Archived News from September 2017
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EVANS, BUTCHER, KEITH CURLE REACTION
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Gaffer praises subs' influence in Carlisle draw mansfieldtown.net, 2 September 2017 Stags' boss Steve Evans was pleased with the impact of his substitutes in today's Sky Bet League Two clash with Carlisle United as his side came from behind to draw 1-1 at Brunton Park. The home side went ahead in the first half when Cumbrians' frontman Hallam Hope converted whilst one-on-one with goalkeeper Conrad Logan, before debutant Calum Butcher's exquisite second half finish earned Stags a point, despite striker Kane Hemmings' 53rd minute penalty miss. And the gaffer has lauded the impression made by Deadline Day signing Butcher, along with winger Alfie Potter and striker Danny Rose, after they were introduced from the bench in the second period. "We said we were going to make changes early in the second half and we did that and I think they changed the game for us. https://www.mansfieldtown.net/news/2017/september/evans-post-carlisle/ "I thought the substitutes influenced it, obviously. [It was] a fantastic goal from a very gifted young player that we need to get up to a level very quickly and I thought he made a huge difference. I think after that, the game could have gone either way. "We changed it just before half-time - they were getting a lot of good balls in wider areas - probably because people in the first half were not working smart enough. "I think our supporters driving home will recognise that their team gave it a good go today, but we didn't work smart enough in the first half and we weren't at it and we weren't on the front foot." The boss believes that, in isolation, today's draw was a 'good point' at a difficult ground in the form of Brunton Park. "I just said to Paul Raynor [assistant manager] at the end of the game: if we beat Luton last week, this is a great point. We don't think it's such a great point tonight when we've not taken care of our home business. "In isolation, it's a good point because it's a difficult place to come to. "That was the first time that I've had to 'wake a few up' at half-time. We finished it, the half-time talk, with an inspirational and positive talk. "I spoke about the supporters really and how much they would be running about and trying to win if they were fortunate enough to wear the shirt. "I think to be fair to the players, they gave the fans a [good] second half, especially because they were at that end of the ground; they saw a lot of action, they saw a lot of good play and if it was just based on the second half, we're very unfortunate not to win the game." Stags missed their third penalty of the season when frontman Kane Hemmings had his spot kick saved by Carlisle stopper Jack Bonham, but the former Leeds United manager has backed the 26-year-old striker to soon hit the goal trail for the Stags. "These are good players and when you miss three or four as a team, it becomes a little bit more pressured because your team-mates want someone to stick one in. "We worked last week on the training ground, we did quite a bit, and Kane Hemmings never missed a penalty in training, all week. He put them in different angles, different points in the goal and never missed one, but it's not the best penalty he'll ever take in the world today. "I'll tell you what he did afterwards: he worked his socks off for the team and he'll be a tired boy tonight and he'll be a goalscorer for us going forward, I'm sure of that." Supporters will be able to view the manager's post-match interview on iFollow Stags later this evening. ------------------- My wife is taking the next Mansfield Town penalty, jokes Stags boss Steve Evans chad.co.uk Mansfield Town manager Steve Evans joked his wife would be the next penalty taker for Mansfield Town after the Stags came from behind to earn a 1-1 draw at Carlisle United this afternoon - but again squandered points with their third missed spot-kick of the season. “The next penalty taker for Mansfield Town is my missus,” he said. “She has as much chance as any of the other lot. So Mrs Evans, if you are listening tonight, you are on the penalties. “Basically we need to go back to the training ground for that one.” Kane Hemmings was the guilty party on Saturday - seven days after Jimmy Spencer’s poor spot-kick was saved to deny the Stags an injury-time winner at home to Luton Town. Hemmings’ well-struck penalty was also saved in the 51st minute as the Stags trailed to Hallam Hope’s 15th-minute finish. Click HERE to read match report Evans, who had harsh words to say to his players at the interval, added: “I wasn’t best pleased at half-time after we shot ourselves in the foot for their goal. It was very similar to last week and the same players were involved, which is disappointing. “I will leave my debit card number for the tea cups. That is the first time this season that I have to wake a few up. “But we finished the half-time talk with an inspirational talk. I talked about the supporters and how much they would be running about and trying to win if they were fortunate enough to wear the shirt. “I think to be fair to the players they gave the fans a good second half. They saw a lot of action and a lot of good play. “We said we would make changes early in the second half and that changed the game for us. “We got the penalty and we could have died then (when it was missed). But we have got a group of players who are good characters and the substitutes have influenced it.” The Stags fought back again and were rewarded seven minutes later when deadline day signing Calum Butcher levelled with his first touch after coming on as a substitute, earning the point with a 25-yard strike. Evans said: “It was a fantastic goal from a very gifted young player. “We need to get him up to a (fitness) level very quickly. I thought he made a difference. “After that the game could have gone either way. David Mirfin had a centre half’s attempt to finish when it came off his shin. It was a tap-in from four yards from a well-worked set-play. “We rode our luck a little bit when they had a ricochet that came back off the post and great strike from 30 yards. “But if you look at the first half and our disappointment with it, it is a point we will take. “I told (assistant manager) Paul Raynor at the end of the game that if we had beaten Luton last week this would have been a great point. But we don’t think it is tonight because we have not taken care of our home business. “If it was just the second half we were unfortunate not to win the game. We missed a penalty and David had his big chance, but we will take the point and have a good week on the training ground and get ready for Grimsby.” Read more at: http://www.chad.co.uk/sport/football/my-wife-is-taking-the-next-mansfield-town-penalty-jokes-stags-boss-steve-evans-1-8734340 ---------------- Near-perfect debut for midfielder mansfieldtown.net, 2 September 2017 New Mansfield Town midfielder Calum Butcher described his debut today at Carlisle as 'near perfect' after making an instant impact for the Stags this afternoon. Butcher signed for Steve Evans' squad on Thursday from Championship club Millwall and netted the equalising goal for the Stags today with his first touch. The ex-Burton Albion player climbed off the bench in the 66th minute to plant the ball over United goalkeeper Jack Bonham just two minutes later to level the contest, which ultimately finished 1-1. Speaking post match exclusively to http://www.mansfieldtown.net, Butcher described his debut as 'near-perfect', intimating that only the acquisiton of maximum points would have made it a flawless first game: "I'm over the moon to score on my debut. It was something I wanted to do. "I knew if I got off the [substitutes] bench early enough then I could do it. https://www.mansfieldtown.net/news/2017/september/butcher-post-carlisle/ "I sort of saw the 'keeper off his line and thought if it was going to go anywhere, I've got to go over the top of him. He was scrambling a little bit and thankfully it went in." Butcher had a similar chance minutes later, of which he said: "I needed to hit the target from there. I was disappointed not to score. "Other than that I stuck in and got involved. "We got the point, but we're disappointed not to get all three. "A point is a point so we take it back with us and we'll build on that now. We want to win every game but this is a diffcult place to come. "I thought in the second half there was only one team who would go on and win it. "We rode our luck a little bit. They hit the post but i thought overall we were the much better side." Butched revealed his high esteem of the current Stags' squad and believes there's more to come from Steve Evans charges. "There's a great squad here. As soon as it clicks, which you're seeing glimpses of now, we will hopefully go on and do good things this season. It's a great squad of lads and everyone's welcomed me really well. I'm happy to be here." Subscribers to iFollow Stags can later view Butcher's interview in full. --------------------- Keith Curle: Mansfield's Lee Angol should have been sent off against Carlisle Utd newsandstar.co.uk Manager Keith Curle felt Mansfield striker Lee Angol should have seen red in Saturday's 1-1 draw. The frontman kicked out at Mark Ellis in the first half at Brunton Park after being fouled by the Blues defender. Ref Darren Handley booked both players after they then squared up. Curle said: "I didn’t see exactly what happened beforehand, with the challenge, but the lad's on the ground, and then he's kicked out. "In my mind it's a straight red. http://www.newsandstar.co.uk/carlisle-utd/latest/article/Keith-Curle-Mansfields-Lee-Angol-should-have-been-sent-off-against-Carlisle-Utd-72a6d1ab-3872-475d-a073-66cb6f8158a2-ds "I don’t know what interpretation the referee had or what he saw exactly, but for two players to get booked was disappointing. "And to get booked now because you've been kicked - well, there's a few players I played against that need some bookings." Curle also said he did his best to ignore the touchline "pantomime" involving visiting boss Steve Evans and assistant Paul Raynor. The Mansfield duo complained about United's use of towels when taking throw-ins, leading the officials to remove them from the ball-boys. Curle said: "I don't mind Steve Evans and Paul Raynor but as soon as the game starts I focus on what's going on on the green grass. "It's part of a pantomime. They contest everything, shout and scream, the two ugly sisters, and you can either get involved and embroiled in it and take your focus away, but that's not me. "Unless, that is, they say something that's detrimental to me, about my staff or players, and then I'll chase them down the tunnel." On the towel incident, Curle said: "[The officials] said it wasn't the same for both teams, as in when the ball went out of play, the ballboy wasn't running up to the player and giving him the ball back. "With our ballboys, if the player asks for the towel, they try and give him the towel. "We've just had 95 minutes of football, do we have to go and chastise the ballboy for doing their job? It was probably just something else for Steve and Paul Raynor to get upset about. I don't mind. I quite enjoy the pantomime." Curle, meanwhile, said he was happy enough with a point after Saturday's eventful game. Hallam Hope fired United ahead and Jack Bonham saved a Kane Hemmings penalty before Calum Butcher's leveller. Carlisle also hit the woodwork three times and Curle - who is set for more talks with free agent defender Clint Hill - said: "I've got to be pleased with the point. The dynamics of the game were cut and thrust, both teams wanted to get forward and score goals, so the game became very open. "It has been a good challenge for the players after the defeat at Lincoln. We've shown good character going away from home in the Checkatrade against Morecambe on Tuesday, and then a good game for us to come back to [in the league] with a team [Mansfield] that's obviously trying to buy their way out of the division against a team that's trying to build success to get us where we want to go. "We tried to play, we tried to earn the right to play and at times I thought we caused them problems. "We dealt with the majority of things they had - big, physical, quick, aggressive, trying to use a battering ram effect to come through our middle - but I thought Mark Ellis was superb." ----------------------- |
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