Season 18/19 Stagsnet Match Report
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Mansfield Town
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Crewe Alexandra
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Pearce 90+2.
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Ainley 71, 84.
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Attendance: 4675 (247 from Crewe)
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Date: 23 March 2019
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INEPT STAGS BEATEN AT HOME BY CREWE
Martin Shaw and Simon Chamberlain at the One Call Stadium, Field Mill Mansfield Town were beaten 2-1 at home by Crewe this afternoon in a performance that manager David Flitcroft described afterwards as “inept” and “almost like a testimonial game”. It was 0-0 in an even first half that featured little in the way of goalmouth action. There was a possible penalty for the Stags after 23 minutes as Matt Preston volleyed in a shot from a Jorge Grant corner. It was going wide when it hit Paul Green on the arm and rebounded away. From studying the incident from our pitchside camera, Green’s arm was tucked into his side as the ball hit him and hence it would have been harsh to give a penalty. At half time, it felt like the Stags needed to go up a gear, and they should have gone in front just after the break with great play from Jorge Grant to put a ball down the line for Tyler Walker who put in a great cross from the right for half time substitute Nicky Ajose, who had a free header and with the whole goal to aim at, inexplicably dived under the ball and completely missed it. Instead of going up a gear, the Stags got worse as Crewe got on top and they scored twice with uncharacteristic poor defending from Mansfield. First on 71 minutes, Crewe substitute Callum Ainley was given far too much time in the box to turn and fire under Jordan Smith, as the Stags missed chances to clear the ball. Then on 84 minutes, more calamitous defending as Krystian Pearce lost the ball, Crewe broke forward and Ainley scored again. In between the two goals, Jacob Mellis had a glorious challenge to equalise with a free shot inside the box but he slipped as he shot and put the ball well over the bar. Mansfield pulled a goal back two minutes into stoppage time as Pearce bundled the ball into the net in a scramble following a corner, but it was too little too late. The Stags simply didn’t play well enough to warrant anything from the game and got worse as the game went on, with Crewe getting better and they ending up deserved winners. With MK Dons beating Yeovil, the Stags drop out of the top three, three points behind MK Dons with 7 games to go. In addition, Tranmere also won, away to Colchester, and are now just two points behind Mansfield with a game in hand. The Stags have picked a really bad time to go on a bad run of 2 wins, 2 draws and 4 defeats in the last 8 games. Mansfield go to Exeter next week, and must bounce back. Mansfield made just one change to the side that drew with Lincoln on Monday, and that was in goal where Jordan Smith returned in place of Conrad Logan. Logan missed out after his mistake in conceding the penalty against Lincoln. No other changes in the Mansfield 18. Crewe included former Stag Nicky Hunt, who played at centre-half. Three of Crewe’s four scorers in the 4-3 win here last season were in their squad of 18, with the other missing out through injury picked up in the last week. There was nothing in the way of goalmouth action in the opening 15 minutes, as the Stags had most of the possession but did little with it. After 15 minutes, a corner from Benning beyond the far post was headed back by Bishop but the Crewe keeper easily gathered it. A half chance for Crewe on 19 minutes, as Perry Ng’s shot was well blocked by Mellis following a corner. On 22 minutes, a good cross from Grant from the right, but Sweeney couldn’t quite get to it. There was a possible penalty for the Stags after 23 minutes as Matt Preston volleyed in a shot from a Jorge Grant corner. It was going wide when it hit Paul Green on the arm and rebounded away. From studying the incident from our pitchside camera, Green’s arm was tucked into his side as the ball hit him and hence it would have been harsh to give a penalty. From the resulting corner, Sweeney headed the ball down, it was blocked and cleared to Mellis, whose goalbound shot from the edge of the area was blocked. On 28 minutes, a high ball forward to Walker with his back to goal, the ball fell to Sweeney whose effort looped up in the air of a defender to the keeper. A chance for Crewe on 29 minutes. The referee played a good advantage for Crewe who broke forward and Bowery shot straight at Smith from the edge of the area. A good move from Mansfield after 38 minutes as Walker set Hamilton away on the right to the edge of the area, Hamilton crossed a ball back across goal but it just evaded Walker. At the other end, seconds later, good football from Crewe with Bowery finding Green whose cross-cum-shot across goal from the right was just wide, with Porter just missing it at the far post. Then back to the other end on 39 minutes and Mansfield had Crewe under pressure. A cross in from Gethin Jones was smashed straight up in the air by Nicky Hunt. The Crewe keeper flapped at the ball as it came down, Hamilton knocked it goalwards and it was cleared off the line to Mellis whose shot from 20 yards was also blocked. Seconds later, Mellis was booked for a foul as Crewe broke away. On 41 minutes, neat football from Crewe, ended with a shot on target from James Jones, blocked by Pearce. On 45+1 minutes, a rare moment of quality from Mansfield, as Mellis sprayed a great ball out to the right for Gethin Jones, whose cross into the middle was blocked for a corner. From the corner from the right, taken by Benning, a shot from Hamilton from the edge of the area, was blocked. A fair scoreline at half time and it felt like the Stags needed to go up a gear. Half time 0-0 A change from the Stags at the break as Nicky Ajose replaced Gethin Jones. Gethin Jones had done quite well in the first half, but he was sacrificed to get another striker on the pitch. Hamilton moved to right wing back. The Stags should have gone in front after 47 minutes. Great play from Grant to put a ball down the line for Walker who put in a great cross from the right for Ajose, who had a free header and with the whole goal to aim at, inexplicably dived under the ball and completely missed it. Neal Bishop and Paul Green both picked up yellow cards after 50 minutes following an altercation. Good play from Grant on 53 minutes, who found Walker, who in turn found Hamilton on the right. Hamilton cut inside onto his left foot, and with Stags players streaming into the box, his cross-cum-shot was well over and wide of the bar. A poor effort. Preston was booked for sliding in on Porter after 56 minutes. A free kick for the Stags 26 yards from goal after 58 minutes as Walker was dragged down. Surprisingly Benning took it rather than Grant, and fired wide of the right post. Pearce was booked for a foul on Bowery after 59 minutes. Bowery was through 1-on-1 with Smith after 61 minutes, but fired well wide. MacDonald replaced Grant after 62 minutes. Three or four good pieces of play from Grant, but overall he hadn’t done enough. MacDonald slotted in at right wing-back, as Hamilton moved position again, to the left of a front three, in a 3-4-3 formation. Another chance for the Stags on 64 minutes. Benning smashed a long ball forward for Ajose to run on to. Ajose got to the edge of the area, and fired a powerful shot just over the bar. On 67 minutes, a free kick from Preston from the halfway line, was headed across goal by Pearce, and the Crewe keeper claimed it. Good defending from Pearce on 69 minutes as he put Bowery’s cross behind for a corner. Crewe took the lead after 71 minutes. Green played a low ball forward into the area to Porter, Porter squared to Ainley who had his back to goal, 12 yards out. Ainley turned one way then the other and worked a yard for himself to get away from Preston and fire under Jordan Smith into the net from 8 yards. Really poor defending from Mansfield, so uncharacteristic this season. A chance for the Stags to equalise on 75 minutes. Bishop and then MacDonald played the ball forward, Walker pulled the ball back and across and Mellis had a glorious chance to equalise with a free shot inside the box but he slipped as he shot and put the ball well over the bar. Khan replaced Benning after 76 minutes. Hamilton moved position for a third time, and went to left wing back. More calamitous defending saw Crewe go 2-0 ahead after 84 minutes. Pearce lost the ball on the edge of the centre circle in his own half. As Crewe substitute Tommy Lowery took the ball away from him, Pearce attempted to grab it with his hand but couldn’t reach it. Had Pearce reached it, it would have been a certain yellow card and he would have been sent off. As it was, Lowery pushed forward to the edge of the area and laid off to his right to Ainley who fired into the bottom left corner of the net from 8 yards. The Stags were dead and buried. 6 minutes of stoppage time were added on. On 90+1 minutes, Hamilton crossed in, it came out to Bishop whose low side-footed shot gave an easy save to the keeper. Mansfield pulled a goal back two minutes into stoppage time. Khan’s corner from the left was headed forward by Preston, Pearce headed it down and goalwards. It was blocked on the line, and Pearce bundled the ball into the net in a scramble. There was a chance for Mansfield to equalise on 90+7 minutes. Ajose put in a great cross from the right, after his initial poor cross came straight back to him, and Khan headed wide at the far post from a great position, unmarked, though offside was up against Khan. So a disastrous afternoon for Mansfield. Crewe deserved their win, and the Stags now have it all to do to reclaim a top three place. After the game, Crewe manager and former Stag Dave Artell said it was Crewe’s best performance of the season. The last three defeats for the Stags, against Crewe, Port Vale and Notts County have all seen the opposition put in their best performance of the season. Man of the match: Neal Bishop. Hard to pick a man of the match today, as it was a collectively poor team performance. |
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Report by: Martin Shaw and Simon Chamberlain at the One Call Stadium, Field Mill
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Line Up:
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(3-4-1-2)
Smith 6 No chance with the two goals, and didn’t have any difficult saves to make. Preston 5.5 Ainley got away from him to score the first goal. Otherwise did ok. Pearce 6 Lost the ball as Crewe went on to score their second. Showed determination to bundle in the consolation goal in stoppage time. Sweeney 6 Did ok. Jones 6 Did ok in the first half, but was sacrificed to get another striker on the pitch at half time. Bishop 6 Put himself about all over the mark as usual, and cut a frustrated figure as the game wore on. Mellis 5.5 Missed a glorious chance when he slipped and fired over the bar. A couple of other shots blocked. One wonderful pass sprayed out to the right hand side, a rare of moment of quality from Mansfield in the game. Benning 6 Did ok. A couple of good corners. Grant 5.5 Three or four good pieces of play, but overall he didn’t do enough. Walker 5 Great cross to create a chance for an Ajose header, but otherwise did very little. Hamilton 5 Was moved position three times, but had a poor game in each position. |
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Sub Line Up:
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Ajose (for Jones, 46 mins) 4.5 Missed a sitter from a great Walker cross as he missed the ball completely. Good cross to Khan in stoppage for a header.
MacDonald (for Grant, 62 mins) - Battled hard with little reward. Khan (for Benning, 76 mins) - Headed wide from a great position, unmarked, in stoppage time, though he was offside anyway. Subs not used: Logan, Turner, Alistair Smith, Tomlinson. |
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Opposition Line Up:
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(4-3-1-2): Garratt; Ng, Nolan, Nicky Hunt, Taylor-Sinclair; Wintle; Finney (Lowery 81 mins), Green; James Jones (Ainley 64 mins); Bowery (Miller 81 mins), Porter. Subs not used: Jaaskelainen, Nicholls, Dale, Kirk.
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Referee:
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Thomas Bramall 7 Rightly turned down Mansfield’s claim for a penalty. Plenty of bookings most of which looked correct. Played one very good advantage for Crewe.
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