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Archived News from January 2018

SUPER STAGS KNOCKED OUT OF FA CUP BY CARDIFF
21st January 2018 22:36


The Emirates FA Cup - Round Three replay
Mansfield Town 1 - 4 Cardiff City
Rose 35. Manga 34, Hoilett 66, 89, Pilkington 71.
Attendance: to be confirmed (with 514 from Cardiff)

Date: 16 January 2018

Martin Shaw at the One Call Stadium, Field Mill

Mansfield Town were knocked out of the FA Cup in a third round replay by Championship high-flyers Cardiff City last night at a packed and bouncing One Call Stadium. With the massive prize for the winner being a game at home to the best side in England, Manchester City, live on BBC1 in round four, both teams were right up for the game. Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola was watching the game from the Directors Box, sitting next to John and Carolyn Radford. The Stags produced a performance to be proud of, more than holding their own for 65 minutes before being killed off by two goals in 5 minutes on 66 and 71 minutes. Amid a terrific atmosphere, Cardiff went closest first when Conrad Logan made a fine save on 18 minutes, tipping away a curling shot from Junior Hoilett that was heading for the top right corner. Controversy on 25 minutes when Hoilett went straight through Alex MacDonald with an absolutely dreadful challenge, two-footed, flying and out-of-control with studs into MacDonald’s leg, that brought a yellow card from referee Geoff Eltringham. That should have been a red card in my opinion. From the resulting free-kick 25 yards out, the Stags were nearly in front. The returning Joel Byrom rolled a clever ball into the path of the on-rushing Mal Benning who fired over the angle of bar and post from 14 yards when he should have scored. Another chance for the Stags on 30 minutes when Jacob Mellis’s low square ball in from the left was fluffed by CJ Hamilton but fell for Danny Rose whose shot from 12 yards was deflected wide. Cardiff went in front on 34 minutes. A corner from the right by Ralls towards to the far post was headed back towards goal by Sean Morrison where Logan got a hand on it but couldn’t push it away decisively and Bruno Manga knocked into the net left footed from 3 yards. Mansfield claimed for a foul by Morrison for a push in the back of Pearce just before Morrison headed back across goal and from the video there was a clear push. The referee had a perfect view, just yards away and somehow didn’t give the foul, which it clearly was. But just a minute later Mansfield were level. Byrom’s corner from the left was headed back to him, he found Hayden White who crossed in, it was knocked down by Rhys Bennett, ricocheted off defender Joe Bennett, and fell for Danny Rose who pounced and swept into the net left footed from 8 yards. The roof came off the stadium. All square at half time and a standing ovation from the huge home crowd for a terrific first half from the Stags. The second half saw very little goalmouth action for the first 20 minutes, with the Stags again matching Cardiff. On 65 minutes, Callum Paterson slid a low cross in from the right and Krystian Pearce was just able to put it behind for a corner. But just a minute later, another cross in from the right by Paterson was missed by Rose, and Hoilett knocked in from close range, getting in front of Pearce. Then 5 minutes after that, another low cross from the right, this time by Loic Damour, was not cleared again and Anthony Pilkington smashed into the net from 7 yards. That goal to make it 3-1 knocked the stuffing out of Mansfield and there was no coming back. Cardiff made it 4-1 on 89 minutes to put a flattering gloss on the scoreline as a long free kick from the keeper Etheridge from halfway inside his own half was knocked down by Pilkington to sub Omar Bogle who teed up Hoilett who superbly rifled into the bottom left corner of the net from 20 yards. So defeat for Mansfield but a performance to be proud of for the first three quarters of the game. So often in the past Mansfield haven’t put in a good performance when a big crowd has turned up, but they certainly did here. Plenty of contenders for man of the match but Alex MacDonald must have covered every blade of grass on the pitch and was outstanding. Back to the league now and a huge game on Saturday where Mansfield need to put in a similar level of performance against Cheltenham. Also hopefully some of the floating fans who attended last night will have enjoyed what they saw and will return on Saturday.

FULL REPORT IN THE MATCH CENTRE

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FA CUP - MATCH REPORT: Heartbreak as battling Stags bow out
chad.co.uk, by JOHN LOMAS, Tuesday 16 January 2018

Mansfield Town did themselves proud as their FA Cup dream tie slipped through their fingers with a 4-1 home defeat by Championship high-flyers Cardiff City in tonight’s FA Cup third round replay at the One Call Stadium. So it will be Cardiff who now take on Premier League leaders Manchester City at the end of the month with Stags instead travelling to Morecambe for League Two points instead. Mansfield Town v Cardiff FA Cup 3rd round replay Danny Rose celebrates after scoring Mansfield's equaliser in the first half. The Stags, who had only lost once in 20 games, gave as good as they got for much of this tie against Neil Warnock’s expensively-assembled Bluebirds. But, having levelled through Danny Rose a minute after going behind in the first half, they were finally undone by two goals in six second half minutes and a late, late fourth. A big home crowd, including onlooking City boss Pep Guardiola, did their best to roar Mansfield on and the players gave them their all. But it wasn’t to be on a memorable night when Steve Evans’ men could walk off with heads held high and much hope for the rest of the league campaign. Mansfield striker Kane Hemmings again missed out with his hamstring problem. Hemmings is back in training but was not deemed fit enough to face the Bluebirds in front of a sell-out home crowd. Instead, boss Steve Evans chose to play Alex MacDonald in an attacking role. Striker Lee Angol dropped to the bench, as did winger Alfie Potter, with Hayden White restored to right back and Paul Anderson pushed forward into a right midfield role after deputising at right back. Also back in the side into central midfield after injury was Joel Byrom. With Manchester City waiting to face the winners, Cardiff inevitably named a strong line-up with just two changes from the weekend 4-0 win over Sunderland - their first win in six games. Anthony Pilkington and Loic Damour came in for Sol Bamba and Nathanial Mendez-Laing. The Stags forced tonight’s replay with an impressive 0-0 draw in Wales a week last Saturday. A hectic start, with City having more of the ball, saw 10 minutes pass without a goal attempt until Byrom sent a 20-yard shot straight at the keeper. Soon after, a defender got a leg onto a Hamilton shot that saw the ball trickle through to the keeper. On 15 minutes Logan had his first work as Paterson launched the ball down the centre and Zohore reached it only to see the keeper steal the ball off him before he could get a shot away. Benning made a good block and a good header away before the visitors came close again on 18 minutes as Hoilett, in space on the left of the box, tried to curl a finish across the keeper, Logan superbly turning it behind for a corner. On 21 minutes Paterson showed good strength to hold the ball up and slip a pass to Pilkington, who whipped a low 20 yard shot just wide. Hoilett jumped into a tackle on MacDonald on 25 minutes with home fans screaming for a red card only to see a yellow one held aloft. Byrom played the free kick to the left of the box where Benning was unmarked but could only drive a finish well over the near angle. Stags had another glimpse of goal on the half-hour as Mellis sent in a low cross from the left and Hamilton, with the best chance, kicked at fresh air with Rose, following-up, seeing his shot deflect for a corner. The game then exploded into life with two goals in as many minutes. Pearce had to get it just right to throw himself into a last ditch tackle on Damour in the box and concede a corner. But from that flag kick, the visitors were ahead on 34 minutes. Ralls sent it long to the far post where Morrison sent an angled header at goal. Logan was there to parry, but Ecuele Manga was quickest to react to turn the loose ball home from close range. However, within a minute the home side were level through Rose. White put the ball across from the left and it fell invitingly for the striker, who steered home a deadly low finish. Bennett was inches away from connecting to a Stags free kick in stoppage time as the home side ended the half on a high to huge applause. Stags had the first attempt of the second half as Hamilton cued up Mellis for a low 18 yard shot that Etheridge gathered to his right on 55 minutes. City then won a corner that saw Pilkington flick a header on the roof of the net. The 58th minute saw applause for Stags fan Graham Foster, who has just passed away, and a booking for Joe Bennett for a trip on MacDonald. Paterson then halted Rose with an arm on 61 minutes for City’s third yellow card. Morrison was shown City’s fourth yellow and a third in six minutes for dissent. Pearce made a crucial far post clearance for a corner with Zohore lurking, Stags then clearing the corner. But on 66 minutes the Welsh club regained the lead. Paterson curled in a superb low cross from the right and Hoilett was there first to poke home from close range. The home dream began to die five minutes later as Cardiff went 3-1 up. A low Damour cross came in from the right which fell perfectly for Pilkington to smash home the third from seven yards and the game was up for the League Two battlers. Stags sent on Angol and Potter, then Logan was firmly behind a Zohore shot as we entered the last 10 minutes. With just two minutes to go, Stags cruelly conceded a fourth as Hoilett blazed home a fine finish when a cross from the right was half-cleared to his feet.

STAGS: Logan; White, Bennett, Pearce, Benning; Anderson (Potter 79), Byrom (Angol 74), Mellis, Hamilton; MacDonald, Rose. Subs not used: Olejnik, Digby, Diamond, Atkinson, Spencer.

CARDIFF: Etheridge, Bennett, Morrison, Ecuele Manga, Richards, Ralls (Halford 74), Zohore (Bogle 85), Pilkington, Paterson, Damour, Hoilett (Healey 90). Subs not used: Murphy, Tomlin, Feeney, Mendez-Laing.

REFEREE: Geoff Eltringham of County Durham.

CHAD STAGS MAN OF THE MATCH: Alex MacDonald.

Read more at: https://www.chad.co.uk/sport/football/mansfield-town/fa-cup-match-report-heartbreak-as-battling-stags-bow-out-1-8961772

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Mansfield Town 1-4 Cardiff City: Pep Guardiola watches Bluebirds ease home to secure plum FA Cup tie
Cardiff ran out easy winners against Mansfield to secure a fourth round tie against Man City
http://www.walesonline.co.uk/sport/football/football-news/mansfield-town-1-4-cardiff-14164961
By Chris Wathan, Chief Football Writer, 16 JAN 2018

Pep Guardiola braved the cold to get a look at who he’ll be facing next weekend.

Now he’s got to brave a trip to Cardiff City Stadium after the Bluebirds’ well-earned win at Mansfield set up a fourth round tie with Manchester City that is every bit as daunting as it is exciting.

There were laughs from both home and away ends when the travelling support chanted ‘Manchester City, we’re coming for you’ after second-half goals from Junior Hoilett - whose late second was a stunner - and Anthony Pilkington sealed the victory after Danny Rose had cancelled out Bruno Manga’s opener.

And it remains to be seen what Guardiola will have taken in from his surprise visit.

But, given the way Cardiff approached this replay and came through a concerning period at Field Mill, Guardiola will at least know that the Bluebirds are eager for it. No lack of commitment to the cup here. No chance Cardiff are going to be welcoming Manchester City just to swap shirts, either.

Though the neutrals may well have wanted League Two Mansfield to be the ones to host Kevin de Bruyne, David Silva et al, a professional performance ensured that it’ll be Cardiff the ones looking to do the giant-killing.

Perhaps more significantly, with the money from the expected sell-out and the television fees, Neil Warnock might well be able to get those transfers he’s aiming for over the line as he seeks to maintain the promotion push.

Of course, it’s the league that will matter most this season and the confidence of that winning feeling will hopefully spill into Saturday’s trip to Sheffield Wednesday.

But, even if he had spoken about not looking forward of the prospect of going up against City and all their talent, who wouldn’t want to see Warnock pit his wits against Pep?

And who wouldn’t want to see a full Cardiff City Stadium for the ocassion, in the hope of adding to Cardiff’s cup history, one that has not been pretty of late.

Indeed, there’s been six third round exits since finishing runners up and, for a period, you feared there could be another as they lost the initiative following Manga’s opener.

But they rode through the expected Mansfield storm and got their reward.

Still, it could have been a lot simpler, a lot more straightforward.

In fairness to Cardiff, they appeared eager to do just that with Warnock selecting a side to reflect that attitude; only two changes were made from Saturday’s Championship win over Sunderland.

Taking that 4-0 confidence into the freezing Field Mill night, they soon imposed themselves with a tempo that showed their intent. If the underdogs were up for this, so too were Warnock’s terriers.

Only they missed a bit of bite early on. Kenneth Zohore, still missing that bit of killer belief, should have handed Cardiff the lead on 15 minutes when he beat the offside line to reach a hooked Callum Paterson ball, yet couldn’t control well enough to even force a shot.

The spaces were coming, though, with Hoilett working a shooting chance from the edge of the box only for Stags goalkeeper Conrad Logan to tip the 18 minute curler over the bar. Pilkington shot wide, Loic Damour was denied by a crucial Krystian Pearce tackle and, while the Cardiff pressure was not unrelenting, it was enough to suggest a goal was coming.

It duly did, Sean Morrison meeting a corner at the back post and Manga poaching as Logan complained of being blocked off.

With only 11 minutes to the interval, it should have been within the Bluebirds to seize full control of the tie by keeping a tight grip on things until the break. Take away their hope, is often the mantra in such situations.

Yet within a minute hope flowed around the three-sided stadium. Cardiff did not clear efficiently and, for some reason, did not twig to top scorer Rose standing free in the box. He made no mistake.

The home chants went up and continued after the restart as they sensed a chance of not only Cardiff’s scalp but the bonus of that Manchester City meeting.

The Bluebirds started erring more, started being pressured into mistakes, started losing their composure that had given them such early control.

Frustration was clear, never more clear than when Morrison - who had been the subject of several set-piece shoves in the box, was penalised for a soft-looking contact and earned a booking as he offered ironic applause.

Yet the real cheers were not far away. After Pearce had got a vital intervention as Paterson swung a ball across the six-yard box, the Scot found a willing converter in Hoilett just a minute later.

And only three minutes more saw the end of the worry, once more a key ball across the box, this time following a darting run from Damour, and Pilkington smashed home as Mansfield’s defenders watched.

Guardiola had already left his seat by the time Hoilett cracked in a fourth with two minutes to go. Given the way Cardiff fans are going to be up for this one, it’s tempting to say he’s not seen anything yet.

Mansfield: Logan; Bennett, Pearce(Capt), White, Benning; Anderson(Potter 79), Mellis, Byrom(Angol 74), Hamilton; Rose, MacDonald.

Subs Not Used: Olejnik(gk), Digby, Diamond, Atkinson, Spencer.

Cardiff City: Etheridge; Richards, Manga, Morrison(Capt), Bennett; Paterson, Damour, Ralls(Halfrod 74), Hoilett(Healey 90); Pilkington; Zohore(Bogle 85).

Subs Not Used: Muprhy(gk), Tomlin, Feeney, Mendez-Laing.

SCORERS

Mansfield: Rose 35

Cardiff: Manga 34, Hoilett 66, 88, Pilkington 70

YELLOW CARDS

Cardiff: Hoilett 25, Bennett 59, Paterson 61, Morrison 64

Referee : Geoff Eltringham (Durham)

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Things you may have missed from Cardiff City's FA Cup win as Pep Guardiola picks Ken Choo's brains and a curse is lifted
There were plenty of talking points to emerge from Cardiff City's FA Cup third round replay win
http://www.walesonline.co.uk/sport/football/things-you-missed-cardiff-citys-14165799
ByTom Coleman

It was a great night for Cardiff City, who set up a glamorous FA Cup fourth round tie with runaway Premier League leaders Manchester City by easing to a comfortable 4-1 replay win over Mansfield Town.

There were some big talking points to emerge from what was an impressive victory, but there were also a few items you may have missed from what was a chilly but thoroughly enjoyable night for the Bluebirds.

Here's a quick round-up...

Cardiff City's owners are very happy with Neil Warnock, but that didn't stop City chief executive Ken Choo getting a quick picture with Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola, who popped in to Field Mill to run the rule over his side's fourth round opponents.

No doubt the former Barcelona boss was keen to pick Ken's brains on what exactly to expect from his side's visit to the Welsh capital, and perhaps gain an insight into Warnock's tactical masterplan to take his team down.

Was Hoilett lucky to stay on the pitch?
Junior Hoilett was the star man for Cardiff City , producing another brilliant performance that included a truly special second goal. However, one has to wonder if he was perhaps lucky to stay on the pitch in the first half. The Canadian was guilty of an admittedly poor challenge on Alex MacDonald, appearing to slip before going in with both feet.

The tackle enraged the home support, and Stags boss Steve Evans, who told BBC Nottingham afterwards: "I think to not give the guy a red card is such a bad decision. It makes me wonder about the referee.


Junior Hoilett holds off Alex MacDonald of Mansfield Town, but was guilty of a poor challenge on the same player during the first half
"The referee was poor wasn't he. He was poor. I've got to be careful what I say. Championship club, League Two club. If that's my player, do I expect him to be down the tunnel? He would've been down the tunnel.

"On video, it's the worst challenge I've seen in my time here. Wait until you see it. It's horrendous."

The lime green curse is lifted
Cardiff City have history when it comes to kits seemingly affecting their performance and, having produced some of the most underwhelming displays of the season in this interestingly striking number, some of the more superstitious Bluebirds fans may have feared the worst when they saw their heroes run out at Field Mill.

However, the winless run under the new kit was emphatically ended, burying any lingering fears that it would be consigned to history as a shirt associated with failure - a la Manchester United's fetching grey kit from the late 90s.

Is this really the end of Anthony Pilkington?
It wasn't all that long ago that Pilkington was linked with a move away from the Cardiff City Stadium, after Warnock admitted in November that the winger wasn't in his thoughts.

First team chances have certainly been hugely limited for the Irishman, who earned just two starts this season before this win.

Cardiff City boss Neil Warnock's brilliant responses when asked about facing 'best team in the world' Man City and Pep Guardiola
However, an assured performance, which included a well-taken goal, served as a timely reminder that he may yet have something to offer this team, particularly in light of Warnock's growing injury list.

Having already given former outcast Freddie Gounongbe a chance to come in from the cold, one wonders if the door really has been fully closed on the forward's future in the Welsh capital.

Cardiff can do it on a cold Tuesday night in Mansfield
While there was plenty of debate in the One Call Stadium press box about what was on show, everyone agreed this was one of the coldest nights they'd experienced covering the beautiful game.

But put your tiny violins away, as the horrible biting cold only added extra weight to Cardiff's admirable professionalism. Mansfield were competitive in the first half, restoring parity just minutes after Bruno Manga's first-half opener, and there was certainly plenty of potential for Cardiff lose their way.

READ MORE
The Cardiff City player ratings as Joe Ralls and Junior Hoilett lead the way in FA Cup demolition of Mansfield

Junior Hoilett celebrates scoring Cardiff City's second goal against Mansfield with his team mates
The series of yellow cards dished out after the break was a chilling (literally) reminder of what happened at Bolton, when City appeared to lose their rag in the midfield.

However, they regained their composure brilliantly, producing a sublime second-half performance to kill off the tie and seal a dream fixture against the Premier League leaders.

Such professionalism in difficult conditions will arguably be the main positive of the night, and surely stands Cardiff in good stead ahead of the Championship run-in.

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