Archived News from April 2002
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UNLUCKY STAGS SUFFER DEFEAT
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Sports.com
TEAM STATS (York/Stags) 7 Goal Attempts 24 5 On Target 10 2 Off Target 12 0 Hit Woodwork 2 3 Corners 13 15 Fouls 15 7 Offsides 6 Mansfield's promotion hopes were dealt a major blow as they crashed to a 3-1 defeat at resurgent York City. Despite going ahead in the 39rd minute through Adam Murray, City hit back to score their first three-goal return at Bootham Crescent this season. Goals from Lee Nogan, Jonathan Parkin and Michael Proctor did the damage in an exciting action-packed game. Mansfield started confidently and quickly gained the upper hand with York having to defend for most of the opening period. Andy White strode forward and hit a low 25-yard drive that City's Player of the Season Alan Fettis saved. Fettis was soon in the action again saving Scott Sellars' curling free-kick from the same distance. The Stags were desperately unlucky not to go in front after 15 minutes when Stuart Reddington's header from Wayne Corden's free-kick crashed against the bar. City's solitary early opportunity was a sweetly struck 35-yard free-kick from defender Scott Jones which Kevin Pilkington gathered comfortably. Nogan's clever dummy from Aidan O'Kane's pass then led to Parkin hitting a low cross-shot which slid agonisingly inches wide. In the 32nd minute the visitors went close once more when Murray toe-poked White's pass just wide of the post. Mansfield went ahead six minutes before the break when Murray crashed home a superb 25-yard right-foot drive that gave Fettis no chance. The goal seemed to finally breathe some fresh live into City and they were boosted by a 43rd minute equaliser. From their first corner, Stephen Brackstone's deep cross was headed back across goal by Parkin and Nogan headed home from close range - the 100th league goal of his career. After the break Mansfield looked the most likely to score in the opening exchanges but they fell behind in the 53rd minute when Brackstone's searching pass found Parkin who held off the attentions of Adam Barrett before placing his right-foot shot beyond Pilkington and inside the far post. On the hour Sellars' free-kick struck the bar and the follow-up header was cleared off the line by the Minstermen's impressive teenage defender Stuart Wise. White then broke through with only Fettis to beat, but the keeper made a crucial and brilliant save. That miss proved costly as City went 3-1 up in the 67th minute. Proctor cut inside from the left and from just inside the area hit a rising right-foot shot across keeper Pilkington and into the far corner of the net. Fettis saved well from substitute David Kelly and then saw his defenders clear two efforts off the line following Sellars' corner. Proctor could have increased the margin of victory near the end as he broke clear but his curling shot went into the sidenetting ------------ Teamtalk Town's automatic promotion hopes suffered a severe blow in the 3-1 defeat at York, with Adam Murray scoring a consolation goal for The Stags. Murray scored the first goal of the game on 40 minutes before City's Lee Nogan equalised, with his 100th league goal, and Jonathan Parkin and Michael Proctor wrapped the match up. The Minstermen, however, had been on the back foot almost throughout the opening period, and it came as no surprise when Mansfield took the lead five minutes before the break. A poor clearance from City defender Chris Brass fell to Murray just outside the area, and The Stags midfielder let rip with a fierce right-foot drive to beat York goalkeeper Alan Fettis low to his right. But Murray's strike rallied the home troops, with Terry Dolan's side immediately on the offensive. And they earned their vital breakthrough four minutes later with the sort of chance Nogan rarely misses. Stephen Brackstone took The Minstermen's first corner on the left, and when Parkin rose at the far post to head the ball back into the six yard box, the Welsh striker made no mistake to level the scores. If anything, Mansfield enjoyed even more possession after the break - but the home side gave them a lesson in finishing when they found the net twice more for a 3-1 win which in truth, flattered the hosts. Brackstone played in Parkin eight minutes after the break, and the York striker shrugged off the attentions of defender Adam Barrett to slot the ball past visiting keeper Kevin Pilkington. A Scott Sellars free-kick then hit the bar as The Stags went searching for the equaliser, and Fettis made a superb save in a one-on-one situation with Adam White. But a superb solo strike from Proctor then settled the affair. He picked up the ball 10 yards outside the area, cut inside and unleashed an unstoppable shot across the face of goal and into the far corner. After today's results, The Stags slip to fourth in the Third Division on 76 points, while York move up to 15th on 54 points. |
Latest | April 2002