Archived News from January 2017
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STAGS CRUISE TO VICTORY OVER CREWE
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English Football League - Sky Bet League Two
Mansfield Town 3 - 0 Crewe Alexandra Arquin 5, Whiteman 48, Bennett 84. Attendance: 3040 (226 from Crewe) Date: 7 January 2017 Martin Shaw and Simon Chamberlain at the One Call Stadium, Field Mill Mansfield Town cruised to a convincing 3-0 win over out-of-form Crewe Alexandra this afternoon, with goals from new boys Yoann Arquin and Ben Whiteman, and a first goal for the Stags for Rhys Bennett. The Stags were in front after just 5 minutes with Arquin scoring on his home debut. It was Mansfield’s first goal in the first half of a league or cup match at home this season, at the 17th attempt. A high cross from Mal Benning from the left to the far post found Whiteman who headed the ball back, Arquin headed it forward, then a combination of Matt Green and defender Guthrie headed it back to Arquin who fired into the net from 6 yards. With the monkey off their back, Arquin then headed over the bar and Whiteman fired a free kick straight into the keeper’s midriff. At the other end, loan keeper Jake Kean made a one-handed save from Bakayogo. The Stags were good value for the lead at half time, and increased that lead on 48 minutes with a first ever senior goal for Ben Whiteman, on loan from Sheffield United, on his Stags home debut. Joel Byrom, another of the four new signings on his home debut, played a good ball down the line on the left for CJ Hamilton, Hamilton cut inside full back Turtin, onto his right foot, and tried to knock the ball goalwards. Turtin got a block on it and it deflected perfectly into the path of Whiteman inside the D, 19 yards from goal, who side-footed goalwards, where the keeper Garratt should have saved it, but let it through his hands into the net. A good shot from Whiteman but a howler from the keeper. The Stags had plenty of other chances in the second half, with Rhys Bennett missing two close range chances, and Green failing when he had a perfect opportunity to give Arquin a tap in from close range or score himself. Meanwhile at the other end Jake Kean made a good save from a great effort by George Cooper. The Stags finally sealed the game on 84 minutes. Hamilton won a corner on the left. Baxendale took it, Bennett stabbed goalwards from 6 yards, the keeper kept it out, but it came straight back to Bennett who stabbed the rebound into the net. A good performance and Mansfield’s biggest win of the season, albeit against a poor Crewe side. Plenty of candidates for man of the match, with all four home debutants doing well, Benning and Hamilton combining well on the left, and the defence generally solid. Mansfield were unchanged from the side that won at Blackpool. Kyle Howkins therefore retained his place having re-signed on loan until the end of the season. Home debuts also for keeper Jake Kean, Joel Byrom, Ben Whiteman and Yoann Arquin. One change on the bench, with Hurst having been ill this week, in came Jack Thomas. Crewe arrived on a bad run of just two wins in all competitions since the middle of September (over Leyton Orient and Morecambe). They were also unchanged, with Ryan Lowe returning from injury on the bench. Word in the press box from the Crewe media was that a defeat today could spell the end for manager Steve Davis. FULL REPORT IN THE MATCH CENTRE ------------------------------- MATCH REPORT: Mansfield Town 3-0 Crewe Alexandra chad.co.uk, by JOHN LOMAS,Saturday 07 January 2017 Mansfield Town finally saw off plucky strugglers Crewe Alexandra by a 3-0 scoreline at the One Call Stadium this afternoon. New boy Yoann Arquin gave Stags the perfect start with a fifth minute goal, and when Ben Whiteman made it 2-0 just after half-time it seemed likely a side with just two wins in 20 games might wilt. Instead they threw everything at it with a gutsy display and caused scares, but Mansfield held firm with Kyle Howkins immaculate in the centre. Rhys Bennett, who had missed two earlier chances, then finally made the points safe with six minutes to go with the third. Mansfield were unchanged which meant home debuts for the four new signings, Jake Kean, Arquin, CJ Hamilton, and Whiteman. Jack Thomas replaced Kevan Hurst on the bench with Hurst off with illness. Stags were aiming to end an unwanted run of not scoring at home in the first half all season, and it took them just five minutes in the end. Crewe, who were unchanged for a fourth successive game despite skipper Ryan Lowe returning from injury, had won just twice in 20 matches. After a quiet opening Mansfield snatched a fifth minute lead to end that home hoodoo. Benning crossed from the left to the far post where Whiteman nodded down into the danger area. Crewe struggled to clear and Arquin was finally there to steer the loose ball home from seven yards. Three minutes later Arquin sent a header just over the bar from Stags’ first corner, taken from the left by Joel Byrom. On 15 minutes Whiteman curled a 25-yard free kick straight at Garratt as Stags continued their promising opening to the game. Two minutes later Bakayogo found space to move forward quickly and let fly from long range, Kean watching it all the way to smother to his right. Crewe were lucky to get away with another scramble on 23 minutes, but as they cleared the ball, Whiteman flew it late on Cooper and was shown a yellow card for his troubles. Crewe wanted a penalty on 25 minute as Bennett challenged Bakayogo, but the Crewe man, in full flight, took a long time before he went down and the referee was eventually unimpressed. Dagnall also stayed down looking for a penalty a few minutes later with even less chance of it being given. Crewe star Lowe was brought into the action at the break for Kiwomya. Stags might have gone 2-0 up within 30 seconds of the restart as Hamilton got to the line on the left and pulled back a low cross which found Benning unmarked on the far side of the box only to crash his finish into the sidenetting. But it was 2-0 on 48 minutes. This time Hamilton cut into the box from the left and tried to shoot. The effort was blocked but Whiteman hit the loose ball first time at goal from 18 yards and it seemed to fly through the hands of keeper Garratt into the net for his first senior goal. It might have been three soon after as Green raced into the box, but he lost control and ran the ball into touch. A neat move down the right then saw Arquin pick out Whiteman to his left for a low curling shot that Garratt had to save. On 55 minutes Kean had his first real test as Cooper turned well on the edge of the box and curled a shot towards the bottom corner that the keeper did well to scramble wide. The visitors did not wilt and instead poured forward in search of a lifeline. Stags made a switch up front with Danny Rose on for Green on 61 minutes and two minutes later missed a great chance to kill the game off. Byrom’s shot from just outside the box was well saved by Garratt and Bennett somehow sent his follow-up wide as Garratt tried to block. Whiteman whipped another 25 yard free kick just wide on 68 minutes as Stags searched for a killer third, before Mansfield had a let-off on 76 minutes as a Crewe corner was put back into the box and a scramble saw Kean have to push the ball away from his line. On 77 minutes Baxendale replaced Whiteman for the home side, but Crewe turned up the heat and a neat link-up saw Bingham pull a low shot wide of the far post. Mansfield finally grabbed the all-important third goal on 84 minutes. Baxendale swung in a fine corner from the left and Bennett prodded it home at the second attempt after his initial effort was blocked. Arquin was immediately replaced by Clements for the final six minutes. With the last kick of the game Clements forced Garratt to save his 30 yard free kick as Mansfield were clapped off for a fine home start to 2017. STAGS: Kean, Bennett, Pearce, Howkins, Benning, Collins, Whiteman (Baxendale 77), Hamilton, Byron, Green (D. Rose 61), Arquin (Clements 84). Subs not used: Shearer, Hoban, Thomas, McGuire. CREWE: Garratt, Turton, Guthrie, Davis, Jones, Dagnall, Cooper (Ainley 69), Bakayogo, Bingham, Kirk, Kiwomya (Lowe HT). Subs not used: Richards, Ray, Nugent, Hollands, Udoh. REFEREE: Mark Brown of Yorkshire. ATTENDANCE: 3,040 (226 away). CHAD STAGS MAN OF THE MATCH: Kyle Howkins. Read more at: http://www.chad.co.uk/sport/football/mansfield-town/match-report-mansfield-town-3-0-crewe-alexandra-1-8322650 ----------------- The match: Mansfield 3 Crewe Alex 0 Stags cruise to three points against Railwaymen BYPETER MORSE http://www.crewechronicle.co.uk/sport/football/match-reports/match-mansfield-3-crewe-alex-12416077 Mansfield 3 Crewe Alex 0 Crewe Alex’s poor run of results continued with a comfortable victory for Mansfield at Field Mill on Saturday. Goals from Yoann Arquin, Ben Whiteman and Rhys Bennett condemned the Railwaymen to their ninth league defeat of the season, and made it seven games without a win for Steve Davis’s team. They have now failed to score in four of the last five away games, and have dropped to 18th in League Two. A ‘Davis out’ banner was brandished by the travelling fans at the end as the pressure mounted on the manager. Mansfield, who have already released four players and signed four this month, were looking to make it back-to-back victories after notching their first league success in six on Monday, 1-0 at Blackpool. They were unchanged, with manager Steve Evans handing out four home debuts, and so were the Alex for the fourth successive game despite winning none of the previous three and scoring just once. That meant manager Steve Davis resisted the urge to recall fit-again top-scorer Ryan Lowe, who was amongst the subs. Before kick-off the Stags (23) were one of just two teams to have scored fewer League Two goals than the Alex (24), but they looked determined to alter that from the kick-off. And they scored in the first-half for the first time at home in the league this season after just five minutes. A ball looped into the danger area was only half-cleared by Harry Davis and when it dropped Arquin, one of the new signings, was on hand to stab home from close range. Arquin flashed a header over from a corner not long after and the Alex were struggling to get a foothold in the game. Pressed high, almost all the play in the first 15 minutes was in the Crewe half, and Ben Whiteman saw a direct free-kick well saved by keeper Ben Garratt as the quarter-hour mark passed. Zoumana Bakayogo saw a shot saved from 25 yards by keeper Jake Kean on 17 minutes and not long after the same player was incensed after appearing to have been fouled in the box on a rare foray forward. The defender was tripped as he surged into the area, tried to keep his feet but eventually fell, and the referee Mark Brown waved the loud appeals for a penalty away. On 28 minutes George Cooper tried his luck from range and it was no danger to Kean, but the visitors were playing themselves into the game and beginning to look a threat. Chances at either end were few and fair between, and they could not find a way through before the interval, but had given their manager some hope with the improvement in their play. Lowe was brought on for the ineffective Alex Kiwomya at the break, but Mansfield started at a much higher tempo and went close within seconds when Rhys Bennett blasted into the side-netting. They did not have to wait long for a goal, though. On 48 minutes Mal Benning broke inside and crossed for Whiteman to powerfully side-foot in the back of the net. It should have been three a minute later but Matt Green failed to send an easy ball across the box for what would have been an Arquin tap-in. Crewe finally responded with some good forward play from Oliver Turton, who delivered two good crosses which the hosts could only scramble away, and on 55 minutes Cooper brought a superb save from Kean with a clever curler from the edge of the box. On 63 minutes Bennett found the side netting again after Garratt palmed a low shot into his path while, at the other end, Chris Dagnall’s snap-shot from close in was saved by Kean and then scrambled clear, on 76 minutes. But all the time the home side looked the more dangerous and, if there was any doubt about where the points were headed, it was eliminated on 84 minutes. A corner was swung in from the Mansfield left and, when it was not dealt with properly, Bennett finally got his goal - his first of the campaign - by bundling home from close range. Crewe had been unbeaten in last nine versus the Stags, although this season is the first since 2002-2003 they have played in the same division. There was no sign of that run being extended, though, and they have now managed just two wins in 21. Mansfield: (4-4-2): Kean; Bennett, Howkins, Pearce, Benning; Collins, Byrom, Whiteman (Baxendale 77 mins), Hamilton; Arquin (Clements 85 mins), Green (Rose 61 mins). Subs not used: Shearer, Hoban, J Thomas, McGuire. Rose Crewe (4-2-3-1): Garratt; Turton, Davis, Guthrie, Bakayogo; Bingham, Jones; Kiwomya (Lowe 45 mins), Cooper (Ainley 69 mins), Kirk; Dagnall. Subs not used: Nugent, Richards, Ray, Hollands, Udoh. Referee: Mark Brown. Attendance: 3,040. ----------------- |
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