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Season 19/20 Stagsnet Match Report
Pre-Season Friendly
Bradford Park Avenue  
2 - 4
 Mansfield Town
Thompson 12, Holmes 74.
 
 Sterling-James 50, Rose 56, Maynard 60, 83
Attendance: 246
 
Date: 11 July 2019

Martin Shaw at Horsfall Stadium

Mansfield Town won 4-2 at Conference North side Bradford Park Avenue in their first pre-season friendly on English soil, following the game against Swansea City in Portugal on Saturday. The Stags produced a fine second half performance going forward to rattle in four goals with new signing from Bury Nicky Maynard scoring twice, and a goal each for Danny Rose and Omari-Sterling James. The partnership between Maynard and Rose up front looked highly promising. Maynard scored with a fine header from a terrific Mal Benning delivery from a set piece, and with a clinical finish after a magnificent piece of play from Jacob Mellis who threaded a wonderful ball forward into Maynard’s path. Rose scored after fine play on the right by Maynard to set him up. And it was Sterling-James, who had an impressive game on the right, who started off the scoring just after half time. Mellis hit the underside of the bar late on with a great shot, while Maynard came close to completing his hat-trick. Maynard looked fantastic. Overall, a very encouraging second half.

In the first half, there was terrible news that young centre half Noah Stokes was stretchered off with a knee injury, which looked a bad one. After the game, manager John Dempster said it was thought that Stokes has dislocated his knee, and he will of course receive the full support from the club in his road to recovery. It was desperately disappointing for Stokes to pick up such a bad injury - get well soon Noah. As for the first half performance, Bradford Park Avenue took the lead after 12 minutes when striker Garry Thompson tapped in from 6 yards. Mansfield’s best moment came as early as 2 minutes with a brilliant one-two between Otis Khan and Andy Cook on the edge of the area, and Khan flicked just over the bar. But overall, the Stags were disappointing in that first half, looking disjointed and creating precious little going forward.

MINUTE-BY-MINUTE REPORT:

Mansfield Town’s first team are at Horsfall Stadium this evening for the first pre-season friendly on English soil, against Conference North side Bradford Park Avenue.

The Stags side for the first half is as follows:

Mansfield Town
1st half team (3-5-2):
Aidan Stone (new young keeper, to be understudy to Logan, until Olejnik fit);
Matt Preston, Noah Stokes (scored for the Stags at Bournemouth in FA Youth cup last season), Ryan Sweeney;
Hayden White, Alistair Smith, Neal Bishop, Otis Khan (playing behind the front two), Jason Law (played in Checkatrade trophy last season);
Andy Cook (new signing from Walsall), Jimmy Knowles (from last season’s youth team, just signed pro deal).
Subs:
Lewis Gibbens (for White, 30 mins)
Omari Sterling-James (for Stokes 36 mins)

Great to see Hayden White back for his first match since injury.

Kick off at 7.30.

2 mins: Brilliant one-two between Khan and Cook on the edge of the area, and Khan flicks just over the bar. Khan is playing just behind the front two.

5 mins: Jimmy Knowles does really well to get to the byline on the left, and his low cross is put behind for the corner. The corner from Khan is into a good area but the keeper is fouled.

9 mins: Good header away by Andy Cook from a Bradford PA corner.

1-0 12 mins: Bradford PA’s Lewis Knight gets away from Sweeney down the right, then evades an attempted tackle from Stokes, and pulls back to Garry Thompson who slots into the net from 6 yards.

15 mins: Jason Law’s corner from the right is good, Andy Cook rises and just gets his head on it but can only glance it wide of the left post.

18 mins: Ben Hedley fires well wide from the edge of the box on the left for Bradford PA.

28 mins: Jason Law does well to win the ball on the halfway line.

30 mins: Hayden White goes off in a pre-planned move. On comes Omari Sterling-James

31 mins: Good start by Sterling-James as he puts in a teasing cross from the right wing.

33 mins: Good corner from Jason Law from the right to the back post where Preston sends a free header over the bar. Good opportunity.

35 mins: Noah Stokes has gone down with an injury, and there is an immediate call for a stretcher. Hopefully this is not as bad as feared.
It looks like a knee injury for Stokes. Desperate news for the youngster.

Stokes is stretchered off, very distressing to watch.

44 mins: a 9 minute stoppage and we’re back underway. Gibbens replaces Stokes.

45 mins: the ref blows for half time. So we’ve only had a 36 minute half.

The Stags trail 1-0 at Bradford Park Avenue at half time, but the important news is that young centre half Noah Stokes was stretchered off with a knee injury, which looks a bad one. Desperate for the youngster and distressing to watch him in such pain. We’ll hope the news later is not as bad as feared. As for the game, Bradford PA took the lead after 12 minutes when striker Garry Thompson tapped in from 6 yards. Mansfield’s best moment came as early as 2 minutes with a brilliant one-two between Khan and Cook on the edge of the area, and Khan flicked just over the bar.

Half time 1-0 to Bradford PA

2nd half team (4-4-2):
Conrad Logan;
James Clarke (young right wingback signed from Burnley), Krystian Pearce, Lewis Gibbens, Mal Benning;
Omari Sterling-James, Jacob Mellis, Willem Tomlinson, CJ Hamilton;
Nicky Maynard (new signing from Bury), Danny Rose.

49 mins: Great interplay between Hamilton and Rose down the left, as Rose dinks a super ball back to the overlapping Hamilton, but Hamilton’s run is blocked.

1-1 50 mins: Mellis picks out Sterling-James who takes a great first touch and dinks the ball over the keeper from about 6 yards.

52 mins: Sterling-James plays in the overlapping Clarke whose cross from the right is knocked over the bar by Maynard.

54 mins: Matty Clarke gets past Gibbens and chips over the bar from 25 yards.

1-2 56 mins: Tomlinson chips a ball forward for Maynard who does well on the right and squares across the face of goal to Rose who knocks into an empty net from 3 yards. Good play between the two strikers.

1-3 60 mins: Sterling-James is fouled on the right near the corner flag after nice interplay with right back James Clarke. Benning’s excellent free kick is headed into the net at the near post by Maynard. Great header.

66 mins: free kick from Alex Hurst from 30 yards is straight at Logan.

67 mins: The Bradford PA left winger gets away from Clarke, his cross in ricochets around and ends up flying over the bar off Shaun Gardner.

69 mins: Good pass from Hamilton inside to Maynard who lays off to Rose and Rose’s goalbound shot is deflected wide.

Attendance is about 220 apparently. Confirmed attendance to follow.

74 mins: Rose nearly plays a great ball forward to Maynard but it’s intercepted. Close.

2-3 74 mins: Elliot Holmes fires in from a tight angle on the right in the area after the Stags fail to clear at the back.

76 mins: Maynard (I think) tees up Tomlinson for a low blockbuster from 23 yards which is just wide of the right post. Good effort.

78 mins: Good run from Rose down the left, he pulls back to Maynard whose shot is half-blocked at source at squirms through to the keeper.

81 mins: Fantastic header from Rose to Maynard, but Maynard’s run forward is baulked.

2-4 83 mins: Magnificent play from Mellis just inside the Bradford PA half, he moves forward and threads a wonderful ball forward to Maynard who runs on to it and slides past the keeper into the net from the edge of the box.

84 mins: Maynard’s in again but this time the keeper saves.

86 mins: A great sweeping move from the Stags involving Mellis, Tomlinson and Maynard and finally Benning’s teasing low cross is put behind for a corner.

Attendance is 246

88 mins: Low cross from the right by Bradford PA trialist and Shaun Gardner flicks wide at the near post.

90 mins: Great ball down the left from Benning to Hamilton, Hamilton’s cross is blocked for a corner.
From the resulting corner on the left, Mellis takes it short, gets it back and thumps a powerful shot against the underside of the bar.

Mansfield Town won 4-2 at Conference North side Bradford Park Avenue in their first pre-season friendly on English soil, following the game against Swansea City in Portugal on Saturday. The Stags produced a fine second half performance going forward to rattle in four goals with new signing from Bury Nicky Maynard scoring twice, and a goal each for Danny Rose and Omari-Sterling James. The partnership between Maynard and Rose up front looked highly promising. Maynard scored with a fine header from a terrific Mal Benning delivery from a set piece, and with a clinical finish after a magnificent piece of play from Jacob Mellis who threaded a wonderful ball forward into Maynard’s path. Rose scored after fine play on the right by Maynard to set him up. And it was Sterling-James, who had an impressive game on the right, who started off the scoring just after half time. Mellis hit the underside of the bar late on with a great shot, while Maynard came close to completing his hat-trick. Maynard looked fantastic. Overall, a very encouraging second half.

Full time 2-4


Did not play: Bobby Olejnik (injured, hopefully back October), Jordan Graham (injured), Alex MacDonald (injured, but scan is clear), Craig Davies (injured), Dion Donohue (new signing from Portsmouth, not yet fit, but should be within three weeks), Jamie Chisholm (from last season’s youth team), Tyrese Sinclair (from last season’s youth team), Tom Fielding.


Report by: Martin Shaw at the Horsfall Stadium



Line Up:
1st half team (3-5-2):
Aidan Stone (new young keeper, to be understudy to Logan, until Olejnik fit);
Matt Preston, Noah Stokes (scored for the Stags at Bournemouth in FA Youth cup last season), Ryan Sweeney;
Hayden White, Alistair Smith, Neal Bishop, Otis Khan (playing behind the front two), Jason Law (played in Checkatrade trophy last season);
Andy Cook (new signing from Walsall), Jimmy Knowles (from last season’s youth team, just signed pro deal).
Subs:
Lewis Gibbens (for White, 30 mins)
Omari Sterling-James (for Stokes 36 mins)

2nd half team (4-4-2):
Conrad Logan;
James Clarke (young right wingback signed from Burnley), Krystian Pearce, Lewis Gibbens, Mal Benning;
Omari Sterling-James, Jacob Mellis, Willem Tomlinson, CJ Hamilton;
Nicky Maynard (new signing from Bury), Danny Rose.


Sub Line Up:
-
Opposition Line Up:
Trialist A, Trialist B, Lund, Trialist C, Moran, Hedley, Hurst, Rathbone, Thompson, Knight, Clarke. Subs: Andrew, Gardner, Holmes, Laird, 4 more trialists.
Referee:
Sam Barrott


Season 19/20 Reports