Archived News from September 2021
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CLOUGH, LAPSLIE, ROBBIE STOCKDALE REACTION
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Boss praises defence after stalemate mansfieldtown.net, Sat 18 September 2021 Boss Nigel Clough praised Stags’ centre-halves following their resolute display against Rochdale at One Call Stadium, but emphasised the need for his side to ‘stop giving goals away.’ The game ended one goal apiece in NG18 after Mansfield substitute Danny Johnson cancelled out Danny Cashman’s opener. The manager says his side were understandably nervy before their equaliser due to Stags’ recent poor form. https://www.mansfieldtown.net/news/2021/september/nigel-clough-post-rochdale/ “I thought we were nervous in the first minute up until we scored the equaliser,” he told iFollow Stags. “It’s inevitable and understandable to a certain degree. “When you’ve lost four league games on the spin, then players are going to be tentative. Results knock the stuffing out of you a little bit. “We’ve been talking to the players and the only way we do that [turn around recent form] is to stop giving goals away and [today] we go and give another schoolboy goal away. “Nobody is doing that in the opposition teams. We’ve had to work unbelievably hard to get an equaliser or create anything. “We’re trying to drill into the players, no chances, no mistakes, but players keep doing them. “I thought the two centre-halves [Farrend Rawson and Elliott Hewitt] were good and Bish [Nathan Bishop] hasn’t had an awful lot to do today. He was very competent with what he did and the defence was very good. I though Ollie protected the defence well with George Maris. “Now the onus is on Rawson, Elliott Hewitt or anyone who steps in to make up for the loss of James Perch, Richard Nartey and Will Forrester. Everyone has to step up now. Nigel Clough offered his thoughts on how Stags’ three second-half changes impacted the game. “I thought they [subs] energised us at 1-0 down. Ryan Stirk came on and looked bright and Danny Johnson gets us the goal. Harry Charsley was also on the pitch which was brilliant to see. “That’s his typical Danny Johnson goal [today]. It’s with his wrong foot, but he’s steered it into the bottom corner. “After that point, I thought we were the most likely team to go and win it. Harry Charsley’s had a shot which I thought he should have left for Ollie Clarke. Harry decided to have a swing and hit the target, and the goalie makes a great save. “It’s a different game once you equalise, when we’re in their faces and the crowd are up. In the last ten or 15 minutes, I thought we could’ve won it.” Following the news that James Perch will be out for the season with a fractured skill, the manager added: “It’s what we suspected [with Perch’s injury] from the initial diagnosis. But to have it confirmed, to go into games without him and Stephen Quinn, our most experienced players, we’re going to try and get some results without them. “It’s devastating for Perchy first and foremost. Especially when you’re coming to the end of your career. “[I’m] absolutely devastated for him and the impact that it has on the rest of the team. They know that we’ll be missing one of our best players.” The manager also provided an update on defender Richard Nartey, who was absent from today’s squad. “[He’ll be out for] six to eight weeks]. He got a whack in the Harrogate game and played with it last week. “He had a scan and he’s got some sort of problem with the bone around his shin area. They think it will be six to eight weeks before he’s ready again. “Will Forrester, the lad we’re waiting to see from Stoke, has had a setback as well. At the moment, it seems we’re taking punches from everywhere.” iFollow Stags subscribers can watch the manager’s interview in full by logging into mansfieldtown.net/ifollow later today. ------------------------- Nigel Clough a relieved man as Mansfield Town end losing run with Rochdale draw chad.co.uk, By Stephen Thirkill, Saturday 18th September 2021 Nigel Clough admits he’s a relieved man after Mansfield Town ended a four game league losing run with a 1-1 draw at home to Rochdale. Danny Cashman put the visitors ahead five minutes into the second half after Kellan Gordon was robbed of the ball by Matty Dunn. But supersub Danny Johnson levelled late for Stags just three minutes after entering the pitch. “I wish we had got a point in our last four games,” he said. “It is an important point that stops the rot. https://www.chad.co.uk/sport/football/nigel-clough-a-relieved-man-as-mansfield-town-end-losing-run-with-rochdale-draw-3388240 “We go into the next game in a different frame of mind. You do not want to be losing week after week, it drags every down around the entire club. It is nice to stop that run.” But Clough was also left rueing yet another costly defensive error. “To give a goal away again like we have done is absolutely staggering,” he added. “All we have done the last two weeks is talk about the goals we have given away from individual errors. “So therefore when you go on to the pitch as a player in that situation, you do not take any chances whatsoever. Why he took that chance I do not know. “You can’t work on stuff like that, it is a player attitude thing. They have to take on what we are drilling into them every day, week after week - you do not make those mistakes. “Without giving the goal away we might have gone and won 1-0. “It was a much needed equaliser. Goals change games. It was even until they scored theirs and then they started bossing it and putting us under pressure. “The second we got our equaliser we were looking like we were going to nick it, probably undeservedly, but we have lost four games undeservedly.” --------------------- Stags can build on point - midfielder mansfieldtown.net, Sat 18 September 2021 Midfielder George Lapslie believes that Stags can build on today’s well-earned point at home to Rochdale. Mansfield responded to going behind as substitute Danny Johnson struck home in the second-half. Sponsors’ man of the match Lapslie says it would’ve been easy for Mansfield’s ‘heads to drop’ after Danny Cashman’s opener for Rochdale. https://www.mansfieldtown.net/news/2021/september/stags-can-build-on-point---midfielder/ “With the run we've been on, we've lost a few games which we don't feel that we deserved to have lost,” he told iFollow Stags. “Then we found ourselves on the back of a few bad results so the first thing today was to just not lose.” The former Charlton man was disappointed that the side didn’t secure a first clean sheet of the season but was encouraged by Mansfield’s defensive performance. "We were probably as solid as we've looked this season,” he added. “Obviously not keeping a clean sheet this season, the goal at the start of the game was to keep a clean sheet but that didn't happen. “When we conceded I think it says a lot about the boys that our heads didn't go down and we got the equaliser. Lapslie was named man of the match by today’s match sponsors for his contributions in attack as well as defence, making a goal-saving block. “I just found myself there and his touch was just too much to the left so it gave me the chance to slide around and get in. “I'm just happy that I could do that for the team and obviously I'd rather it led to a win but it's a point in the board and we go from there. “If I'm honest it's been a bit frustrating because I haven't performed as well as I know I can [this season]. “So, I just want to try and build on that [performance] and get back to the level I was at last season. I owe it to the team and to the manager to get back there. "I think I've had good spells at times and today I was sort of back on the right tracks. “The gaffer said to me that I'm the sort of player that needs a run in the team to find my feet and I think he's probably right. As time has gone on, I think I'm getting more [into] it and if a few chances come up I can start getting a few goals." Log in to mansfieldtown.net/ifollow to watch George’s interview in full. -------------- Rochdale boss left frustrated after draw at Mansfield Town chad.co.uk, By Stephen Thirkill, Saturday 18th September 2021 Rochdale boss Robbie Stockdale was left frustrated by his side’s 1-1 draw at Mansfield Town. Dale were pegged back with 17 minutes to go after Danny Johnson scored from Ollie Clarke’s pass. It had looked like all the points were going back to Greater Manchester after Danny Cashman opened the scoring on 50 minutes. “It is really frustrating,” he said. “We are frustrated with ourselves, we played as well with the ball as we have in previous weeks and there were spells when we were very good. https://www.chad.co.uk/sport/football/rochdale-boss-left-frustrated-after-draw-at-mansfield-town-3388243 “I think it is a positive sign that the dressing room is frustrated coming away with the draw. “There were a few dubious decisions which didn’t help us at times. “I felt we got sucked into their way of playing. They made a big fight of it and we lost our composure with the ball. “If we had continued doing the things we are good at, it would have given us a better chance of winning it. “I think you always have to see it as a point gained when you draw away from home. The dressing room is quiet, they feel like me but we have to take it as a really positive sign when we feel we could have done better after such a tough game. “The first half was average at best and I asked for a bit more quality at half-time. “We started the second half very well. The goal was front foot football, where we pressed and that is what we want to do.” ---------------- |
Latest | September 2021