Archived News from February 2022
|
STAGS DRAW AT HARROGATE AS WINNING RUN ENDS
|
 |
|
English Football League - Sky Bet League Two
Harrogate Town 0 - 0 Mansfield Town Attendance: 1800 (570 from Mansfield) Date: 1 February 2022 Martin Shaw at Wetherby Road (EnviroVent Stadium) Mansfield Town drew 0-0 at Harrogate Town last night as the club record 8 wins in a row in the Football League came to an end. However it was the first time that Mansfield had avoided defeat against Harrogate Town with the Yorkshire side having won all of the previous 4 games between the sides. Remarkably it was the Stags’ first drawn game in any competition for three and a half months, since a 1-1 draw with Port Vale in mid October. It was also only the second time the Stags had failed to score since mid October. It was a windy night which made playing good football difficult, for the second game running. The first half, when the wind was at its strongest, was almost devoid of any entertainment and there were hardly any chances for either side. George Maris lifted a shot over the bar from 9 yards after a well-worked move down the right by Jordan Bowery, Rhys Oates and Elliott Hewitt. Rory McArdle lifted a shot over the bar from 8 yards at the other end following a corner. And Stephen McLaughlin’s free kick from 28 yards was held by the keeper. But that was about it in a disappointing 45 minutes. The second half was better and both sides could have won it. Nathan Bishop saved superbly making himself big and narrowing the angle as Cal Kavanagh ran through 1-on-1 after 52 minutes. At the other end John-Joe O’Toole headed over the bar from a George Maris corner. Then from a Hewitt long throw-in, Ryan Stirk had a shot blocked and sub Kieran Wallace fired the rebound wide. A golden chance fell for the Stags after 70 minutes. McLaughlin crossed him from the left, the ball dropped for sub Lucas Akins to shoot from 10 yards. He miscued his shot but it ran kindly for Bowery who was unmarked 3 yards from goal, with the goalkeeper out of position, and just one defender on the line. But Bowery could only turn the ball straight at defender Leon Legge who cleared it off the line. Bowery appealed that the ball had crossed the line. From the main camera shot, and from the analyst's camera shot which I saw after the game with Nigel Clough, I don't think it was over the line (and Clough and analyst Matt didn't either). I haven't yet seen the pitchside footage which will give a better angle. It was a terrible miss from Bowery though, who has been in superb form lately and had scored in 4 of the previous 5 games. A frustrated Nigel Clough said after the game: “When you’re three or four yards out, you have to score. You win the game if that goes in, I think. Whether you’re a forward or not you just have to score those sorts of chances.” Harrogate broke straight to the other end and Jack Diamond fired straight at Bishop from the edge of the box with Luke Armstrong sending the rebound wide. Ryan Stirk did well to create space for a shot from the edge of the box which was superbly tipped over the bar by the keeper after 77 minutes. Harrogate came close to winning it on the stroke of 90 minutes. Lewis Page crossed from the left, sub Jack Muldoon headed it down, Bishop went to claim it but spilled it, and Armstrong lifted the ball over Bishop and against the bar from 3 yards. As the ball came back down off the bar, Wallace and Hawkins were able to clear. A bit of luck there for the Stags and for Bishop. And then 5 minutes into stoppage time, Bishop saved a shot from 16 yards from Alex Pattison. A draw was a fair result in my opinion. There was a tinge of disappointment for the Stags that the winning run was over, but at other stages of the season, we would have been very satisfied to come away from Harrogate with a point. The Stags were not at their best and hope to be better next time. And hope it’s not windy again. Mansfield have a rare Saturday off with Hartlepool still involved in the FA Cup. The next game is next Tuesday at the One Call Stadium as Colchester are the visitors. It’s sure to be another big crowd with the Stags in wonderful form at home, having won 8 on the trot at home in the league, and just 2 short of the club record in the Football League of 10 home wins on the trot (set in 1949). The last time the Stags won 9 on the trot at home was 1973 (stats from Paul Taylor). If you can’t get to the game, you can watch it with us on iFollow Stags. The Stags were unchanged at Harrogate from the win over Leyton Orient. Exciting new signings Matty Longstaff on loan from Newcastle, and Jamie Murphy on loan from Hibs, were not signed in time to be eligible for the game. There was one change on the bench as Ryan Burke replaced Richard Nartey. Nartey remains on loan with the Stags until the end of the season. He's going to play a few U23 games for Burnley though to get his match fitness levels up. Burke meanwhile “needs to go out on loan” according to Nigel Clough, adding “which we’re working on”. Jason Law was also on the bench and Clough said after the game: “We had an enquiry for Jason Law to go on loan today, and with Matty Longstaff coming in, that could do him good.” Both loans of course would be to the National League or below. Farrend Rawson was serving the second game of his two game suspension. George Lapslie was also out injured and had been expected to be fit for the Colchester game next week, but Nigel Clough said after the game: “George Lapslie is going to be a little bit longer out injured than we thought”, without giving a more specific timeframe. Kellan Gordon remains out injured long term with Nigel Clough reiterating on Monday: "There is no timescale on that in terms of his return from injury." DETAILED REPORT IN THE MATCH CENTRE ---------------------------- TUE 01 FEB 2022, LEAGUE TWO Harrogate Town 0-0 Mansfield Town https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/59751148 Match report supplied by PA Media. Mansfield's club record run of eight consecutive league wins came to an end following a 0-0 draw at Harrogate. It was perhaps inevitable that the sixth-placed Stags would drop their first points since November 23 against Simon Weaver's men, who have developed a reputation as the visitors' bogey team having won all four previous meetings between the two clubs. Both sides struggled to adapt to the strong wind during a scrappy first half. Mansfield's best opportunity of the opening 45 minutes saw George Maris volley over following Elliott Hewitt's right-wing centre. At the other end, meanwhile, veteran centre-back Rory McArdle cleared the away crossbar with a hooked six-yard effort. After the break, on-loan teenage Middlesbrough striker Calum Kavanagh - son of former Republic of Ireland international Graham - wasted an excellent chance to open the scoring for the hosts when he shot straight at Stags goalkeeper Nathan Bishop after being sent clear on goal by Jack Diamond. At the other end, Leon Legge made a heroic goal-line block to keep out Jordan Bowery's close-range effort, but Luke Armstrong almost snatched victory at the death for the Sulphurites when he hit the crossbar following up a saved Jack Muldoon strike. Match Stats Home Team Harrogate Away Team Mansfield Possession Home 51% Away 49% Shots Home 13 Away 13 Shots on Target Home 4 Away 4 Corners Home 7 Away 7 Fouls Home 9 Away 14 ----------------------- Record-breaking winning run ended as Mansfield Town are held by bogey team Harrogate Town chad.co.uk, By John Lomas, Tuesday 1st February 2022 Mansfield Town's club record-breaking run of straight league victories ended at eight as they were held to a 0-0 draw at bogey side Harrogate Town tonight. Nigel Clough’s battlers gave it everything on a bitter north Yorkshire evening, but they couldn’t prise a way through a dogged Harrogate defence. Stags have still never beaten Harrogate in any of their five meetings since the Sulphurites were promoted into the league but this was at least the first time Mansfield had avoided defeat. Without ineligible newly-signed pair Jamie Murphy and Matty Longstaff, the Stags made a lively start to the game. https://www.chad.co.uk/sport/football/record-breaking-winning-run-ended-as-mansfield-town-are-held-by-bogey-team-harrogate-town-3551240 Inside 10 minutes they had gone close when George Maris fired over from inside the box after he met Elliott Hewitt’s measured pass. At the other end, Harrogate fluffed a terrific opportunity when Rory McArdle blazed over from close range after the Stags failed to clear a corner. The Stags were on top by the mid-way point in the first half, and they were unlucky when Maris’s low, whipped-in cross just evaded the stretching Jordan Bowery. Harrogate then threatened just before the half-hour mark when George Thomson saw a powerful effort deflected behind for a corner. In blustery conditions at the EnviroVent Stadium, Stephen McLaughlin was next to go close for the Stags when his well-struck free-kick was saved by Mark Oxley. The Stags had impressed in the opening half, but they couldn’t find a breakthrough. Harrogate created the first chance of the second period, with Josh Falkingham seeing a powerful shot blocked. Calum Kavanagh was then denied by a superb Nathan Bishop save as the hosts applied some pressure. Stags sub Kieran Wallace almost made a swift impact just a minute after replacing Ollie Clarke when his close-range effort was bravely kept out by Oxley. Wallace then smashed narrowly wide from just outside the box, before Bowery was denied by a frantic goal-line clearance with the Stags fans behind the goal convinced the ball had gone over the line. Ryan Stirk went closest to snatching a late winner, while Luke Armstrong hit the Stags bar from close range after a mistake from Bishop. Sop, for all their second half pressure, it wasn’t to be on the night for the Stags as they remain in sixth place in League Two. HARROGATE: Oxley, Thomson, McArdle (Legge, 62), Richards (Burrell, 14), Page, Diarra, Falkingham, Pattison, Kavanagh (Muldoon, 72), Armstrong, Diamond. SUBS NOT USED: Beck, Cracknell, Austerfield. STAGS: Bishop, Hewitt, O’Toole, Hawkins, McLaughlin, Stirk, O Clarke (Wallace, 55), Quinn (Perch, 90), Maris (Akins, 67), Bowery, Oates. SUBS NOT USED: Johnson, Burke, Stech, Law. REFEREE: Chris Pollard. ATTENDANCE: 1,800 (570 away). ------------------------ Harrogate Town 0 Mansfield Town 0: Sulphurites end Stags' long winning run By Rhys Howell, Tuesday 1st February 2022 https://www.harrogateadvertiser.co.uk/sport/football/harrogate-town-0-mansfield-town-0-sulphurites-end-stags-long-winning-run-3551249 Harrogate Town ended Mansfield Town's eight-match winning streak, holding their high-flying visitors to a goalless draw at Wetherby Road. Beaten 3-0 by lowly Stevenage on Saturday, the Sulphurites gave a far better account of themselves this time around, matching the Stags throughout and creating more than enough chances to have taken maximum points. The first half of Tuesday's League Two clash was a complete non-event, with neither side able to find any rhythm on an extremely blustery evening. The hosts had a considerable breeze at their backs for the opening 45, but constantly over-hit their forward passes, meaning that the away goal never came under any threat. Playing into the wind, Harrogate began the second period with greater intensity and, as a result of them keeping the ball on the deck, got themselves on the front foot. They really ought to have broken the deadlock after 52 minutes when the first decent opening of the contest finally materialised. Jack Diamond counter-attacked down the centre of the pitch and threaded an expert ball in behind to send Calum Kavanagh clean through. But, the young Middlesbrough loanee couldn’t beat Nathan Bishop one-on-one, the Stags custodian making himself big and producing an important save. Mansfield responded with a spell of pressure of their own, John-Joe O’Toole clearing the cross-bar with a close-range header from a corner before Kieran Wallace fired wide. Having already seen Wolves loanee Lewis Richards forced off with a muscle injury early on, Town lost their second starting centre-half in the 61st minute when Rory McArdle had to be substituted. The man who replaced the veteran defender would however come to his team's rescue shortly after entering the fray, Leon Legge making a superb block on his own goal-line to keep out Jordan Bowery's effort from four yards out. Town countered immediately, Kavanagh releasing Diamond, who forced Bishop to parry the ball into the path of Luke Armstrong, whose first-time follow-up was narrowly off target. With the visitors beginning to look the more likely, Mark Oxley showed good reactions to tip Ryan Stirk's goal-bound blast over his cross-bar before Harrogate wrestled back the ascendancy and went on to finish with a flourish. They should have nicked a 90th-minute winner when substitute Jack Muldoon's far-post header from Lewis Page's left-wing cross was saved unconvincingly by Bishop, though Armstrong failed to force the rebound into the net from just a couple of yards out. A miss-hit clearance then led to a stoppage-time sight of goal for the excellent Alex Pattison, however his well-struck half-volley was straight down the throat of the Stags stopper. Tuesday's point keeps Harrogate 14th in the League Two standings. ------------------------ Harrogate Town 0-0 Mansfield Match Report Harrogate Informer, by Danny Puglsey Town began a spell of three home games in a week by earning a point in a goalless draw against form side Mansfield Town at The Envirovent Stadium. On a windy evening the game sprang into life after the break with both sides having opportunities to get the win but ultimately had to settle for a point apiece. https://www.harrogate-news.co.uk/2022/02/02/harrogate-town-0-0-mansfield-match-report-by-danny-puglsey/ Simon Weaver made three changes to the starting line-up to the side that fell to a 3-0 defeat at Stevenage on Saturday. Into the eleven came Alex Pattison, Brahima Diarra and Calum Kavanagh, making his home debut following his loan move from Middlesbrough. The Stags opted for the same side that defeated Leyton Orient 2-0 at the weekend, a result that marked a club record eighth successive league victory. There was a place on the bench though for Lucas Akins, a transfer window arrival from Burton Albion. Town’s attacking set up bore fruit after eight minutes when a cross-field ball brought Brahima Diarra into the action; his first touch freed Luke Armstrong who played in Kavanagh but the ball was just out of the reach of the young forward. The Stags immediately responded though with Elliott Hewitt whipping in a cross from the right that met the incoming George Maris but Diarra did just enough to put the forward off before he could make any significant contact. Town had to reshuffle the pack on 13 minutes when Lewis Richards limped off with a groin injury. The young defender being replaced by Warren Burrell. The gusting wind was causing havoc for both sides in the opening half, impacting on the ability to have any cohesion in their attacking play. It was little wonder that set pieces presented the best opportunity to test the opposition goal. And on the half-hour mark Stephen McLaughlin struck his effort from 25 yards out but the effort failed to trouble Mark Oxley. John-Joe O’Toole was the first name in the book after he was penalised for pulling back Kavanagh with Rory McArdle joining him shortly before the break for a mis-timed tackle of Stephen Quinn. Town stole possession in the opening seconds of the restart, with Diarra releasing the restored Alex Pattison. The midfielders run was brought to an abrupt halt by Ollie Clarke, who became the third name in referee Pollard’s book. Minutes later Pattison was again the driving force. Marauding forward from midfield, he played in Jack Diamond behind O’Toole and his first time ball was just that bit too close to Nathan Bishop in the opposition goal. Town’s blistering stat to the second-half continued when Diamond played a ball over the top with Kavangah beating the offside trap for a golden opportunity to put Town ahead. His strike was too close to Bishop though and the game remained scoreless. Stung by Town’s start, Nigel Clough opted for an early change and brought on Kieran Wallace for Clarke. Town’s momentum was stunted on the hour when they lost a second defender through injury on the evening when McArdle, who had been involved in a clash minutes earlier, was forced off and replaced by Leon Legge. And Town’s hearts were soon in their mouths when the defence failed to initially clear a corner and were grateful to Burrell for blocking Ryan Stirk’s goalbound strike. Substitute Legge was soon the Town hero when he cleared off the line from Bowery, who really should have scored, but immediately after Diamond nearly swung the game Town’s way. Kavanagh broke down the right and his pace was timed perfectly to meet Diamond’s stride and Bishop did well to keep his effort out with Armstrong’s follow-up effort a couple of yards at most over the bar. Both sides were now trading blows with each other and Oxley was this time called into action to tip over a venomous drive from Stirk with just under 15 minutes remaining. By now, the game was there for either side to snatch victory in. Town were the side who pressed most in the final stages and almost sntached a winner in injury tome when substitute Muldoon’s header was parried by Bishop and Armstrong’s follow up reboiunded off the crossbar, before Pattison’s strike from the edge of the box almost found a way through. The draw was no less than Town deserved and in truth they could count themselves unlucky not to come away with all-three points against the form side in League Two. TOWN: Oxley, Thomson, McArdle (Legge, 60), Richards (Burrell, 13), Page, Diarra, Falkingham, Pattison, Diamond, Kavanagh (Muldoon, 73), Armtrong. Subs not used: Cracknell, Austerfield, Beck. Booked: McArdle (41), Diarra (87) Mansfield Town: Bishop, McLaughlin, Hewitt, Clarke (Wallace, 51), Bowery, Maris (Akins, 67), Hawkins, Quinn (Perch,90), Oates, Stirk, O’Toole. Subs not used: Johnson, Burke, Stech, Law. Booked: O’Toole (36), Clarke (46) Referee: Chris Pollard. Attendance: 1,800 (570 away) ----------------------- |
Latest | February 2022