Season 22/23 Stagsnet Match Report
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Leyton Orient
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Mansfield Town
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Kelman 63
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McLaughlin missed pen 2
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Attendance: 6,328 (536 from Mansfield)
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Date: 13 August 2022
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STAGS MISS PENALTY AND PLENTY OF 1-ON-1’s AND LOSE AT ORIENT
Martin Shaw at Brisbane Road Mansfield Town were beaten 1-0 at Leyton Orient this afternoon despite a good performance. This was as frustrating a defeat as they come because the Stags should have been out of sight at half time with at least a three goal lead having played some fine football but missed a penalty and a host of glorious chances. The chances kept on coming at the start of the second half, before Orient had their first near miss after 60 minutes as Christy Pym made a good save. Orient then scored after 63 minutes and Mansfield were unable to find an equaliser, despite more chances. On an afternoon of extreme heat, possibly the hottest many of these players will have played in, apart from maybe the pre-season game against Sheffield United, the Stags got off to the best possible start which immediately turned into the worst possible start. McLaughlin found Quinn on the halfway line on the left. Quinn slid a fabulous ball forward for Oates to run on to on the left side of the area. Oates got his toe to the ball just before keeper Lawrence Vigouroux who came out to try to gather. Oates went down. It was a clear penalty. 12 seconds gone. I cannot recall an earlier penalty award for the Stags in the club’s history. McLaughlin, yet to miss a penalty for Mansfield, stepped up and fired towards the bottom left corner of the net, but Vigouroux redeemed himself with a superlative save, getting down low to turn it wide. Sometimes you can say a penalty was a good height for a keeper, or it was too close to the keeper, but from studying the replay, the penalty was pretty low down, and virtually in the corner. What a boost for Vigouroux and for the home fans, and a downer for the Stags. It set the scene for an outstanding performance from Vigouroux who was single-handedly to keep the Stags at bay. A half chance for Orient after 8 minutes as Charlie Kelman shot from 12 yards which was blocked by Hewitt as Kelman cut inside from the right. But then it was a catalogue of near misses for the Stags. On 15 minutes, Oates got past Dan Happe into the area on the right and Vigouroux was out quickly to save at his feet as he tried to shoot. Then on 28 minutes, a free kick from the right from Hartigan, Swan glanced a header goalwards and Vigouroux saved on his line. Then after 38 minutes, Hewitt lifted a super ball into the area for Oates who got goalside of the defence, Oates controlled it beautifully and shot on the turn but Vigouroux again made a magnificent save with his left foot. And on 42 minutes another 1-on-1 for Oates. Harbottle brought the ball forward from his own half, slid a ball forward for Quinn, who beautifully flicked the ball into the path of Oates. Oates was through 1-on-1 with Vigouroux and fired powerfully goalwards, but the keeper again saved magnificently with his left leg. Massive frustration for Oates and for Mansfield. No exaggeration to say the Stags should be three goals ahead at the break, and were all over Orient. Orient resorted to long balls forward, and a few long throws from James, but had nothing else, while the Stags played some incisive football going forward. Into the second half. After 48 minutes, Oates broke forward but with options either side of him he overhit a pass to the advancing Gordon, playing on the right wing, taking him far too wide. Gordon crossed in towards Lapslie but it was put behind for a corner. Following the corner, McLaughlin headed wide at the far post from Gordon’s cross. On 48 minutes, Lapslie won the ball and played inside towards Swan, but it was just in front of Swan, completely unmarked, who would have been 1-on-1 with the keeper if he could have got the ball. After 51 minutes, clever play on the left by the Stags, Quinn played forward to Oates who chested down to Swan, who returned the ball to Oates, Oates cut inside Happe, but his shot was blocked by Happe. Another good break by the Stags after 59 minutes, as McLaughlin steamed forward into the Orient half, his ball into Oates was just behind Oates but as Lapslie was about to shoot from 18 yards, Hunt blocked him off. The Stags had simply been all over Orient for 60 minutes. Orient created their first decent chance of the game on the hour as George Moncur cut inside Hewitt on the edge of the area, and fired towards the top right corner of the net. Pym made a superb save tipping it over. From the resulting corner, Happe got away from O’Toole to head just wide. O’Toole felt he had been fouled but no foul was given. And on 63 minutes, Leyton Orient took the lead. Idris El Mizouni, on his debut on loan from Ipswich, played a one-two with Paul Smyth, skipped past O’Toole, who on a yellow card had to be careful not to bring him down, got to the edge of the area and laid the ball off to Kelman, who had escaped from Harbottle and was unmarked to fire past Pym from 16 yards. Harbottle had a good game but lost his man there. O’Toole and indeed Hewitt could also have done better to prevent the goal. So much frustration for Mansfield to be behind. That was it for Orient who had no further chances in the game. The Stags had more chances though none of them as good as earlier. After 68 minutes, Oates found sub Ollie Clarke whose shot was straight at the keeper. After 83 minutes, Oates was tripped 30 yards from goal, and McLaughlin’s shot from the free kick was just wide of the left post. After 85 minutes, great play from Clarke to find Gordon but his shot was high and wide. McLaughlin’s corner on 90+2 minutes was headed wide by Lapslie at the near post. Then in the final minute of stoppage time, from a Hewitt long throw, Ollie Clarke completely missed his kick to sum up Mansfield’s afternoon. If you don’t take your chances, you won't win football matches, and that’s what happened here. The Stags were missing Hawkins, Akins and Bowery today through injury and suspension. Nevertheless, scoring just one goal in 3 league games having created a lot of chances does I think highlight that the Stags could do with another quality striker in the squad. Nigel Clough clarified just over a week ago when asked about signings: "Ideally we'd like another forward player. The owners put in a couple of substantial bids for strikers. We weren't successful." Clough then added on Tuesday that “ideally we are trying to get one player in” (without specifying the position). I do think the Stags could benefit enormously over the course of the season from a quality striker coming in. However it’s another matter finding a striker of sufficient quality. The transfer window closes at the end of August. Leyton Orient boss Richie Wellens admitted that his team conceded too many chances today. An understatement. His side however are top of the league, with 3 wins out of 3. On today’s showing, the Stags are a much better side than Orient, but Orient had two matchwinners in keeper Vigouroux who produced brilliant save after brilliant save, and Kelman, who was the only player on the pitch who could put the ball in the net. The Stags are at home to AFC Wimbledon on Tuesday night. I expect the Stags to continue the excellent results at home and beat Wimbledon. If you can’t make it to the game, you can buy a match pass to watch the game with us on iFollow Stags. DETAILED REPORT: Mansfield made four changes from the last league game, the win over Tranmere: Hewitt came in for Hawkins in central defence (Hawkins felt his hamstring in training on Friday so was not risked). Gordon came in for Bowery (suspended for one game). Hartigan came in for Maris. Swan came in for Akins (groin injury). To make up the numbers on the bench, it was great to see Perch and Wallace in the squad for the first time this season after their injuries. Neither is fit to start. The Stags started with a 3-5-2 formation with Gordon at right wing back. However during the first half, and for the rest of the game, Gordon moved into a more advanced right wing position, as the Stags switched to four at the back, with Hewitt at right back. On an afternoon of extreme heat, possibly the hottest many of these players will have played in, apart from maybe the pre-season game against Sheffield United, the Stags got off to the best possible start which immediately turned into the worst possible start. McLaughlin found Quinn on the halfway line on the left. Quinn slid a fabulous ball forward for Oates to run on to on the left side of the area. Oates got his toe to the ball just before keeper Lawrence Vigouroux who came out to try to gather. Oates went down. It was a clear penalty. 12 seconds gone. I cannot recall an earlier penalty award for the Stags in the club’s history. McLaughlin, yet to miss a penalty for Mansfield, stepped up and fired towards the bottom left corner of the net, but Vigouroux redeemed himself with a superlative save, getting down low to turn it wide. Sometimes you can say a penalty was a good height for a keeper, or it was too close to the keeper, but from studying the replay, the penalty was pretty low down, and virtually in the corner. What a boost for Vigouroux and for the home fans, and a downer for the Stags. It set the scene for an outstanding performance from Vigouroux who was single-handedly to keep the Stags at bay. On 6 minutes, Swan was very close to taking advantage of a loose touch from a defender. A half chance for Orient after 8 minutes as Charlie Kelman shot from 12 yards which was blocked by Hewitt as Kelman cut inside from the right. But then it was a catalogue of near misses for the Stags. On 15 minutes, Oates got past Dan Happe into the area on the right and Vigouroux was out quickly to save at his feet as he tried to shoot. O’Toole was booked after 23 minutes for a deliberate trip on Kelman to stop him getting away. On 27 minutes, a cross in to Happe who headed softly down. Pym collected and immediately bowled out to Gordon who surged forward and was brought down level with the edge of the area on the right. From the resulting free kick from the right from Hartigan, Swan glanced a header goalwards and Vigouroux saved on his line. Then after 38 minutes, Hewitt lifted a super ball into the area for Oates who got goalside of the defence, Oates controlled it beautifully and shot on the turn but Vigouroux again made a magnificent save with his left foot. And on 42 minutes another 1-on-1 for Oates. Harbottle brought the ball forward from his own half, slid a ball forward for Quinn, who beautifully flicked the ball into the path of Oates. Oates was through 1-on-1 with Vigouroux and fired powerfully goalwards, but the keeper again saved magnificently with his left leg. Massive frustration for Oates and for Mansfield. Then from Hartigan’s cross Harbottle kneed the ball out for a goalkick. Good strength from Harbottle to shepherd the ball out for a goalkick under pressure from Darren Pratley. Lapslie replaced Boateng after 45 minutes. Boateng had gone down with a tight hamstring. No exaggeration to say the Stags should be three goals ahead at the break, and were all over Orient. Orient resorted to long balls forward, and a few long throws from James, but had nothing else, while the Stags played some incisive football going forward. Half time 0-0 Into the second half. After 48 minutes, Oates broke forward but with options either side of him he overhit a pass to the advancing Gordon, playing on the right wing, taking him far too wide. Gordon crossed in towards Lapslie but it was put behind for a corner. Following the corner, McLaughlin headed wide at the far post from Gordon’s cross. On 48 minutes, Lapslie won the ball and played inside towards Swan, but it was just in front of Swan, completely unmarked, who would have been 1-on-1 with the keeper if he could have got the ball. After 51 minutes, clever play on the left by the Stags, Quinn played forward to Oates who chested down to Swan, who returned the ball to Oates, Oates cut inside Happe, but his shot was blocked by Happe. After 56 minutes, Harbottle blocked a cross for a corner. Then he did well to clear two minutes later. Another good break by the Stags after 59 minutes, as McLaughlin steamed forward into the Orient half, his ball into Oates was just behind Oates but as Lapslie was about to shoot from 18 yards, Hunt blocked him off. The Stags had simply been all over Orient for 60 minutes. Orient created their first decent chance of the game on the hour as George Moncur cut inside Hewitt on the edge of the area, and fired towards the top right corner of the net. Pym made a superb save tipping it over. From the resulting corner, Happe got away from O’Toole to head just wide. O’Toole felt he had been fouled but no foul was given. On 62 minutes, from Hartigan’s corner, Lapslie headed down to Quinn who volleyed well wide. On 63 minutes, Leyton Orient took the lead. Idris El Mizouni, on his debut on loan from Ipswich, played a one-two with Paul Smyth, skipped past O’Toole, who on a yellow card had to be careful not to bring him down, got to the edge of the area and laid the ball off to Kelman, who had escaped from Harbottle and was unmarked to fire past Pym from 16 yards. Harbottle had a good game but lost his man there. O’Toole and indeed Hewitt could also have done better to prevent the goal. So much frustration for Mansfield to be behind. That was it for Orient who had no further chances in the game. Before the restart, a double change as Clarke replaced Quinn, and Maris replaced Hartigan. Vigouroux bowled out to Paul Smyth, who surged forward into the Stags box. Clarke eased him off the ball. Smyth wanted a penalty but it certainly wasn’t. The Stags had more chances though none of them as good as earlier. After 68 minutes, Oates found sub Ollie Clarke whose shot was straight at the keeper. After 83 minutes, Oates was tripped 30 yards from goal, and McLaughlin’s shot from the free kick was just wide of the left post. After 85 minutes, great play from Clarke to find Gordon but his shot was high and wide. Two final changes on 90+2 minutes: Gale for Swan, Perch for Gordon. Perch’s return from injury and his first minutes of the season. McLaughlin’s corner on 90+2 minutes was headed wide by Lapslie at the near post. On 90+3 minutes, McLaughlin was clearly fouled , nothing given. McLaughlin in his frustration then fouled Archibald, and was booked. Then in the final minute of stoppage time, from a Hewitt long throw, Ollie Clarke completely missed his kick to sum up Mansfield’s afternoon. If you don’t take your chances, you won't win football matches, and that’s what happened here. Man of the match: Stephen Quinn |
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Report by: Martin Shaw at Brisbane Road
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Line Up:
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(3-5-2, switch to 4-5-1 midway through first half)
Pym 7 One superb save, tipping over the bar on 60 minutes. Nothing else to do and no chance with the goal. O’Toole 6.5 Mostly a solid game. Allowed Happe to get away from him for a free header and could have done better for the goal. Hewitt 7 Good play to set up a chance for Oates. Could have done better for the goal. Harbottle 6.5 Had a good game overall but lost his man for the goal. Gordon 6.5 Did ok. Shot high and wide from one opportunity. Started at right wing-back, then played further forward at right wing. Boateng 6 Went off with a tight hamstring. Hartigan 7 Some good set-pieces. Quinn 8 Set up several chances, and the penalty. McLaughlin 7 Some good attacking down the left. His early penalty was saved, which was crucial, but it wasn’t the worst penalty. Swan 7 Some good attacking play. One glanced header on target, but straight at the keeper. Oates 7 Hard to give a rating. Should have scored from numerous good chances. But did very well to get into those positions. And won the penalty. |
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Sub Line Up:
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Lapslie (for Boateng, 45 mins) 7 Lively second half.
Clarke (for Quinn, 64 mins) - Maris (for Hartigan, 64 mins) - Gale (for Swan, 90+2 mins) - Perch (for Gordon, 90+2 mins) - Subs not used: Flinders, Wallace. |
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Opposition Line Up:
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(4-3-3): Vigouroux; James (Thompson 83), Happe, Beckles, Hunt; Pratley, Moncur (Sotiriou 76), El Mizouni; Archibald, Kelman (Harry Smith 83), Paul Smyth (Brown 73). Subs not used: Sargeant, Ogie, Sweeney.
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Referee:
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Leigh Doughty 7 Got the penalty right. Had a decent game.
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