Archived News from February 2018
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STAGS COMFORTABLY BEAT BARNET
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English Football League - Sky Bet League Two
Mansfield Town 3 - 1 Barnet MacDonald 42, Atkinson 55, Rose 71. Akinola 87 Attendance: 3795 (79 from Barnet) Date: 3 February 2018 Martin Shaw and Simon Chamberlain at the One Call Stadium, Field Mill Mansfield Town comfortably beat bottom club Barnet 3-1 this afternoon with goals from Alex MacDonald, Will Atkinson (his first for the club), and Danny Rose, before a howler from Rhys Bennett gifted an 87th minute consolation to Simeon Akinola. The Stags created enough chances to have won by a much great margin. Mansfield could have had an early penalty when Danny Rose got goalside of Ricardo Santos in the area, Santos had his arm all over Rose and Rose went down but the referee waved away the appeals. A great move then as CJ Hamilton squared to MacDonald who played a 1-2 with Kane Hemmings before MacDonald side-footed a shot against the outside of the right post. Then Hemmings fired across the keeper from the left and the keeper made a fine save to tip it wide, though the referee gave a goal kick. A shot from Hemmings a minute later looked goalbound but was blocked by defender Charlie Clough. MacDonald went close again on 38 minutes when his shot from distance was deflected just wide. The goal the Stags deserved finally came on 42 minutes when MacDonald played a 1-2 with Benning on the edge of the box on the left, before curling a sublime right-footed shot in off the right post. Early in the second half, MacDonald should have had his second goal when he somehow shot wide from 5 yards. Mansfield doubled the lead on 55 minutes, as Joel Byrom’s corner from the left was headed goalwards by Kane Hemmings and Will Atkinson flicked in with his right boot from a couple of yards. Hemmings should have had a goal when Benning put in a great cross from the left and Hemmings, completely unmarked, somehow headed well wide. But it was 3-0 on 71 minutes, Krystian Pearce won the ball and made a great run forward, before finding Hamilton, who squared across the edge of the box from the left to Rose, who shot left footed back across the keeper and into the left corner of the net for a fine finish. It seemed just a matter of how many Mansfield would score, but out of the blue Bennett left a back header to Logan short, allowing Akinola to nip in and fire past Logan on 87 minutes. The second goal Mansfield have gifted to the opposition in a week. Overall a super performance for about 70 minutes and more than enough to see off Barnet. Plenty of candidates for man of the match, with Alex MacDonald scoring a sublime goal and going close on several other occasions, plus covering every blade of grass on the pitch, Will Atkinson thoroughly justified his starting place with a fine game going forward and deserving his goal, Danny Rose had a fine game and scored a great goal, Hemmings played well but missed a sitter, Mal Benning had a good game, and Rhys Bennett made a number of good clearances before that howler at the end. In fact all the team played well. Mansfield’s run continues, just one defeat in 17 league games; a run started away to Barnet in October. The Stags are 4th, one point behind 3rd place and two points behind 2nd place. Steve Evans named the side that started the second half at Morecambe, so Anderson and Atkinson replacing Diamond and Potter from that starting XI at Morecambe. All three new signings (Ricky Miller signed on loan from Peterborough with a view to a permanent signing, Matt Penney on loan from Sheffield Wednesday, and Adam King on loan from Swansea) were on the bench. Evans said that Sterling-James would have been on the bench after his hat-trick for the reserves in midweek but he has been feeling under the weather in the last 24 hours. Also missing from the bench were Angol (slight groin strain) and Diamond (his wife is having a baby). As is often the case, Steve Evans asked me to name the side, which I did correctly. Then he asked me to name the subs but I stumbled on Sterling-James who I expected to be included. FULL REPORT IN THE MATCH CENTRE ------------------------------- The Sun 
------------------ REPORT: Mansfield Town 3-1 Barnet chad.co.uk, JOHN LOMAS, Saturday 03 February 2018 Magnificent Mansfield Town kept the pressure on the top three automatic promotion places with a convincing 3-1 win over bottom side Barnet at a cold and wet One Call Stadium this afternoon. It was a ninth game unbeaten for Steve Evans' men, who sit fourth, and could have been even more convincing with Kane Hemmings and Alex MacDonald missing second half sitters. MacDonald had Stags 1-0 up at the break with his 42nd minute finish and Will Atkinson made it 2-0 on 55 minutes before Rose added a third on 70 minutes. Barnet did notch a late consolation as sub Simeon Akinola punished a short header back to his keeper from Rhys Bennett. But it was more than they deserved after a poor second half showing. The Bees are now eight games without a win. Mansfield's three transfer window signings all had to make do with a place on the bench. With Mansfield having only lost once in their last 16 League Two outings, boss Evans stayed loyal to his players. So striker Ricky Miller and midfielders Matt Penney and Adam King, who were all signed on loan this week, were among the substitutes. However, Evans did make two changes with Atkinson and Paul Anderson brought in for Alfie Potter, dropped to the bench, and Zander Diamond, whose wife is due to give birth. Striker Lee Angol missed out on a place in the squad with a groin strain. Barnet arrived bottom of the table but having drawn their last two games under new head coach Graham Westley, who also chose to start with his three new signings on the bench today. A scrappy start by both sides on the wet surface saw Akinde furious not to get a penalty under Pearce's challenge on six minutes, though it would have been a harsh one. On 12 minutes Akinde slipped a good pass into Brindley on the right and Bennett was in quickly to block his attempted finish. But still neither keeper had been tested. On 13 minutes Mansfield had a penalty appeal of their own turned down as Santos leaned an arm on Rose in the box and the striker crumpled to the ground, play waved on. Coulthirst was then well over from distance from the game's first real goal attempts a minute later. Nicholls then warmed Logan's hands with a stinging shot from 25 yards on 16 minutes. Stags went straight upfield and, via a series of passes, worked the ball to MacDonald, who tried to place a curling finish inside the far post only to see it clip the post and go wide. There was then a hold-up as referee Scott Oldham pulled up injured and had to be replaced by fourth official Thomas Bramall on 22 minutes. On 29 minutes Rose made a great tackle that helped set up Hemmings for a good run forward and a low finish that skidded across the face of goal and narrowly wide. A minute later Hemmings held off two defenders on the box only to shoot straight at Ross, the keeper saving with his leg. MacDonald then sent a 30 yard snapshot at the keeper as Mansfield began to up the ante. Another MacDonald blast took a deflection for a corner as the home fans began to turn up the volume. Mansfield finally had the breakthough on 42 minutes. Another lengthy series of passes between Benning, Byrom and MacDonald on the edge of the Barnet box ended with MacDonald looking up and whipping a superb curling finish in off the far post from the left hand side of the penalty area. A minute from the break Rose flashed a first time shot wide of the near post after Hamilton had pulled a cross back from the by-line. In added time Logan had home hearts in mouths when he saved a Coulthirst free kick, then spilled the ball. He grabbed it again but a corner had been given, which Stags survived. MacDonald should have made it 2-0 six minutes after the break from a Hemmings nod-down, but he somehow sent a low finish wide from five yards with the goal at his mercy. Nevertheless Stags did go 2-0 up from a 55th minute corner. Byron curled it to the near post where Hemmings' on target header was turned over the line by Atkinson. Barnet had an immediate chance to pull one back but Weston screwed a first time shot wide. After Akinola had replaced Coulthirst, at the other end Benning was wide with a first time 20 yard blast. Clough sent a header straight at Logan from a 64th minute Watson free kick. But Stags missed another absolute sitter on 67 minutes. Benning curled the ball over from the left and Hemmings incredibly sent his header wide from four yards. Rose finally settled the game on 70 minutes. Hamilton crossed low from the left and Rose picked his spot with a first time finish inside the left post. He left the field to huge applause seven minutes from time as Spencer replaced him. Hemmings then shot just wide before new boy Miller replaced him on 85 minutes. Akinola pulled one back with three minutes to go after reaching a short backheader from Bennett and stabbing it past Logan. To their credit the visitors piled on some late pressure to make sure Stags did not end the day cruising. But the day very much belonged to Mansfield in the end. STAGS: Logan; Anderson, Pearce, Bennett, Benning; MacDonald, Byrom, Atkinson (Potter 90+2), Hamilton; Rose (Spencer 83), Hemmings (Miller 85), Subs not used: Olejnik, King, Penney, Digby. BARNET: Ross, Brindley, Santos, Clough, Tutonda, Watson, Weston (Nicholson 74), Nicholls (J. Taylor 79), Bover, Akinde, Coulthirst (Akinola 59). Subs not used: Legg, Vilhete, Sule, Plavotic. REFEREE: Scott Oldham of Blackpool. ATTENDANCE: 3,795 (79 away). CHAD STAGS MAN OF THE MATCH: Danny Rose. Read more at: https://www.chad.co.uk/sport/football/mansfield-town/report-mansfield-town-3-1-barnet-1-8999168 -------------------- Barnet rooted to League Two basement following Mansfield Town defeat Barnet Times Mansfield Town cruised to a comfortable 3-1 victory over Barnet which leaves the Bees firmly rooted to the bottom of the League Two table. The Stags, pushing hard for automatic promotion, are now unbeaten in nine matches - the Bees, in contrast, are winless in eight. http://www.times-series.co.uk/sport/15918927.Bees__winless_run_stretches_to_eight_with_Mansfield_defeat/ With the hosts having established a three-goal advantage, substitute Simeon Akinola notched a late consolation goal with just three minutes remaining. The Bees then put the Mansfield goal under intense pressure in the closing moments but they surged forward more in hope than expectation. The Barnet starting line-up did not include any of their four transfer windows signings and with converted centre-back Dan Sweeney suspended, Charlie Clough partnered Ricardo Santos at the heart of the defence. The visitors had the better of the opening exchanges and their failure to take the lead would eventually prove costly. Alex Nicholls had the first effort after just three minutes when he shot from 25 yards but his strike took a deflection and was easily collected by Mansfield keeper Conrad Logan. John Akinde then had a penalty appeal turned down by referee Scott Oldham after the striker hit the floor following a challenge by ex-Bee Krystian Pearce. With 12 minutes on the clock full-back Richard Brindley outwitted the Stags’ offside trap but his low drilled effort was blocked by Rhys Bennett. Barnet’s Shaq Coulthirst was then set to shoot but Mansfield forward Alex MacDonald had tracked back and intercepted the ball before it could reach the striker. As the first-half progressed the home side increasingly began to show why they are pushing for a top-three spot, with winger CJ Hamilton causing havoc down the left and giving Brindley an uncomfortable afternoon. The home side were now creating numerous opportunities and openings but were repeatedly wasteful with their finishing. The Bees were hoping to make it to half-time without conceding but the home side eventually made a deserved breakthrough in the 42nd minute. Following a fine flowing move that Barnet were unable to disrupt, MacDonald brushed aside Ruben Bover’s challenge with his shot from the edge of the area looping over stranded keeper Craig Ross. Mansfield’s opener was a crushing blow to Barnet’s ambitions. The visitors never recovered from this setback, with the Stags always looking eager and able to extend their lead therafter. Ten minutes into the second half poor marking from a corner allowed Kane Hemmings to flick the ball on for Will Atkinson to stoop low to steer his header past Ross to double the home side’s advantage. Barnet briefly flickered into life on the hour mark when Clough should have done better from a Bover set-piece but his tame header was easily held by Logan. The game, as a contest, was concluded in the 70th minute when Hamilton attacked once more down the left, his pass into the middle picked out Danny Rose, who dismissed the flimsy challenge of David Tutonda before firmly placing the ball past Ross. The home side were now able to toy with Barnet and did not need to exert themselves unduly to keep their opponents at bay. They were jolted out of their complacency momentarily when Akinola, who had joined the fray in the 57th minute and had looked lively and enterprising, got his reward half-an-hour later. The Barnet substitute latched onto a weak headed back-pass by Bennet to pass the ball into an empty net. But despite a rousing finish, Mansfield’s superiority was never in doubt. Barnet: Ross, Brindley, Santos, Clough, Tutonda, Weston (Nicholson 75) Watson, Nicholls (J.Taylor 79), Bover, Coulthirst (Akinola 59), Akinde. Subs not used: Vilhete, Sule, Legg, Nicholson, Plavotic. ---------------------- |
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