA Trophy is a competition we want to do well in and I feel that we could go through a few rounds because it is only for non-league sides. “There is also the prize money which is important for the club, in that respect it is like the FA Cup. “So we want to get through and we are taking it seriously.” ------------------------- |
Latest | November 2013