Football League Worthington Cup Second Round

2nd leg,  24 Aug 1999
 

Reports from The CHAD and Evening Post.

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Mansfield off the mark at last - CHAD online

LEE PEACOCK gave Mansfield's disappointing season a massive lift with their
first goal after 414 minutes of trying, to beat illustrious First Division
neighbours Nottingham Forest 1-0 at Field Mill on Tuesday night.

Although Forest progressed 3-1 on aggregate, Peacock's 54th-minute strike
plus some excellent goalkeeping by Barry Richardson provided a timely boost
for the Stags, before their important Bank Holiday programme.

"We got back a bit of pride against Forest and now we've got to take that
into Saturday's game with Carlisle," said delighted Stags boss Billy
Dearden.

"I was pleased with my players. I wasn't bothered who got the goal as long
as we scored and we created three or four other good chances.

"If we play like that in our two games this weekend, we will get results."

Had Peacock put away a free header near the end, there could even have been
a grandstand finish.

"If he'd placed it anywhere else other than straight at the keeper, it would
have been a goal," said Dearden.

"That would have made it 3-2 with five or six minutes to go which could have
been interesting."

With nothing to lose and desperate for a goal manager Billy Dearden opted
for an adventurous 3-4-3 formation, with young Michael Boulding making his
debut as an extra striker.

Michael Sisson also lined up in midfield with Gary Tallon and Wayne Thomas
out of the side.

Both sides tried to keep the ball on the floor with some attractive passing
football that made a fine spectacle for the 3,072 fans.

Forest forced a third-minute corner which Rogers floated over and Chettle
headed beyond the far post.

Chettle then came up with a good tackle to stop Peacock in full flight just
inside the box.

Stags' luck in front of goal continued to desert them on five minutes after
a fine move started by the vision of Blake.

He spread the play expertly to Williams on the right, and Beasant charged
off his line to deal with the cross but found himself stranded on the edge
of the box with the ball loose.

Sisson tried his luck with a well-struck shot that Chettle headed off the
line.

That lifted Mansfield and Peacock saw a free kick strike the wall while
Lormor's header straight into Beasant's arms from Roscoe's cross.

Hassall was again in fine fettle and produced a well-timed challenge to deny
Quashie as he shaped to shoot.

Forest almost grabbed a 22nd-minute lead when Quashie met Allou's low pass
with a 20-yard blast that Richardson did well to parry.

Otherwise the Reds were struggling to find their rhythm, and Lormor scooped
over at the other end from Richardson's inviting ball.

But Allou sounded another warning to Mansfield when his 20-yard effort
grazed the top of Richardson's crossbar.

Richardson pulled off another fine save for Mansfield on the stroke of half
time as he tipped over a Harewood shot that looked destined for his top left
hand corner.

The second half began in quiet fashion, but exploded into life on 54 when
Mansfield finally got the goal they had waited so long for.

Williams carved open the Forest defence with a ball inside Chettle to
release Boulding round the back.

The young debutant belied his inexperience with a neat pull back into
Peacock's path, and the striker slotted home to open his and Mansfield's
account for the season.

The Stags then weathered an inevitable storm of Forest pressure and Quashie
was unlucky to see another long range effort sail just wide.

Defender Richardson was then relieved to see his goalkeeping namesake rescue
him with a good block after allowing Harewood to get goal side of him.

Forest suffered a further blow when skipper Chris Bart-Williams was
stretchered off after a seemingly harmless challenge from Peacock 20 minutes
from time.

Richardson was again the Mansfield hero on 74 when he turned over Allou's
goalbound shot after Harewood had sent the Frenchman through on goal.

But Peacock should have added a second for Mansfield late in the game when
he sent a free header straight at Beasant from a central position.

It could have provided a thrilling finish as, shortly afterwards, the
referee decided to add five minutes of stoppage time.

MATCH DETAILS

MANSFIELD: B. Richardson, Hassell, Linighan, M. Richardson, Williams,
Sisson, Blake, Roscoe, Boulding (Allardyce 87), Lormor, Peacock. Substitutes
not used: Asher, Disley, Tye, Tallon.

FOREST: Beasant, Hjelde, Seimeca, Chettle, Allou, Melton, Rogers (Gray 83),
Bart-Williams (Doig 70), Quashie, Guinan (Merino 87), Harewood. Substitues
not used: Crossley, Edwards.

REFEREE: Terry Heilbron of County Durham.

ATTENDANCE: 3,072.

SCORER: Mansfield - Peacock 54.

MAN OF THE MATCH: Barry Richardson.

© North Notts Newspapers
 

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Struggling Mansfield Town gained their first win and opening goal of the
season in the most unlikely of circumstances last night
Evening Post online

BY JAMES REECE

Nottingham Forest players were sent from Field Mill with their tails between
their legs after failing to get going in the Worthington Cup first round,
second leg tie.

Forest still returned with a 3-1 aggregate win but Mansfield fully deserved
the 1-0 result, their first victory in five games, thanks to Lee Peacock's
54th minute goal.

It was a great performance from every one of Billy Dearden's men as his
experimental three-man strike force paid dividends.

Forest boss David Platt took the chance to field some of his fringe players.
Dave Beasant, Jon Olav Hjelde, Bernard Allou, Stephen Melton, Steve Guinan
and Marlon Harewood were all given a run-out.

But they were all eclipsed by 19-year-old Bobby Hassell who enhanced his
rapidly-rising reputation by helping Stags to their first clean sheet of the
campaign.

Hassell seemed as if he had written the script - he read the game so well
alongside the solid David Linighan and Neil Richardson. Non-contract Mark
Blake was keen to impress against Platt - the man who took his place at
Aston Villa - and he did just that.

Forest, with Allou looking lively and hitting the bar on the half-hour, had
their chances but Barry Richardson pulled off brilliant saves. Richardson
stopped strikes from Nigel Quashie and Harewood as well as turning an Allou
effort over the bar.

But young striker Harewood had a plum chance on 60 minutes to equalise - he
muscled his way through but shot straight at the advancing Richardson.

Mansfield did their fans proud after setting off like an express train with
the dependable Steve Chettle heading a drive from hard-working Michael
Sisson off the line on only four minutes.

But it was not until Peacock's goal that they really made the break-through
the unmarked forward driving home gleefully from a pull-back by Michael
Boulding, making his full debut.

Peacock almost set up a grandstand finish minutes from time but his header
from Andy Roscoe's cross was tipped away by Beasant.

Forest had earlier been rattled by a nasty injury to Chris Bart-Williams who
had dropped back to help the three-man defence. He was stretchered off to be
replaced by teenager Chris Doig on 69 minutes.
 
 

BY JAMES REECE AND IAN COLLIER

Lee Peacock was the Stags goal hero as Forest's rock-bottom local rivals
chalked up a historic 1-0 win.

Forest progressed in the Worthington Cup - their 3-0 first leg cushion
enough to see them through - but they paid a high price last night with the
loss of influential midfielder Chris Bart-Williams for up to three weeks.

The 25-year-old, who has filled in successfully as captain this season,
pulled a thigh muscle and will the key run of games over the Bank Holiday
weekend against QPR and Manchester City.

Platt insisted the fact his side were in the hat for the second round was
the most important aspect, and added: "We are obviously disappointed to have
lost the game. As I have said, we want to get into a winning habit.

"It was also disappointing that we did not score a goal - we certainly had
enough chances. Everybody expected us to win but they were always going to
work hard.

"The thing that made it worse for me is the injury to Chris Bart-Williams.
It looks like quite a bad injury. We will have it scanned, but I would think
he will be out for about three weeks.

"We did not take our chances but games like this are in the nature of cup
football and I don't need to pick my team up because we're in the hat for
the next round."

The Stags, however, were delighted with their first goal and win of the
season and boss Billy Dearden is hoping that display will act as springboard
off the foot of Division Three.

Goal hero Peacock, who continues to attract scouts to Field Mill, said: "It
is a good result for the fans. They can go into work with a bit of pride
now. It is good to be back on the scoresheet. We can hopefully go from this
result into winning ways in the league.

Dearden said: "They had a bit of pride to play for. They have been letting
themselves down in the league but I was quite pleased with them tonight. I
thought we deserved the win. We decided to play three front men to stop them
coming out from the back and it worked a treat. I would like to think I can
get two or three more players in. But I have said from day one I have been
impressed with the younger players."

Mark Blake in action