Season 23/24 Stagsnet Match Report
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Mansfield Town
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AFC Wimbledon
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Tilley pen saved by Pym 27 mins
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Attendance: 7,147 (411 from AFC Wimbledon)
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Date: 7 October 2023
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STAGS DRAW 0-0 AGAIN THANKS TO PYM PENALTY SAVE
Martin Shaw at the One Call Stadium, Field Mill Mansfield Town drew 0-0 with second-placed AFC Wimbledon at the One Call Stadium with the help of a magnificent penalty save from Christy Pym in the first half. The Stags had chances to win it, 20 shots in total, but a draw was a fair result in the end in my opinion. Three draws in a week, against second-placed (at the time) Gillingham, highly fancied Wrexham, and second-placed (at the time) AFC Wimbledon. Frustrating of course, but a tough week against three good sides. Easier games on paper will be ahead (after next Saturday at Notts County) and performances such as these three would be more likely to earn victories I think. Mansfield move up to 5th, two points behind third placed Gillingham, and four points behind leaders Notts County. Wimbledon arrived with 4 wins and 2 draws in their 6 away games, and 3 wins on the trot. The Stags had plenty of shots blocked and off target in the first half without troubling Dons keeper Alex Bass. Wimbledon should have been ahead after 27 minutes. James Tilley, formerly of Crawley, who has scored plenty of times against the Stags before, but was sent off here last season, crossed in low from the right. Brunt went to clear but Omar Bugiel nipped in front of him and Brunt brought him down. A clear penalty. Tilley stepped up to take the spot kick and smashed it powerfully down the middle. Pym stayed up, anticipating that, and palmed it onto the underside of the bar. It bounced down onto the line, bounced up against the underside of the bar again, and back down for Pym to claim it. A magnificent save, not only in the execution, but also in the planning to expect it smashed down the middle, plenty of credit to goalkeeper coach Adam Collin for this. Tilley also had another good chance in the first half on 37 minutes when he shot wide from the edge of the area, having got past Reed, and with Pym beaten. Mansfield’s best chance of the first half fell to Maris after 43 minutes. Lewis slid a ball forward from the touchline on the right, Swan got the slightest of touches on it to leave Maris with no defenders near him and a free shot from 20 years with just the keeper to beat. It was a glorious opportunity but Maris just rolled his shot straight at the keeper for an easy save. A shot into either corner of the net or a dink over the keeper would have done the job. Wimbledon were compact, defending solidly, and very effective on the break. Mansfield made two changes at the break bringing off Lewis and Maris. Nigel Clough explained after the game: “Aaron's played every minute of every game since coming back from injury, George Maris has played a lot”. On came Boateng and Clarke. According to Clough, Clarke was "too tired to start, in training yesterday he looked quite laboured. He started the last two games, so it was ideal for him to do 45." Clarke brought some great energy to the team with his tackling and closing down. He was on the end of a dreadful challenge from Jack Currie after 54 minutes. Clough described it as a “nasty one on his ankle, studmarks, it needs a stitch or two.” Currie was only booked. After 62 minutes, another brilliant save by Pym. Flint, stretching, headed the ball up under pressure from Al-Hamadi, and Bowery played the ball back to Pym from the edge of the box. It was left short. Brunt was closest to it and could easily have cleared but wasn’t alive to the situation and instead tried to shield the ball from Tilley who was coming in on it. Tilley got to the ball, took it round Pym, but Pym got down and made a brilliant save at full stretch. Poor defending from Brunt, who has made a succession of mistakes in recent games. A brilliant save from Pym. A minute later, Tilley sent in a low shot, Pym initially fumbled it but was able to grab it on the goalline. Bowery had been booked after 50 minutes and then brought down Josh Neufville just outside the area on 68 minutes, and escaped a second booking. Dons manager Johnnie Jackson was so incensed the referee had to come over and book him. Bowery was not surprisingly replaced by Johnson three minutes later after 71 minutes, at the same time as Akins was replaced by Gale, and Swan by Macdonald. Johnson went in at right back, Macdonald left midfield, Gale up front with Keillor-Dunn. Akins and Swan had not been very effective, Clough saying after the game “I couldn't see Lucas and Swanny scoring today, I didn't think they looked particularly dangerous.” On 74 minutes, a shot from Keillor-Dunn hit his own man Gale. In the first half Lewis had had a shot blocked by Akins. In his post match interview, midfielder Reed joked “I don't think there is a team in this league that has more shots blocked by their own players and that probably sums us up in the last few games.” A glorious chance for the Stags after 76 minutes as Clarke did really well to win a corner. From Keillor-Dunn’s corner, Gale had a free header from 7 yards but sent it wide. Gale has a ferocious shot on him but his heading needs a lot of work. Ironically, I would have fancied Akins, who had been replaced by Gale, to have buried that header. Gale had a much better effort, with his right boot, after 83 minutes, as a piledriver was well-saved by the keeper. In stoppage time, Keillor-Dunn got the byline and pulled his cross back but no-one could get on the end of it, and it was slightly behind Boateng. Cargill was booked in the last minute of stoppage time for foul on Neufville. He is now on 4 bookings and one more by the 19th game will lead to a one game suspension. (Full details below in the stats running tallies). Credit to AFC Wimbledon. Massively improved from last season with plenty of good new signings. They knew how to stifle Mansfield with their shape, and were good on the break, particularly in the first half. Mansfield had the majority of the possession (57%) and the majority of the shots (20 vs 8), but a draw was a fair result in my opinion. A few stats: Mansfield are now 12 league games unbeaten this season and that extends the club record for the longest unbeaten start to a league season (stat from Paul Taylor) (see club records here). It is not the best start to a season in terms of points, as 8 of the 12 games have been draws. Mansfield remain unbeaten in league and cup (15 games), and remain the only EFL or Premier League club to be unbeaten this season in all competitions. Mansfield have conceded the fewest goals in League Two (9 goals in 12 games). And a running tally of various other stats this season at the bottom: DETAILED REPORT : Mansfield made two changes from the side that drew with Wrexham: Brunt for Macdonald, and Swan for Clarke. Cargill moved to left back, Keillor-Dunn to attacking midfield, Maris to left midfield. Swan up front with Akins. According to Clough, Clarke was "too tired to start, in training yesterday he looked quite laboured. He started the last two games, so it was ideal for him to do 45." AFC Wimbledon included James Tilley, so impressive against Mansfield for Crawley previously. Omar Bugiel up front, who has scored against the Stags for Sutton, and Josh Neufville left midfield, who has also scored against the Stags for Sutton. It was a nice sunny day. A good atmosphere from the Stags fans again, 200 short of a home sell-out. After 4 minutes, Bugiel got past Reed too easily to the edge of the box and shot straight at Pym. Reed then did well within a minute against Al-Hamadi and won a free kick on the edge of his own area. A good move from the Stags after 7 minutes, Reed played down the line for Swan on the right, great play as Swan cut inside, to Lewis who had a shot blocked by his own man Akins. On 12 minutes, a Maris corner came out to Lewis whose shot was blocked. Brunt lost the ball after 13 minutes, but the Stags regrouped well. Clough was noticeably shouting something at Brunt. Swan found Maris who teed up Reed for a shot from 25 yards after 18 minutes, but he miscued wide. A poor shot. A good tackle by Flint in the box on Al-Hamadi as the Dons broke to the other end. After 20 minutes, Lewis played inside to Keillor-Dunn whose shot was deflected wide for a corner. Then a Lewis long throw-in aimed towards Flint was straight to the keeper. A clever back-heel from Maris to Cargill after 21 minutes gave Cargill a shooting chance but he shot well wide from 14 yards, indeed it went out for a throw-in, On 24 minutes, Swan got to the byline and put in a good cross for Keillor-Dunn who couldn’t connect properly and volleyed wide. Wimbledon should have been ahead after 27 minutes. Tilley crossed in low from the right. Brunt went to clear but Omar Bugiel nipped in front of him and Brunt brought him down. A clear penalty. Nigel Clough said after the game: "No quarms about the penalty. Lewis (Brunt) didn't see him coming across the front of him and he did catch him.” Tilley stepped up to take the spot kick and smashed it powerfully down the middle. Pym stayed up, anticipating that, and palmed it onto the underside of the bar. It bounced down onto the line, bounced up against the underside of the bar again, and back down for Pym to claim it. A magnificent save, not only in the execution, but also in the planning to expect it smashed down the middle, plenty of credit to goalkeeper coach Adam Collin for this. Pym later told iFollow Stags: "Me and Ads (Adam Collin) spoke about it before the game. Tilley had gone down the middle on a few, and gone to my left on one. We both thought he would go down the middle. It's quite a hard decision to stand, because if you stand and it goes in the corner, people go 'why has he not dived?' Then just as he was about to take it, he looked down, closed his eyes and took a deep breath, which made me think he's gonna leather it." On 28 minutes a great turn by Akins but he shot wide from 14 yards. Three minutes later, a soft shot from Maris from 20 yards low and soft and straight at the keeper. Tilley had another good chance on 37 minutes when he shot wide from the edge of the area, having got past Reed, and with Pym beaten. Moments later, Tilley turned and skewed another shot well wide. After 38 minutes, Swan turned and his shot from the edge of the area was blocked. Wimbledon were targeting Brunt as he brought the ball out and had 3 players surrounding him on 39 minutes as he brought the ball out, and he did well, just, to get the ball out to Bowery. After 40 minutes, Keillor-Dunn got to the byline, and played back to Bowery who sent a first time shot over the bar from the edge of the area. Pym was out of his area quickly to clear after 42 minutes. Mansfield’s best chance of the first half fell to Maris after 43 minutes. Lewis slid a ball forward from the touchline on the right, Swan got the slightest of touches on it to leave Maris with no defenders near him and a free shot from 20 years with just the keeper to beat. It was a glorious opportunity but Maris just rolled his shot straight at the keeper for an easy save. A shot into either corner of the net or a dink over the keeper would have done the job. Tilley in the area was crowded out by Cargill and Brunt after 45 minutes. 0-0 at the break. Wimbledon were compact, defending solidly, and very effective on the break. The Stags had plenty of shots blocked and off target in the first half without troubling Dons keeper Alex Bass. Half time 0-0 Mansfield made two changes at the break bringing off Lewis and Maris. Nigel Clough explained after the game: “Aaron's played every minute of every game since coming back from injury, George Maris has played a lot”. On came Boateng (left midfield) and Clarke (right midfield). Bowery was booked after 50 minutes. He lost the ball then brought Tilley down on the halfway line. A good block by Brunt on a Tilley cross for a corner after 52 minutes. Then a good tackle by Bowery on Al-Hamadi. Clarke brought some great energy to the team with his tackling and closing down. He was on the end of a dreadful challenge from Jack Currie after 54 minutes. Clough described it as a “nasty one on his ankle, studmarks, it needs a stitch or two.” Currie was only booked. Bugiel laid off to Neufville after 56 minutes and his cross-shot was miles over the bar. A Keillor-Dunn cross was over everyone after 58 minutes. Mansfield needed better quality from deliveries. After 62 minutes, another brilliant save by Pym. Flint, stretching, headed the ball up under pressure from Al-Hamadi, and Bowery played the ball back to Pym from the edge of the box. It was left short. Brunt was closest to it and could easily have cleared but wasn’t alive to the situation and instead tried to shield the ball from Tilley who was coming in on it. Tilley got to the ball, took it round Pym, but Pym got down and made a brilliant save at full stretch. Poor defending from Brunt, who has made a succession of mistakes in recent games. A brilliant save from Pym. Pym later told iFollow Stags: "Bows has made a short backpass, no-one knew who it was for in the end, just as I was about to commit to go to the floor, I saw Tilley coming across me, so I just stood up, and gave myself the best chance to make the save." A minute later, Tilley sent in a low shot, Pym initially fumbled it but was able to grab it on the goalline. A great tackle by Clarke on Bugiel after 66 minutes. A good chance for the Stags after 67 minutes. A Reed free kick came out to Boateng on the edge of the area, but he shot wide. Bowery had been booked earlier and then brought down Josh Neufville just outside the area on 68 minutes, and escaped a second booking. Dons manager Johnnie Jackson was so incensed the referee had to come over and book him. A chance for the Dons on 69 minutes. A free kick was taken short to Jake Reeves and he fired just wide into the side netting from 12 yards from an angle on the left. Bowery was not surprisingly replaced by Johnson three minutes after his foul, on 71 minutes, at the same time as Akins was replaced by Gale, and Swan by Macdonald. Johnson went in at right back, Macdonald left midfield, Gale up front with Keillor-Dunn. Akins and Swan had not been very effective, Clough saying after the game “I couldn't see Lucas and Swanny scoring today, I didn't think they looked particularly dangerous.” On 74 minutes, a shot from Keillor-Dunn hit his own man Gale. In the first half Lewis had had a shot blocked by Akins. In his post match interview, midfielder Reed joked “I don't think there is a team in this league that has more shots blocked by their own players and that probably sums us up in the last few games.” A glorious chance for the Stags after 76 minutes as Clarke did really well to win a corner. From Keillor-Dunn’s corner, Gale had a free header from 7 yards but sent it wide. Gale has a ferocious shot on him but his heading needs a lot of work. Ironically, I would have fancied Akins, who had been replaced by Gale, to have buried that header. Keillor-Dunn tried his luck from the halfway line after 77 minutes, but was wide. Then Gale headed on to Keillor-Dunn who shot well wide, indeed out for a throw-in. The referee stopped play with a Wimbledon play down with a head injury after 80 minutes. The Stags had the ball 35 yards from a goal, with a chance to put it back in the box. Unbelievably, the referee restarted play with a drop ball for the Dons keeper. The Stags were incensed. Flint spoke to both the referee, and went over to the speak to the fourth official, to no avail. Gale won the ball and put in a good cross after 81 minutes, Keillor-Dunn and Currie both challenged for it and it dropped for the keeper. Then a clear foul on Clarke was not given by the referee. Gale had a good effort, with his right boot, after 83 minutes, as a piledriver was well-saved by the keeper. Boateng then won a corner. He took the corner, and it was headed over the bar by Gale who couldn’t get on top of it. Clarke won a free kick after 89 minutes 23 yards out. But it was cleared. In stoppage time, on 90+3, Keillor-Dunn got the byline and pulled his cross back but no-one could get on the end of it, and it was slightly behind Boateng. Cargill was booked in the last minute of stoppage time for foul on Neufville. He is now on 4 bookings and one more by the 19th game will lead to a one game suspension. (Full details below in the stats running tallies). The Stags were the better side in the second half, Gale should have scored from a header, and had a good shot saved. But a draw was a fair result. The next game is in the Papa John’s Trophy at home to Doncaster on Tuesday. You can buy a match pass to watch the game on iFollow Stags. Man of the match: Christy Pym. Magnificent penalty save and another fabulous save in the second half. Running tally of various other stats this season: Goals (league and cup): Keillor-Dunn 8, Akins 4, Maris 3, Oates 3, Clarke 1, Lewis 1, Reed 1, Swan 1. Assists (league and cup): Oates 4, Quinn 4, Keillor-Dunn 3, Swan 2, Bowery 1, Clarke, Gale 1, Flint 1, Maris 1, Macdonald 1, Reed 1. (notes on assists: 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 two seasons ago, 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 two seasons ago where his shot was deflected in for an own goal. In the case of a cross that is headed away before the goal is scored, such as Clarke’s goal at Doncaster last season, nobody gets an assist.) Injuries (including quotes from Nigel Clough): Kilgour (ruptured Achilles, return July), Hewitt (ACL, “we're hoping February/March time we might get him back"), Quinn (nicked a ligament in side of knee, expected to be out until December), Oates (ruptured ankle ligaments, expected to return in November), McLaughlin (knee, "we're going to take our time with him, we're hopefully looking sometime in November"), O’Toole ("had a scan and it was worse than we feared, he got a whack on the side of the calf against Notts County U21's on 14 Sept. Six weeks from the injury so that rules him out for most of October"). Yellow cards (league only, alphabetical order): Boateng 1, Bowery 1, Cargill 4, Clarke 2, Gale 1, Johnson 1, Keillor-Dunn 2, Kilgour 1, Lewis 2, Macdonald 3, Maris 1, Quinn 1, Reed 3, Swan 1. Red cards (league and cup): Macdonald 1. (note: red cards count across competitions apart from Papa John’s Trophy; yellow cards are competition specific) (note: 5 yellow cards before the end of the 19th league game will result in a one match ban; 10 yellow cards before the end of the 37th league game will result in a two match ban; 15 yellow cards before the end of the 46th league game will result in a three match ban) Average home league attendance: 7523 (average away fans: 847, average home fans 6676) (remember the attendance is calculated as tickets sold, including season tickets. There are 5171 season ticket holders this season.) |
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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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(4-4-2, diamond in midfield)
Pym 9 Magnificent penalty save, not only in the execution, but also in the planning. Another brilliant save in the second half. Bowery 6 Left backpass to Pym short. Booked, then subbed after escaping a second booking. Flint 7 Some good tackles. Brunt 5 Conceded the penalty. Poor defending in the second half when he wasn’t alive to the situation and allowed Tilley to get in a shot that Pym brilliantly saved. Cargill 7 Reasonably solid. Reed 6.5 Allowed Bugiel and Tilley to get past him and gets in shots. Did ok, but surprising choice as sponsors’ man of the match. Lewis 7 Good first half. Subbed at half time to manage his minutes. Maris 6.5 Bad miss just before half time spoiled a decent first half performance. Subbed at half time to manage his minutes. Keillor-Dunn 6 Some good crosses including corner for Gale’s header, but some wayward shooting and crossing too. Nigel Clough said he “looked as though he'd got his boots on the wrong feet at times. He was spraying it all over the place, but nowhere particularly near the goal." Swan 6 Not very effective, Clough saying after the game “I couldn't see Lucas and Swanny scoring today, I didn't think they looked particularly dangerous.” Akins 6 One great turn and shot wide, But like Swan, not very effective. |
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Sub Line Up:
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Boateng (for Lewis, 46) 6 Did ok.
Clarke (for Maris, 46) 7.5 Brought some great energy to the team with his tackling and closing down. Johnson (for Bowery, 71) - Slotted in at right back. Gale (for Akins, 71) - Should have scored from a header, and had a good shot saved. Macdonald (for Swan, 71) - Went in at left midfield. Subs not used: Flinders, Williams. |
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Opposition Line Up:
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(4-4-2): Bass; Ogundere, Joe Lewis, Ryan Johnson, Currie; Tilley (Sasu 84), Reeves, Little, Neufville; Al-Hamadi, Bugiel. Subs not used: Tzanev, Brown, Pell, Davison, Pearce, Ball.
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Referee:
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Martin Woods 6 Had a mad couple of minutes when he stopped play for a head injury, when the Stags had the ball, but restarted play with a drop ball for the Dons keeper, then missed a clear foul on Clarke. Earlier, only booked Currie for a dreadful challenge on Clarke. Aside from that, he had a decent game.
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