Archived News from December 2021
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HARROGATE GAME POSTPONED, COVID IN STAGS CAMP
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Harrogate v Mansfield postponed
mansfieldtown.net, Mon 27 Dec 2021 Mansfield Town’s forthcoming Sky Bet League Two fixture against Harrogate Town on Wednesday 29 December has been postponed. The club informed the EFL that it would be unable to fulfil the fixture at the EnviroVent Stadium due to a number of positive COVID-19 cases in the squad. The Club has worked hard to ensure that it has been able to fulfil the fixture. https://www.mansfieldtown.net/news/2021/december/harrogate-v-mansfield-postponed However, taking into account the injuries and positive COVID-19 cases within the squad following yesterday’s victory at home to Hartlepool United , the Club does not have a sufficient number of players available in order to fulfil the fixture. A rearranged date for the fixtures will be confirmed in due course. --------------- MANSFIELD FIXTURE POSTPONED harrogatetownafc.com, 27/12/21 Harrogate Town's forthcoming Sky Bet League Two fixture against Mansfield Town on Wednesday 29 December has been postponed. Mansfield informed the EFL that they would be unable to fulfil the fixture at the EnviroVent Stadium due to a number of positive COVID-19 cases in their squad. https://www.harrogatetownafc.com/news-media/news/mansfield-fixture-postponed/ In light of the increased transmission rate of the Omicron variant, the EFL will now review the circumstances surrounding the postponement. In addition, it will assist affected Clubs throughout this challenging period to help them mitigate against the risk of infection amongst players and staff, while ensuring their obligations to the EFL regulations are maintained. A rearranged date for the fixture will be confirmed in due course. Our next scheduled fixture is on New Years' Day, when we hope to return to action and welcome Port Vale to The EnviroVent Stadium. ----------- Postponement of Harrogate Town's League Two clash with Mansfield Town was 'inevitable', says frustrated Simon Weaver harrogateadvertiser.co.uk, By Rhys Howell, Monday 27th December 2021 Simon Weaver felt that it was "inevitable" that Harrogate Town's League Two clash with Mansfield Town would be called off. Stags boss Nigel Clough revealed in the wake of his team's Boxing Day win over Hartlepool that four of his players had already tested positive for the virus, while others were beginning to show symptoms. And with another four members of their squad currently sidelined through injury, the Nottinghamshire outfit informed the Football League that they did not sufficient numbers available to them to be able to fulfil Wednesday night's game at Wetherby Road. "It seemed inevitable that it was going to be called off, didn't it," Weaver said. "Reading between the lines of Nigel's quotes after the Hartlepool game, it looked as if this might end up being the case, so it comes as no surprise. "It is disappointing because it feels ages since we last played a home fixture, and we were looking forward to being able to carry the feel-good factor from our win at Tranmere Rovers last Tuesday into this game. "We'd have turned up with 13 fit outfield players the same as we did last week and just got on with it. I think they [Mansfield] are saying they would only have 10 available, so if that's the case then obviously they can't play." read more at https://www.harrogateadvertiser.co.uk/sport/football/postponement-of-harrogate-towns-league-two-clash-with-mansfield-town-was-inevitable-says-frustrated-simon-weaver-3508161 Wednesday's postponement is the second that Harrogate have been affected by during the festive period after their Boxing Day derby with Yorkshire rivals Bradford City was also called off. Asked if he was frustrated to see two fixtures cancelled due to issues in the opposition camp, Weaver refused to criticise either the Bantams or Mansfield. "It's hard for me to comment on their situation because I don't know what's going on there, we just wish everyone who is affected at Mansfield well," he continued. "I can only really speak about our club and, what I can say, is that while I understand that you cannot eliminate all risk, we've done everything that we can to minimise the risk to our players and staff and their families. "If the EFL decided to delve into it, for whatever reason, they'd see we had cancelled all our Christmas parties, that nobody here has been car-sharing. We've been following the EFL rules, we've done our best to give the correct advice to the players. We've tried to do the right things. "We are frustrated, but, just because we're okay now, there's no guarantee that we won't be affected by Covid next week. You can contract the virus filling up at a petrol station, so you just never know." Speaking after his team came from behind to beat Hartlepool at Field Mill, Mansfield boss Clough predicted that more of his players would test positive for Covid-19 ahead of the midweek trip to Harrogate. “We only have 14 fit outfielders and none of the injuries will be back in time for Wednesday," he said. “We have a few more now who have symptoms and are coughing and we will test them in the morning and see where we go. "With it spreading so fast I think it's inevitable there will be two or three more.” Increasing numbers of Covid-19 cases decimated the Boxing Day fixture list across English football, with just three of the 12 scheduled matches going ahead in League Two on Sunday. And Wednesday's postponement means that Harrogate will have to wait until New Year's Day before they can kick a ball in anger again. All being well, they will bring to an end their enforced 11-day winter break when they host Port Vale, 3pm kick-off. ----------------------- ONE DAY EARLIER, Sunday 26th December 2021 Nigel Clough told iFollow Stags: George Lapslie, Stephen Quinn, Richard Nartey and Harry Charsley missed the game due to positive Covid tests. “Stephen Quinn’s is confirmed and we are waiting for the other three to be confirmed,” said the manager. “[We have] Four injuries and four out with the virus. “We’ll test [the other members of the squad] in the morning and see where we go [from there]. “We only have 14 fit outfield players and none of the injuries will be back in time for Wednesday night. “We did everything we can to get the game on today. We lost three this morning and over lunch time. We’ll do what we can to get a team out on Wednesday. “ “It was a bit of a gamble getting the game on today after losing players, but we thought we had enough with the starting XI to get a result and we needed a game after two weeks without one,” he said. “We lost three players at lunchtime, and I think if we'd told one or two half truths we'd have got the game off. “But we wanted to put a game on for the spectators - it's Boxing Day. “We believe all four have had positive tests as well as having four out with injury.” He continued: “We have a few more now who have symptoms and are coughing and we will test them in the morning and see where we go. “We only have 14 fit outfielders and none of the injuries will be back in time for Wednesday. “We will do everything we can to get a team out on Wednesday but, as much as we want to play, if we can't make the required number we will fall victim like an awful lot of teams have today. “With it spreading so fast I think it's inevitable there will be two or three more.” "If we'd lost another one or two, then we wouldn't have been able to put the required number out there, I think it's 13 and a goalkeeper. We've got 14 and a goalkeeper. So we were pretty close to it. "There's a few downstairs coughing and spluttering (in the changing room). "As soon as the players are in the changing room, it's very difficult to constrain it (the virus spreading). --------------- |
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