Season 21/22 Stagsnet Match Report
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Oldham Athletic
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Mansfield Town
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Keillor-Dunn 24.
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Oates 53, Lapslie 90+5
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Attendance: 6,045 (1321 from Mansfield)
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Date: 26 March 2022
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ANOTHER LATE WINNER FOR THE STAGS AT OLDHAM
Martin Shaw at Boundary Park Mansfield Town made it back-to-back wins in the north-west this afternoon with another late winner, this time at Oldham. Following on from Jordan Bowery’s 86th minute winner at Rochdale on Tuesday night, the Stags left it even later today as substitute George Lapslie turned in the winner after 90+5 minutes, with just 30 seconds of stoppage time remaining, to the delight of the 1300 travelling Stags fans behind the goal. It was looking like the Stags would have to settle for a point but Rhys Oates produced a moment of magic, one of many this season, when he received a throw-in from Stephen McLaughlin on the edge of the area, with his back to goal, surrounded by defenders. He turned and created just enough room for a shot which he crashed against the left post. The ball rebounded favourably for Lapslie who turned it into the net from six yards. Lapslie’s immediate reaction was to turn to the linesman to check he was onside. He was, just, when Oates fired in his shot, and the Stags were able to celebrate in front of the travelling fans. Credit to Lapslie for being alert enough to be in the right place and turn it in. But much of the credit has to go to Oates for that shot. Stunning. Credit also to the linesman for getting a tight call correct. Earlier Oates had got the Stags back into the game when he equalised after 53 minutes after the Stags had trailed at the break. Matty Longstaff found Oates on the edge of the area. Oates took one touch to control the ball and smashed it goalwards, and got a little bit of luck as the shot took a little deflection off Carl Piergianni which might have been enough to take it over the diving keeper (see note *). Regardless of whether it would have gone in or not, it was reward for Oates who has been firing in a remarkable number of shots in the last couple of games. (note * Rhys Oates told Craig Priest for iFollow Stags two days after the game in response to "James Perch is a laying a bit of a claim to your goal on Saturday" ... "No chance. He tried telling me straight away that it came off his knee, but I'm not having it. It might have taken a touch, but it was going in anyway.") Oldham had led at the break. Mansfield had started the game well in the opening 20 minutes with Quinn winning a corner in the opening 30 seconds, Oates cutting inside and firing in a powerful shot that the keeper parried away after 6 minutes, then McLaughlin setting Oates away for a run into the box and Oates got in a left footed shot which the keeper saved with his legs and it unluckily rebounded back off Oates for a goal kick. Oates then miscued a shot straight at the keeper, before Hawkins claimed for a penalty for handball as he headed the ball against Piergianni from a Quinn corner. At the other end, Piergianni headed straight at Bishop from a corner. But Oldham took the lead after 24 minutes, then dominated the rest of the half as the Stags looked ragged and Oldham could have been further ahead at the break. The goal came as Jack Stobbs got away from Stephen McLaughlin down the right and put in a brilliant cross for Davis Keillor-Dunn, one of the smallest men on the pitch, who got away from his marker Hawkins to head into the net from 8 yards. Both McLaughlin and Hawkins should have done better. Nicky Adams then got in a cross from the left which hit McLaughlin and rolled wide. From the resulting corner Will Sutton headed wide. Keillor-Dunn then fired wide from 30 yards, before Hawkins nearly scored an own goal as he headed down an Adams free kick into the ground and as it bounced up towards the roof of the net, Bishop turned it over the bar. Finally Longstaff did well to block a Callum Whelan shot. A half of two quarters as the Stags started well but ended it badly with Oldham right on top. That 20 minutes from Oldham very much belied their position in the relegation zone of the table as they played very well. But they weren’t able to sustain it. Nigel Clough admitted after the game that “We lost our way a little bit towards the end of the first half”, while Oldham boss John Sheridan noted "I told them at half-time how well they'd done and should be possibly two or three up. I can hear Nige (Nigel Clough) giving them a rollicking, he's got into them and they made a couple of changes.” Nigel Clough brought on Jordan Bowery at half time and he made an impact as the Stags went up several gears in the second half. Straight away, James Perch, at right back for the second half crossed and Oates headed straight at the keeper. A minute later, good play on the left from Oates, his cross reached Bowery who pulled the ball back to Longstaff who had a clear sight of goal but his shot was blocked, the rebound fell to Perch who fired over the bar. The Stags then equalised through Oates after 53 minutes with that deflected shot. But that came just a minute after Oldham could have opened up a two goal lead as Hawkins tried to shepherd the ball out for a goal kick, had his pocket picked, and Keillor-Dunn fired straight at Bishop from a good position. Nearly a calamitous goal to concede. After 61 minutes, a good move from the Stags on the right involving Murphy and Bowery, before Oates teed up Bowery for a shot which was saved by the keeper with his legs. It was a great ball from Oates and Bowery was close to scoring. This was so much better from Mansfield. A minute later, Longstaff teed up Quinn for a shot from the edge of the box. The shot was blocked and ballooned up in the air to McLaughlin, who teed up Quinn for another shot from the edge of the area and this time it was towards the roof of the net and the keeper saved it, though only just, above his head. A minute after that, O’Toole stepped forward and played to Oates who turned and shot wide from 30 yards. Then two minutes after that, McLaughlin burst forward from 30 yards out, into the area, and fired a cross-shot inches wide of the right post, with Oates inches away from turning it into the net. The Stags were completely dominating. After 68 minutes, Hawkins met a Quinn corner on the volley but straight at the keeper from close range, and Hawkins was immediately dragged down off the ball but the referee wasn’t interested. Bowery headed over the bar from a Murphy corner after 71 minutes, before Hawkins headed inches wide from a McLaughlin free kick after 75 minutes. After 83 minutes, a brilliant run from Oates into the area, he found Bowery whose shot from 18 yards was blocked by Hunt. On 86 minutes, a superb cross from McLaughlin and Lapslie, only on as substitute after 81 minutes, headed just wide. It looked the like the winner wouldn’t come, but it did finally, in spectacular fashion after 90+5 minutes. Overall the Stags just about deserved the win because of the second half dominance with a glut of chances, 22 in total across the whole game, with 10 on target, to just 13 from Oldham with just 4 on target. But Oldham will feel they could have had something from the game because of their spell in the 20 minutes before half time when they played extremely well and Mansfield were quite poor. Rhys Oates was outstanding and the Oldham defence couldn’t cope with him. We knew he was good, from his form in the play-offs last season for Hartlepool, getting them promoted, but he’s regularly taking your breath away with his brilliance this season. Today was his 11th goal of the season, and I have him on 8 assists too (I’ve credited him with an assist for Lapslie’s goal). Kieran Wallace and Quinn played well in midfield. At the back, Hawkins and McLaughlin were below par in my opinion. The substitutes made a difference, Bowery doing well in the second half, and Lapslie turning in the winner. The Stags are up to 8th place, one point behind the 4 teams in the play-off places, with games in hand over 3 of them, and 2 games in hand over one of them. And the Stags are 4 points behind 3rd placed Northampton with 3 games in hand. The Stags visit Hartlepool on Tuesday night. Hartlepool lost to Northampton today, but I watched them play Newport a week ago and they were impressive in beating them. If you can’t travel to Victoria Park, you can once again watch the game with us on iFollow Stags. DETAILED REPORT : Mansfield made one change from the side that started at Rochdale. Wallace came in for Stirk. Bowery, who scored the winner at Rochdale from the bench, was surprisingly (in my opinion) still on the bench. Lucas Akins was back from injury on the bench. Ollie Clarke remained out with injury. Meanwhile I asked Nigel Clough after the game about George Maris and Clough told me he was injured in the warm up last week (hamstring) and he will be out for another week or so. The Stags started with three at the back (O’Toole right, Hawkins middle, Perch left), though were to change to four at the back during the first half. Oldham had lost five games on the trot and had been feeble against Sutton United on Tuesday. However they welcomed back their captain and centre half Carl Piergianni (a player the Stags tried to sign in August) from a two match suspension to shore up their defence. They were though still without defender Sam Hart, suspended, defender Harrison McGahey out injured, midfielder Christopher Missilou away on international duty with Congo, and striker Junior Luamba out injured. This was Mansfield’s 4th consecutive away game in a sequence of 5. It was a glorious sunny day. Mansfield started the game well in the opening 20 minutes. Quinn won a corner in the opening 30 seconds, but it was cleared. Oates cut inside and fired in a powerful shot that the keeper parried away after 6 minutes. At the other end two minutes later, Wallace got in a block for a corner. Then McLaughlin blocked a cross for another corner. From that corner, Piergianni headed straight at Bishop. O’Toole fouled Hope after 16 minutes. Nicky Adams curled the free kick from 28 yards out towards the far post, Piergianni just missed it and it curled just wide. After 19 minutes, McLaughlin set Oates away for a run into the box and Oates got in a left footed shot which the keeper saved with his legs and it unluckily rebounded back off Oates for a goal kick. A minute later, Oates miscued a shot straight at the keeper, and a minute after that Hawkins claimed for a penalty for handball as he headed the ball against Piergianni from a Quinn corner. Oldham took the lead after 24 minutes as Jack Stobbs got away from McLaughlin down the right and put in a brilliant cross for Davis Keillor-Dunn, one of the smallest men on the pitch, who got away from his marker Hawkins to head into the net from 8 yards. Both McLaughlin and Hawkins should have done better. Oldham then dominated the rest of the half as the Stags looked ragged and Oldham could have been further ahead at the break. After 32 minutes, Nicky Adams got in a cross from the left which hit McLaughlin and rolled wide. From the resulting corner Will Sutton headed wide. Keillor-Dunn then fired wide from 30 yards. The Stags re-organised after 33 minutes and Hawkins went up front. It was now 4-4-2 with a diamond in midfield. Wallace in front of the back four, Longstaff on the right, Quinn on the left, Murphy behind Oates and Hawkins. After 37 minutes, Hawkins nearly scored an own goal as he headed down an Adams free kick into the ground and as it bounced up towards the roof of the net, Bishop turned it over the bar. Then on 41 minutes, Adams got past Hewitt and put a low cross into the corridor of uncertainty but no-one was on the end of it. Poor play from Hewitt. On 44 minutes, Longstaff did well to block a Callum Whelan shot. After 45+1 minutes, Murphy did well to create space for a shot 25 yards out, but he sent a terrible effort very far wide. A half of two quarters as the Stags started well but ended it badly with Oldham right on top. That 20 minutes from Oldham very much belied their position in the relegation zone of the table as they played very well. But they weren’t able to sustain it. Nigel Clough admitted after the game that “We lost our way a little bit towards the end of the first half”, while Oldham boss John Sheridan noted "I told them at half-time how well they'd done and should be possibly two or three up. I can hear Nige (Nigel Clough) giving them a rollicking, he's got into them and they made a couple of changes.” Half time 1-0 Nigel Clough brought on Jordan Bowery at half time in place of Hewitt. Perch went to right back. Hawkins, having gone up front after 33 minutes, moved to centre half again. Bowery went on to the right. The Stags went up several gears. Straight away, James Perch crossed and Oates headed straight at the keeper. A minute later, good play on the left from Oates, his cross reached Bowery who pulled the ball back to Longstaff who had a clear sight of goal but his shot was blocked, the rebound fell to Perch who fired over the bar. After 49 minutes, McLaughlin almost left a back-pass short. After 52 minutes, Hawkins tried to shepherd the ball out for a goal kick, had his pocket picked, and Keillor-Dunn fired straight at Bishop from a good position. Nearly a calamitous goal to concede. The Stags equalised after 53 minutes. Longstaff found Oates on the edge of the area. Oates took one touch to control the ball and smashed it goalwards, and got a little bit of luck as the shot took a little deflection off Carl Piergianni which might have been enough to take it over the diving keeper (see note *). Regardless of whether it would have gone in or not, it was reward for Oates who has been firing in a remarkable number of shots in the last couple of games. (note * Rhys Oates told Craig Priest for iFollow Stags two days after the game in response to "James Perch is a laying a bit of a claim to your goal on Saturday" ... "No chance. He tried telling me straight away that it came off his knee, but I'm not having it. It might have taken a touch, but it was going in anyway.") Wallace blocked a long range shot after 54 minutes. Straight to the other end, Bowery got into the area but was held off by Piergiani from getting in a cross or shot. A good run from Oates after 56 minutes, but when he tried to find Quinn it was a poor pass. After 61 minutes, a good move from the Stags on the right involving Murphy and Bowery, before Oates teed up Bowery for a shot which was saved by the keeper with his legs. It was a great ball from Oates and Bowery was close to scoring. This was so much better from Mansfield. Home fans were on the players’ backs now. A minute later, Longstaff teed up Quinn for a shot from the edge of the box. The shot was blocked and ballooned up in the air to McLaughlin, who teed up Quinn for another shot from the edge of the area and this time it was towards the roof of the net and the keeper saved it, though only just, above his head. A minute after that, O’Toole stepped forward and played to Oates who turned and shot wide from 30 yards. Then two minutes after that, McLaughlin burst forward from 30 yards out, into the area, and fired a cross-shot inches wide of the right post, with Oates inches away from turning it into the net. The Stags were completely dominating. Stirk replaced Wallace after 67 minutes. Wallace had been injured moments earlier. Oldham boss John Sheridan took off Nicky Adams to a loud chorus of boos. Adams had played well. After 68 minutes, Hawkins met a Quinn corner on the volley but straight at the keeper from close range, and Hawkins was immediately dragged down off the ball but the referee wasn’t interested. Perch was booked for what was actually a good tackle on Fage after 69 minutes. Perch couldn’t believe it. Terrible decision. Bowery headed over the bar from a Murphy corner after 71 minutes. Then Hawkins headed inches wide from a McLaughlin free kick after 75 minutes. A great free kick and Hawkins was so close. A good catch by Bishop after 79 minutes from a Bahamboula cross, after Bahamboula had got past McLaughlin and Murphy to the byline. A minute late Hallam Hope fired hopelessly miles over the bar following a throw-in. Lapslie replaced Longstaff after 81 minutes. After 83 minutes, a brilliant run from Oates into the area, he found Bowery whose shot from 18 yards was blocked by Hunt. On 86 minutes, a superb cross from McLaughlin and Lapslie headed just wide. Agonisingly close. After 89 minutes, the Stags were on the break, Murphy’s ball forward hit the referee in the centre circle. The referee correctly stopped play. But unbelievably he restarted the game with a drop ball for Oldham, when it should have been for Mansfield. Not a critical decision but astonishingly bad nonetheless. 5 minutes of stoppage time was added on. After 90+1 minutes, a dangerous cross from Keillor-Dunn was headed down into the ground by Jordan Clarke from beyond the far post, and headed away by O’Toole. After 90+3 minutes, Oates broke into the area on the right and was unlucky as his cross rebounded back off him for a goal-kick. It looked the like the winner wouldn’t come, but it did finally, in spectacular fashion after 90+5 minutes. And it was Oates who produced a moment of magic, one of many this season, when he received a throw-in from McLaughlin on the edge of the area, with his back to goal, surrounded by defenders. He turned and created just enough room for a shot which he crashed against the left post. The ball rebounded favourably for Lapslie who turned it into the net from six yards. Lapslie’s immediate reaction was to turn to the linesman to check he was onside. He was, just, when Oates fired in his shot, and the Stags were able to celebrate in front of the travelling fans. Credit to Lapslie for being alert enough to be in the right place and turn it in. But much of the credit has to go to Oates for that shot. Stunning. Credit also to the linesman for getting a tight call correct. An interesting note is that the goal was very similar to Danny Rose’s goal that was wrongly disallowed here in the Sky TV televised game three years ago as the Stags were going for automatic promotion under David Flitcroft. Overall the Stags just about deserved the win because of the second half dominance with a glut of chances, 22 in total across the whole game, with 10 on target, to just 13 from Oldham with just 4 on target. Man of the Match: Rhys Oates Here’s a running tally of various stats this season: Goals (league and cup): Oates 11, Bowery, Hawkins, Johnson 7, Lapslie 5, O.Clarke, McLaughlin 4, Longstaff, Maris, O’Toole 3, Charsley 2, Caine, Forrester, Hewitt, Quinn, Rawson, Sinclair, Stirk 1. 1 OG Assists (league and cup): McLaughlin 10, Oates 8, Quinn 5, Bowery 4, Charsley, O.Clarke, Johnson, Sinclair 3, Hawkins, Longstaff, Maris, Murphy, Rawson, Stirk 2, J.Clarke, Gale, Hewitt, Lapslie, Law, Wallace 1 (note: in the case of a penalty, the player who earns the penalty gets an assist. In the case of a solo goal, such as Maris against Newport at home, nobody gets an assist. In the case of the scorer scoring from the rebound after a shot is saved or blocked, the player who had the shot saved gets an assist. In the case of an own goal, the player who caused the own goal gets an assist, for example McLaughlin against Newport away where his shot was deflected in for an own goal.) |
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Report by: Martin Shaw at Boundary Park
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Line Up:
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(3-5-2)
Bishop 7 A couple of comfortable saves and a good catch. No chance with the goal. O’Toole 7 Solid. Hawkins 5 Below par. Should have done better for the Oldham goal allowing Keillor-Dunn, one of the smallest men on the pitch, to get away from him and head into the net. Another mistake allowed Keillor-Dunn another chance shortly before the Stags equalised. Went close twice at the other end. Perch 7 Calm and solid in defence. Unbelievably booked for a good tackle. Hewitt 5 Poor play just before half time allowing Adams to get past him. Taken off at half time. Wallace 7 Played well in midfield. Two good blocks. Longstaff 6.5 An assist for Oates’s goal. One good block. Quinn 7 Played well in midfield. Showed intent by winning a corner in the opening 20 seconds. One shot saved by the keeper above his head. McLaughlin 5.5 Below par. Should have done better for the Oldham goal. Fired wide from a good position. Murphy 6 Did ok. Did well to create space for a shot just before half time, but sent it very far wide. Oates 9 Was outstanding and the Oldham defence couldn’t cope with him. Great shot for the first goal and a little bit of luck maybe with the deflection. A moment of magic for the second goal when, with his back to goal, surrounded by defenders, he turned and created just enough room for a shot which crashed against the left post leading to Lapslie to turning in the rebound. We knew he was good, from his form in the play-offs last season for Hartlepool, getting them promoted, but he’s regularly taking your breath away with his brilliance this season. This was his 11th goal of the season, and I have him on 8 assists too. |
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Sub Line Up:
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Bowery (for Hewitt, 46 mins) 7 Made an impact coming on as half time sub and did well.
Stirk (for Wallace, 67 mins) - Did ok. Lapslie (for Longstaff, 81 mins) - Came up with the winner when he was alert enough to be in the right place to turn the ball in. Headed just wide earlier. Subs not used: Stech, Rawson, Akins, Johnson. |
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Opposition Line Up:
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(4-2-3-1) Rogers; Jordan Clarke, Sutton, Piergianni, Couto (Fage 68’); Adams (Hunt 67’), Whelan; Bahamboula, Keillor-Dunn, Stobbs (Vaughan 74’); Hope. Subsnot used: Leutwiler (GK), Da Silva, Diarra, Hopcutt.
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Referee:
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Ben Toner 5 Poor decision to book Perch. Also a poor decision surrounding a drop ball in the second half.
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