Season 20/21 Stagsnet Match Report
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Mansfield Town
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Cambridge United
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Mullin 57, 65, Knibbs 90+1
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Attendance: behind closed doors
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Date: 20 February 2021
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STAGS BEATEN BY LEADERS CAMBRIDGE
Martin Shaw at the One Call Stadium, Field Mill Mansfield Town were beaten 3-0 at home by League Two leaders Cambridge United this afternoon. The first half was very even as the Stags went toe to toe with Cambridge, but the Stags were poor in the second half while Cambridge stepped up a gear and the visitors ran out very comfortable winners thanks in part to some clinical finishing from League Two top scorer Paul Mullin who helped himself to a brace. On a windy day and on a muddy pitch, the first half saw few chances for either side. Jordan Bowery went close for the Stags after 23 minutes when he was found by Stephen Quinn, Bowery cut in from the left onto his right foot and fired just wide of the right post with the keeper motionless. Then after 34 minutes Harry Charsley picked up the scraps after a good run by Ollie Clarke towards the edge of the area, and Charsley sent a left footed shot wide of the right post from inside the D. The first significant save for either keeper came after 40 minutes when Wes Hoolahan was left in 10 yards of space in the penalty area, he controlled a chip to him from former Stag Greg Taylor, and blasted a shot goalwards from 6 yards which Aidan Stone did very well to block for a corner. Terrible defending, good goalkeeping. Goalless at the break after an even first half, but Cambridge took the lead after 57 minutes. Luke Hannant set left back Harrison Dunk away down the left. Stags right back James Perch was out of position and nobody got back to stop Dunk getting in the cross. Worse still, Ryan Sweeney was five yards away from Paul Mullin as the cross came in and Sweeney also missed the chance to clear, allowing Mullin to turn it left footed past Stone into the right corner of the net. Dreadful defending. Ollie Clarke had a shot after 61 minutes from a similar position 25 yards out to his goal on Wednesday, but this time it was along the ground and Cambridge keeper Callum Burton made a comfortable save. A minute later, a good run from Bowery and he pulled the ball across to Charsley who brought a great save from Callum Burton but the offside flag was up anyway against Charsley. Cambridge doubled their lead after 65 minutes. Mullin crossed high from the left hand side beyond the far post to Adam May who controlled the ball, found Kyle Knoyle who in turn found Liam O’Neil who chipped a cross beyond the left post to Mullin who was completely unmarked in 10 yards of space near the byline. Mullin had time to control the ball and slide his shot from a tight angle past Stone. Terrible defending from the Stags to leave Mullin in so much space. Both Perch and Sweeney were trying to mark Ironside as O’Neil’s chipped cross came over, leaving Mullin unattended. The Stags appealed that May had controlled the ball with his hand in the build-up. The video is inconclusive on that. Regardless, Sweeney stood looking at the linesman appealing as Mullin was about to shoot, when he should at least have played to the whistle. Terrible defending all round, and Stone should not have been beaten from such a tight angle. The Stags were guilty of some dreadful set pieces including corners from Maris and McLaughlin. Jason Law was a surprise substitute in place of the tiring Stephen Quinn and he was to provide one bright spark of the second half with an impressive 30 minute cameo. Incredibly it was Law’s league debut, five years after he was signed by Adam Murray (he has previously only played in the EFL Trophy). Law slid a wonderful ball forward for Bowery to run on to, but Bowery lost his footing at the crucial moment after 68 minutes. Then after 77 minutes, a fine effort from Law, as he cut inside from the right and curled a shot which was deflected and went wide of the left post. A chance for Jamie Reid after 81 minutes as Perch put in a fine cross but Reid’s header was poor and well wide. Cambridge made it 3-0 after 90+1 minutes. Great play from Hoolahan whose trickery got him to the edge of the box with no-one able to get the ball off him, he found Ironside who battled for the ball with Sweeney, it ran loose and Cambridge substitute Harvey Knibbs was quickest to pounce on it smashing low into the net from 12 yards, with Stone getting a hand on it but unable to keep it out. Tyrese Sinclair was also on as substitute and his free kick from 25 yards after 90+4 minutes nearly provided a consolation goal for the Stags but Callum Burton produced a fine save as it headed for the top corner. A good effort from Sinclair. Probably as close as Mansfield have come with a shot from a free kick from outside the box for 2 years since Jorge Grant scored against Tranmere! So, a poor result for Mansfield and a poor second half performance. Cambridge boss Mark Bonner pointed out that it was a good time for Cambridge to play Mansfield, with the Stags having a tough game on a muddy pitch on Wednesday night, and that probably showed as Cambridge got on top in the second half. Taking nothing away from Cambridge though as they extended their lead at the top of the table. Mullin was clinical with his finishing, Hoolahan showed great skills, Ironside was a real handful for the Stags defence, while Knoyle and Dunk impressed as full backs. For Mansfield, not too many good performances, especially in defence. My man of the match was Jason Law who had an impressive 30 minutes on his league debut. The Stags are 10 points behind the play-off positions and remain 11 points above the relegation zone. But Mansfield are second bottom in the league table based on home games only, with just Grimsby picking up fewer points at home. The Stags are however 6th in the away table, and will look to build on that at Harrogate on Tuesday. It will be our first ever visit to Harrogate Town, as Mansfield look to avenge what was the first defeat under Nigel Clough back in November. (Note that the Stags did play at Harrogate Railway in the FA Cup a few years back, a game shown live on BBC1, but that is a different club). DETAILED REPORT: Mansfield were unchanged from the side that lost to Bolton. Oli Sarkic returned from injury to the bench, in place of James Clarke. Kellan Gordon and George Lapslie remained out through injury. Cambridge were top of the league. They did not have a midweek game, while the Stags had played on Sunday and Wednesday, conceding late goals in both having led late on in both games and come out with just one point. It was a windy day, with gusts blowing behind Cambridge in the first half. The pitch was muddy, particularly so in front of the West Stand. Cambridge had the ball in the net after 7 minutes. Knoyle crossed from the right, and Ironside had fouled Rawson before heading into the net, with the whistle going as Ironside headed the ball. Four minutes later, Hannant’s low shot from 30 yards was wide of the left post. A half chance for Mansfield after 14 minutes as Ollie Clarke laid off to Charsley whose shot from the edge of the area was blocked. Stone was having trouble with his clearances, one after another was terrible. Meanwhile Cambridge keeper Burton’s kick was caught by a gust a wind and went out for a goal kick at the other end. Bowery went close for the Stags after 23 minutes when he was found by Stephen Quinn, Bowery cut in from the left onto his right foot and fired just wide of the right post with the keeper motionless. After 30 minutes, Perch tried his luck from 30 yards but was high and wide. At the other end, McLaughlin made a good tackle on Mullin. Then after 34 minutes Charsley picked up the scraps after a good run by Ollie Clarke towards the edge of the area, and Charsley sent a left footed shot wide of the right post from inside the D. The first significant save for either keeper came after 40 minutes when Wes Hoolahan was left in 10 yards of space in the penalty area, he controlled a chip to him from former Stag Greg Taylor, and blasted a shot goalwards from 6 yards which Stone did very well to block for a corner. Terrible defending, good goalkeeping. A good run by Reid after 41 minutes and he won a free kick. But it came to nothing. Goalless at the break after an even first half. Not too many chances for either side. Half time 0-0 After 56 minutes, good play from Reid, but his pass forward for Bowery was just overhit. Cambridge took the lead after 57 minutes. Luke Hannant set left back Harrison Dunk away down the left. Stags right back Perch was out of position and nobody got back to stop Dunk getting in the cross. Worse still, Sweeney was five yards away from Paul Mullin as the cross came in and Sweeney also missed the chance to clear, allowing Mullin to turn it left footed past Stone into the right corner of the net. Dreadful defending. A poor corner from Maris after 59 minutes. Ollie Clarke had a shot after 61 minutes from a similar position 25 yards out to his goal on Wednesday, but this time it was along the ground and Cambridge keeper Callum Burton made a comfortable save. A minute later, a good run from Bowery and he pulled the ball across to Charsley who brought a great save from Callum Burton but the offside flag was up anyway against Charsley. Jason Law replaced Quinn after 65 minutes. It was Law’s league debut. Quinn had been doubtful for the game after taking a couple of knocks against Bolton, and he was tiring. Cambridge doubled their lead after 65 minutes. Mullin crossed high from the left hand side beyond the far post to Adam May who controlled the ball, found Kyle Knoyle who in turn found Liam O’Neil who chipped a cross beyond the left post to Mullin who was completely unmarked in 10 yards of space near the byline. Mullin had time to control the ball and slide his shot from a tight angle past Stone. Terrible defending from the Stags to leave Mullin in so much space. Both Perch and Sweeney were trying to mark Ironside as O’Neil’s chipped cross came over, leaving Mullin unattended. The Stags appealed that May had controlled the ball with his hand in the build-up. The video is inconclusive on that. Regardless, Sweeney stood looking at the linesman appealing as Mullin was about to shoot, when he should at least have played to the whistle. Terrible defending all round, and Stone should not have been beaten from such a tight angle. Law slid a wonderful ball forward for Bowery to run on to, but Bowery lost his footing at the crucial moment, after 68 minutes. A chance for Mansfield two minutes later. McLaughlin’s free kick into the area, the keeper came out but didn’t get there. Reid had a shot but the keeper redeemed himself with a save from point blank range. The Stags were guilty of some dreadful set pieces and McLaughlin’s corner after 72 minutes was straight behind for a goal kick. Tyrese Sinclair replaced Charsley after 73 minutes. After 77 minutes, a fine effort from Law, as he cut inside from the right and curled a shot which was deflected and went wide of the left post. A chance for Jamie Reid after 81 minutes as Perch put in a fine cross but Reid’s header was poor and well wide. After 86 minutes, good play by Knoyle as he made space for a shot in the area from an angle on the right, but his powerful shot was well-saved by Stone. Sinclair, whose set pieces are normally a strong point, followed in the footsteps of Maris and McLaughlin, with a poor corner, putting it onto the roof of the net. Maris was booked after 90 minutes for a late tackle after Bowery lost the ball. Sarkic replaced Bowery after 90 minutes. Cambridge made it 3-0 after 90+1 minutes. Great play from Hoolahan whose trickery got him to the edge of the box with no-one able to get the ball off him, he found Ironside who battled for the ball with Sweeney, it ran loose and Cambridge substitute Harvey Knibbs was quickest to pounce on it smashing low into the net from 12 yards, with Stone getting a hand on it but unable to keep it out. Sinclair’s free kick from 25 yards after 90+4 minutes nearly provided a consolation goal for the Stags but Callum Burton produced a fine save as it headed for the top corner. A good effort from Sinclair. Probably as close as Mansfield have come with a shot from a free kick from outside the box for 2 years since Jorge Grant scored against Tranmere! A bad week for Mansfield. On Sunday, three points turned into one at Colchester with an 89th minute equaliser. On Wednesday, three points turned into none as Bolton scored 3 times in the final 11 minutes to come back from 2-0. And then the Stags tired in the second half here to concede 3 second half goals and lose 3-0. Hopefully the Stags can regroup and come back strongly at Harrogate on Tuesday (7pm kick-off, join us from 6.50pm on iFollow Stags). Man of the match: Jason Law, an impressive 30 minutes on his league debut |
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Report by: Martin Shaw at the One Call Stadium, Field Mill
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Line Up:
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(4-3-3)
Stone 5.5 Good save in the first half from Hoolahan and in the second half from Knoyle. Should not have been beaten from such a tight angle for the second goal. Some poor kicking. Perch 4.5 Could have done better for the first two goals. Rawson 6 Did ok, and won plenty of headers. Sweeney 4 Very bad day at the office after a good run of form. For the first goal, he was five yards away from Mullin as the cross came in and he also missed the chance to clear, allowing Mullin to score. For the second goal, along with Perch he was trying to mark Ironside as the chipped cross came over, leaving Mullin unattended to score. He then stood looking at the linesman appealing as Mullin was about to shoot, when he should at least have played to the whistle. McLaughlin 6 A good tackle in the first half. A dreadful corner in the second half, but also one reasonable free kick. Better in the first half than the second half. Quinn 6 Good pass to Bowery for his first half chance. Maris 6.5 One poor corner, but otherwise mostly did ok. O.Clarke 6.5 A couple of good pieces of play set up chances for Charsley. Had a reasonable game. Charsley 5.5 One shot wide and another blocked. Didn’t affect the game enough, and some poor passing. Reid 4.5 Very poor game, didn’t hold the ball up, losing the ball too often. Missed a good chance from a header from Perch’s cross. Bowery 6 Went close with a decent effort in the first half. |
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Sub Line Up:
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Law (for Quinn, 65 mins) 7 An impressive 30 minutes on his league debut.
Sinclair (for Charsley, 73 mins) - A good effort from a 25 yard free kick. Sarkic (for Bowery, 90 mins) - Subs not used: Stech, O’Keeffe, Benning, O’Driscoll. |
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Opposition Line Up:
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(4-4-2): Burton; Knoyle, Taylor, Okedina, Dunk; Hannant (Knibbs, 79 mins), O’Neil (Drysdale, 70 mins), May, Hoolahan; Mullin, Ironside. Subs not used: McKenzie-Lyle, Iredale, Alese, Davies, Worman.
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Referee:
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Sam Purkiss 7 Handled the game well.
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