Archived News from August 2021
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LAST GASP PENALTY WINNER AS STAGS BEAT BRISTOL ROV
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English Football League - Sky Bet League Two
Mansfield Town 2 - 1 Bristol Rovers Hawkins 42 mins, Johnson pen 90+6. Harries 63. Coutts sent off 72 mins Attendance: 6,346 (1,388 from Bristol Rovers) Date: 7 August 2021 WOW! LAST GASP PENALTY WINNER AS STAGS BEAT BRISTOL ROVERS IN INCREDIBLE ATMOSPHERE Martin Shaw at the One Call Stadium, Field Mill Mansfield beat Bristol Rovers 2-1 in the opening league game of the 2021/22 season at the One Call Stadium this afternoon thanks to a penalty awarded 20 seconds from the end of stoppage time for a foul on Oli Hawkins, which was then converted by Danny Johnson. In the first half, it was Hawkins who had risen above the Rovers defence to head Mansfield into the lead after 42 minutes from a Stephen McLaughlin cross. So a goal for each of the Stags’ new strikeforce on their debuts. In between, Bristol Rovers had equalised with a wonderful volley from Cian Harries from 24 yards after a corner was not properly cleared by Mansfield. But Mansfield were clearly the deserved winners, with 17 shots compared to just 3 from Bristol Rovers. And wow, what an afternoon! The fans were back at the One Call Stadium for a league game for the first time since February 2020 when Mansfield beat Newport 1-0 with a goal from Danny Rose. The noise and atmosphere at the start of the game was just incredible. We could hardly hear ourselves on commentary in the West Stand. And when Mansfield won the game with the penalty in the last minute of stoppage time, the noise levels just went off the scale. Wow! The attendance of 6,346 was Mansfield's highest for their first home league game of the season since 1977, which was then our first league game in Division 2 (ie. what is now the Championship). Thank you to Sneag on Stagsnet who first spotted this. This was a completely new experience for the Mansfield players and management, playing in front of the Stags fans in a league game, apart from Kellan Gordon. Gordon was the only player from the starting XI and the substitutes who came on, who was with the club in February 2020. So much has changed since then, and there was poignant minute’s silence before the game to remember all those we have sadly lost in the last 18 months. I will write a detailed report on Sunday. But the early signs for this Mansfield side are that it could be an exciting season. I predicted in pre-season that I thought we would finish in the top 7, and there was nothing today to suggest any change to that. It is fair to say that Bristol Rovers were missing their three main strikers in Brett Pittman, Aaron Collins and Brandon Hanlon through injury and it was therefore probably a good time to play them, but they are among the favourites for promotion and the Stags were clearly the better side. The Stags seem to have most bases covered. We already had a high quality midfield from last season with George Maris, Ollie Clarke, Stephen Quinn and George Lapslie, and that has been supplemented with the attack-minded Rhys Oates who was outstanding for Hartlepool last season especially in their successful play-off campaign. The forward line has had a major upgrade with Danny Johnson and Oli Hawkins being brought in. The Stags missed far too many chances last season, and these two should help to improve the ratio of chances converted. The defence which played today was unchanged from last season and was missing the injured Elliott Hewitt who is a good signing from Grimsby, but certainly requires the addition of one extra high class central defender. In goal, Nathan Bishop looks a class act. On loan from Manchester United, he commanded his box today, and made one very good save from a quickly taken free kick, while having no chance with the goal. FULL REPORT IN THE MATCH CENTRE ------------------------- Mansfield Town 2-1 Bristol Rovers Hawkins (42'minutes), Johnson (90'+6minutes pen) Harries (62'minutes), Coutts (Dismissed at77'minutes) Assists McLaughlin (42'minutes) SAT 07 AUG 2021, LEAGUE TWO https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/58036217 Match report supplied by PA Media Danny Johnson scored a penalty in the sixth minute of stoppage-time as Mansfield beat Bristol Rovers 2-1 in League Two. A brilliant individual goal from Cian Harries looked to have rescued a 1-1 draw for Rovers but debutant Johnson kept his cool to send the goalkeeper the wrong way after Oli Hawkins had been tugged in the box by Mark Hughes. The visitors played the last 13 minutes with 10 men after Paul Coutts was sent off for an off-the-ball incident. Harry Anderson went close for Rovers after 24 minutes before Ollie Clarke miscued a great chance for Mansfield five minutes later. But Hawkins made no mistake three minutes before half-time when he headed home Kellan Gordon's corner. Anssi Jaakkola spilled a long-range Rhys Oates shot after 51 minutes as Mansfield enjoyed a good spell but Harries smashed a brilliant first-time volley past Nathan Bishop in the 62nd minute to level for the visitors. Coutts was dismissed for appearing to hit Johnson on the head and Rovers paid the price when the forward slotted home deep into added-time. Match Stats Home Team Mansfield Away Team Bristol Rovers Possession Home 56% Away 44% Shots Home 17 Away 3 Shots on Target Home 3 Away 2 Corners Home 6 Away 4 Fouls Home 14 Away 15 ----------------------- Mansfield Town earn dramatic opening day win after Danny Johnson scores injury time penalty chad.co.uk, By Stephen Thirkill, Saturday 7th August 2021 Danny Johnson scored a penalty in the sixth minute of stoppage time as Mansfield Town beat Bristol Rovers 2-1. A brilliant individual goal from Cian Harries looked to have rescued a 1-1 draw for Rovers. But debutant Johnson kept his cool to send the keeper the wrong way after Oli Hawkins had been tugged in the box by Jack Baldwin The visitors had played the last 13 minutes with 10 men after Paul Coutts was red carded for an off the ball incident. https://www.chad.co.uk/sport/football/mansfield-town-earn-dramatic-opening-day-win-after-danny-johnson-scores-injury-time-penalty-3338028 The match marked the return of fans to the One Call Stadium for a league game for the first time since the 1-0 win over Newport County on 15th February 2020. They saw a feisty opening ten minutes, with crunching tackles flying in as the team’s battled for control of the game. Farrend Rawson headed a Paul Coutts corner to safety on 16 minutes as chances continued to be at a premium. Stephen Mcaughlin scuffed a free-kick into the Rovers’ defensive wall three minutes later. George Maris was booked on 23 minutes after tripping Harvey Saunders from behind after Rawson gave the ball away. Nathan Bishop saved at the feet of Harry Anderson following a poor first touch a minute later. Ollie Clarke miscued from a Stephen Quinn cross with the goal begging on 29 minutes. But Hawkins made no mistake three minutes before half-time when he headed home Gordon’s corner at the back post. Anssi Jaakkola spilt a long-range Oates shot on 51 minutes for a home corner. Oates had another shot blocked by Josh Grant from a 55th minute corner as Mansfield enjoyed a good spell. But they were pegged back when Harries smashed a brilliant long range volley past Bishop on 61 minutes. Saunders blazed over midway through the halfway point as Rovers began to look dangerous on the break. Johnson found the side netting on 75 minutes as Mansfield hit on the break. Coutts was given a straight red card two minutes later after appearing to slap Johnson on the back of the head. Johnson and Hawins went close to winning it as Stags put the late pressure on. And their reward came when Johnson stayed calm to fire Mansfield to a deserved opening day victory. Mansfield Town: Bishop, Gordon, Rawson, Perch, McLaughlin, Maris (Stirk 90), O. Clarke, Quinn, Oates (Lapslie 69), Johnson, Hawkins. Subs not used: Bowery, Shelvey, Burke, Sinclair, Clarke. Bristol Rovers: Jaakkola, Hoole, Hughes, Harries, Anderton, Coutts, Grant, Anderson (Baldwin 80), Thomas (Taylor 79), Clarke (Westbrooke 31), Saunders Subs not used: Belshaw, Spence, Baldwin, Liddle, Walker Referee: Josh Smith. Att: 6,346 (1388 away). -------------------- Match Report: Mansfield Town 2-1 Bristol Rovers bristolrovers.co.uk Rovers lose late on the opening day of the 2021/22 season. The 10th of March 2020 feels like a long time ago, not just for Rovers fans, having watched a painful 2020/21 campaign from home, but for the entire world. Since then, like the never-ending narrative of football, there have been good points and bad in the COVID saga, many ups and downs since Jonson Clarke-Harris buried two to secure three points against Sunderland. The Gas had suffered in this COVID period, indeed, their fans had too, but with supporters returning to stadiums for a league game for the first time in over 16 months, a renewed sense of optimism filled the air. A true 90+ minute rollercoaster was served up for Gashead's, featuring adversity when Mansfield went ahead through Hawkins in the first half, followed by elation, when Harries equalised in phenomenal fasion. With less than 10 to go, the game also featured a red, with Paul Coutts picking up a red card in the dying stages. Mansfield would claim all three points from the penalty spot, deep in added time, with Johnson converting low into the bottom right corner. https://www.bristolrovers.co.uk/news/2021/august/match-report-mansfield/ Barton named a side featuring eight debuts for the Gas, with an array of new players coming into the fold. A familiar face would also make a debut though, with Luca Hoole receiving his first league start for Rovers after spending years developing through the Gas' youth system. He formed a defence in front of Anssi Jaakkola, joined by Mark Hughes, Nick Anderton and Cian Harries. Paul Coutts and Josh Grant formed a solid midfield partnership, with Luke Thomas, Harry Anderson and Trevor Clarke ahead. Harvey Saunders would lead the line for the Gas. The raucous atmosphere at the One Call Stadium was instantly translated into fire on the pitch, as a number of crunching tackles went in early doors. Luke Thomas was the recipient of one such challenge inside 6 minutes, fortunate to escape without injury from a lunged two-footed tackle from a Mansfield man. Luca Hoole was tasked with keeping the home side at bay throughout the opening stages, with the majority of Mansfield's attacks progressing down their left flank, towards the young fullback. Hoole's tall frame came in handy many times in quick succession, with the Welshman able to reach his legs round and retrieve the ball, as well as slide in to disposses. Smart play from Hoole unlocked the Gas' first set-piece opportunity as Luke Thomas stabbed a through-ball to the byline on the quarter-hour mark. Hoole, anticipating a sweeping challenge from the defence, hopped over the ball, seeing it roll for a corner kick. Thomas' delivery was aimed at Mark Hughes who fought to meet it, but was met by a rigid Mansfield defence who cleared well. Mansfield Town then won a chance of their own with Danny Johnson jinking into a dangerous area before being clattered by Nick Anderton. A free-kick was given just outside the edge of the D, but Stephen McLaughlin struck his deadball effort into the legs of Cian Harries. Thomas was proving to be a pain for the Mansfield defence, sniffing out an interception in their territory on the 22nd minute before playing a short ball to Saunders. Saunders looked to thread the return through the home side's defence, but was tripped before he could, prompting the first yellow card of the game, for George Maris. The free-kick came to nothing but moments later the Gas had another, a quick one taken by Luke Thomas unleashed Anderson who let it run across him from inside the box. He cracked off an effort from the angle but was met by the onrushing Nathan Bishop. The tide looked to be turning the Gas' way as the game began to approach the half-hour mark, following a nervous opening spell at the One Call Stadium. 15 years in the blue and white quarters may have weighed too heavily on the shoulders of Ollie Clarke, as a rolled cross made its way towards the now-Mansfield captain on the edge of the 6-yard box. Clarke's heart must have sunk as he scuffed his effort into Anderton, watching the ball ricochet away. His hands met his head, knowing he'd squandered the game's best chance so far. Rovers were forced into a change on the half-hour mark, with Trevor Clarke going down on the left-flank, replaced by Zain Westbrooke. A good free-kick from Luke Thomas was lifted into the danger area with less than 7 minutes of the first half to go, but Nathan Bishop commanded his area well, claiming from the edge of the six-yard box. With less than 4 minutes remaining in the half, Mansfield were in the lead. A short corner opened space for the home side to deliver. There, a rare mis-judgement from Jaakkola allowed Hawkins to make contact with a header, flicking into an empty net. Rhys Oates could've double the yellow's lead before the whistle, almost latching onto a low corner ball inside the Gas' box. He fluffed the shot though, failing to make sufficient contact and watching it roll through. Mansfield Town would take the 1-0 lead into the break. Rhys Oates would finish the first half with a chance, and would begin the second with one. A ricochet took the ball into his path on the edge of the area, with Mansfield man winding up for a low strike at Jaakkola's goal. With the ball bouncing infront of him, the Fin took no chances and palmed it wide. Superb defending from Anderton kept Rhys Oates out moments later as the pacey forward charged at the former-Carlisle man. Anderton tracked him superbly as he shuffled for space, eventually getting a block in. Josh Grant would then need to block a strike from Oates, with the number 18 picked out on the edge of the box. Grant charged the effort down quickly, extending a crucial leg to block well. Rovers had been under unrelenting pressure for the opening 15 minutes of the half. Then, when the Gas needed a moment of magic, they found it. A set-piece that was seemingly coming to nothing, the ball flicked up in the air for an audacious opportunity over 20 yards out. Cian Harries' left foot struck it mid-flight, sweet as can be. The result, the ball was sent careening towards Bishop's goal with the Manchester United loanee left stranded as it met the Mansfield net. 1-1, game on. Rovers, from the jaws of defeat, burst into the ascendancy with their momentum only boosted by the roar of the Gas faithful. A ball played in Harvey Saunders allowed him to control with his left and turn, angling towards the left side of the area. He struck with venom but skewed his strike clear of the crossbar. As the game approached the final 15, Mansfield sniffed out half a chance as Danny Johnson broke the Rovers line and progressed towards goal. Anderton was once again there to harry his man, with Johnson forced slightly wide before striking a powerful effort. Cheers began to ring round the One Call Stadium, before fans slowly came to the realisation that it had in fact hit the side netting. Then, in another twist of fate, Rovers were reduced to 10 men. Retreating from a goal kick, Coutts appeared to strike out at Mansfield Town's Danny Johnson. The ref' immediately stopped play, showing the red card to the Gas' captain. Barton made changes following the incident, with Taylor and Baldwin replacing Anderson and Thomas. The formation shifted into a 5-3-1, with Baldwin taking an unusual spot in the midfield. Johnson would skew a close-range effort wide as Mansfield took a vice-like grip of the game, seeking out a winner on home turf with 5 minutes added on. The search continued when Gordon's set-piece delivery picked out Oli Hawkins once again at the back stick, looking for his second of the day, Hawkins steered his header wide of the near post. Mansfield would receive a penalty in the dying stages, with Hughes adjudged to have held onto a Mansfield man in the box. Johnson stepped up to strike home, seeing the Gas defeated in the final minute. STAGS XI: Bishop (GK), Gordon, Rawson, Perch, McLaughlin, Maris (Stirk 90+1', O. Clarke (C), Quinn, Oates (Lapslie '70), Johnson, Hawkins. SUBS: Shelvey (GK), Bowery, Burke, Sinclair, J. Clarke, Stirk, Lapslie. ROVERS XI : Jaakkola (GK), Hoole, Hughes, Harries, Anderton, Grant, Coutts (C), Anderson (Baldwin '80), Thomas (Thomas '80), T. Clarke (Westbrooke '30), Saunders. SUBS: Belshaw (GK), Taylor, Baldwin, Walker, Westbrooke, Liddle, Spence. Attendance: 6343 (1388 away) -------------------- Bristol Rovers hit the ground limping as injuries and familiar flaw combine in Mansfield defeat bristolpost.co.uk, By Sam Frost, Bristol Rovers reporter, 7 AUG 2021 https://www.bristolpost.co.uk/sport/football/football-news/bristol-rovers-hit-ground-limping-5756997 Injury-hit Bristol Rovers hit the ground limping in League Two as they slipped to a dramatic late defeat to Mansfield Town on the opening day. When Cian Harries struck the goal of his life to drag the Joey Barton's side level, Gasheads maybe, maybe, were starting to believe their decade-long opening day curse was being banished. Instead, they suffered the all-too-familiar pain of conceding a late, late winner to keep Rovers' relaunch firmly grounded at Field Mill. After a stuttering pre-season, the games come fast now and Rovers will hope that will hasten their development into a side which resembles a contender. They battled, but Barton's side remain very rough around the edges and plenty of polishing needs doing at The Quarters. "I don’t expect us to turn up at Mansfield and when the ref blows his whistle at 3pm tomorrow, all of a sudden all of our problems are solved. That would be very nice, I think we’d all want that, but also we’re realistic." Barton called it 24 hours before in his press conference. This is a new team, but the healing process is very much ongoing. Last season's iteration of the Gas may have wilted earlier than the 96th minute under pressure from a confident Mansfield side with a man advantage, in fairness, so maybe that is progress of some sort. But Rovers, not entirely through their own doing, found a way to leave a result on the table, something they had a penchant for doing last season. Barton will take heart from the fact his side came very close to a point with 10 men away at one of their likely rivals for success this term while several likely starters were forced to sit out through injury. Brett Pitman's absence, in particular, was telling. His short yet excellent showing against Oxford United in pre-season demonstrated the platforms he can give flair players around him, but on Saturday Luke Thomas and Harvey Saunders were left totally isolated for the majority of this game as Rovers were held to a paltry three shots - or 0.19 expected goals, if that's your thing.. A point in those circumstances would have been a huge fillip for Barton's newly-constructed squad, but they could not cling on. They battled hard, but did not get it done. Rovers were rarely fluent, evidence that the connections and relationships in this squad are still being formed. While Mansfield are settled with a few impressive additions under Nigel Clough this summer, the Gas are rebuilding from scratch after Barton pressed the nuclear button following relegation, and it's going to take time. The return of the likes of Pitman and Arron Collins, plus Barton's plans to sign another forward before the end of the window, should accelerate that process, but League Two threatens to be every bit as cruel as League One was to Rovers last year in the meantime. And the truth is, even without those players, Rovers had men on the pitch who could offer more in attack than they did on the day. Barton will not be overly concerned, knowing the gelling process can be time-consuming, but some supporters will be less patient, particularly when seeing similar flaws repeat themselves despite the sweeping change of the summer. Set plays remain the Achilles heel, with both Mansfield goals stemming from balls lumped into the box. Anssi Jaakkola made a rare poor decision to leave his line in pursuit of Stephen McLaughlin's delivery, giving Oli Hawkins an open goal once the Finn ran into a roadblock en route to the ball. The winning moment, too, originated from a corner, with Mark Hughes and Hawkins tangling after the defender was caught on the wrong side. Teams will seldom achieve success if they are flaky at set plays, as Rovers have been for some time. Recruited to bring a wise head to the Rovers midfield in these exact situations, Coutts will reflect on a needless red card , with footage showing he did lash out and make contact with Danny Johnson's head in their off-the-ball clash Johnson may have baited Coutts - who was performing handily to that point - into the action, but a player of so much experience should know one just cannot react in that fashion. The situation was so innocuous that it was missed by those lining the press bench, who thought it was safe to use the break in play to tap out a few words on their laptop. By the time they had keyed in a letter or two, the accusatory roar from the thousands of Mansfield fans suggested Coutts was in real trouble, and the incident was central in the eye line of the referee. It was soft, it was innocuous, but it was foolish and a costly moment of surprising naivety from such an experienced pro, who will now sit out three games. Not ideal with several other players already unavailable to Barton through injury. Mansfield may have got the points, and perhaps benefited from a soft penalty, but referee Joshua Smith did not endear himself to supporters of either club through the 90 minutes. Rovers, of course, did not lose this game because of the referee; Barton's side needed to make much more of an impression in the final third to have guaranteed a result. But Smith's inconsistency was strange, letting the game flow without control in the opening passages, turning a blind eye to a clear two-footed challenge by a Mansfield man which by the letter of the law is a certain booking - having not made contact but potentially endangered an opponent. His laissez-faire policy was only temporary, becoming increasingly picky as the game went on. Coutts may have given him no choice with his indiscretion, but the match-defining penalty incident involving Mark Hughes and Oli Hawkins in real time and after video examination is soft, to say the least. It was typical wrestling seen at almost every set play, six and two threes kind of stuff. Perhaps poor officiating is inevitable in the short term, with the return of fans on this scale sure to affect referees' working conditions and thought processes. But the reality is the standard was rarely good when the Gas were in League One, so brace yourselves for more mystifying moments from the men in the middle in the fourth tier. The quality in Harries' left boot is obvious, but this was frankly ridiculous, catching his volley sweeter than a Joe Root cover drive 15 miles south at Trent Bridge on Saturday.. The defender, playing out of position at left-back, had struggled somewhat to that point, but he produced an early goal of the season contender, thumping the dropping ball past the sprawling Nathan Bishop from 25 yards out,. Harries' career at Rovers has featured some flashes of quality but much more frustration, with his place at the club seemingly under threat in Barton's rebuild. After missing much of pre-season with injury, this could be just the moment he needed to get his career moving in the right direction. Right at home "He's one of our own," the away end proudly cried as Luca Hoole's remarkable rise this summer hit a new peak on his league debut for the Gas. The 19-year-old, so focused on the task at hand, had no idea he was the subject of a chant until told after the game, but there could be many more tunes dedicated to him in the back catalogue at this rate. The right-back, the most pleasant surprise of pre-season, stepped right in and looked right at home, defending stoutly up against the threatening Stephens: McLaughlin and Quinn. The Welshman raided forward on occasion too, with one burst in stoppage time which had the Stags worried bizarrely halted by the assistant referee's flag. Hoole did not deserve to be on the losing side on his impressive debut, but he is in possession of a shirt in the starting XI and he's going to take some displacing. --------------------- Bristol Rovers player ratings as Luca Hoole shines in heartbreaking defeat at Mansfield Town The player ratings as Bristol Rovers suffered a last-gasp defeat at Mansfield Town bristolpost.co.uk, By Sam Frost, Bristol Rovers reporter, 7 AUG 2021 https://www.bristolpost.co.uk/sport/football/football-news/bristol-rovers-player-ratings-luca-5755772 Anssi Jaakkola - 5 Came to collect McLaughlin's cross, but got nowhere near it after getting stuck in traffic, allowing Oli Hawkins to head into an empty net. Beaten by a clinical penalty. Luca Hoole - 8 Outstanding, young man. Faced up brilliantly with the threatening McLaughlin and enjoyed a debut to be proud of. Unlucky to be on the losing side. Mark Hughes - 5 Caught out a couple of times, but read the game well for the most part. Appeared to be harshly penalised for the last-gasp penalty. Cian Harries - 7 What. A Goal. Levelled the scores with a stunning 25-yard volley. He had struggled to that point, but improved thereafter. A good performance, on balance, and a strike to remember. Nick Anderton - 8 Excellent debut. Hardly put a foot wrong and was a good foil for Hughes. Josh Grant - 5 Smooth performance defensively. His passing could have been more accurate, though. Paul Coutts (c) - 4 Was doing a valuable job shielding the defence, but he got involved in some needless handbags and was sent off with 13 minutes to play. A mixed debut, to say the least. Harry Anderson - 5 Should have made more of a good chance in the first half but he took it too wide. Was a source of danger in the second half before being sacrificed. Trevor Clarke - 6 A lively presence on the left flank, but his debut was cut short when he went off injured on the half hour. Luke Thomas - 5 Not his day. Rovers' lack of presence up top gave him few platforms to work from, curbing his influence in dangerous areas. Harvey Saunders - 5 Unselfish performance, doing the hard running his team needed, albeit without much threat to the Mansfield goal. Subs Zain Westbrooke (for Clarke on 31') - 5 Quiet and booked for a dive. Connor Taylor (for Thomas on 81') - 6 Jack Baldwin (for Anderson on 81') - 6 Not used: James Belshaw, Sion Spence, Ben Liddle, Zain Walker. ------------------- |
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