Archived News from March 2022
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STAGS WIN AT BRADFORD IN FRONT OF HUGE CROWD
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English Football League - Sky Bet League Two
Bradford City 0 - 2 Mansfield Town Oates 44, Longstaff 48 Attendance: 16,797 (2129 from Mansfield) Date: 26 February 2022 Martin Shaw at Valley Parade Mansfield Town won 2-0 at Bradford City this afternoon in front of a sell-out 2,100 jubilant Stags fans in a 16,800 crowd. The home crowd was increased with news of the appointment of Mark Hughes as new manager on Thursday. But goals either side of half time by Rhys Oates and Matty Longstaff were enough to bring the points home for Mansfield. In a great atmosphere, the Stags were off to a fast start. Rhys Oates was running at the home defence in the second minute, into the area and firing across the face of goal. Then Longstaff’s low ball across the six yard box reached Jamie Murphy who fired just wide from a tight angle. Ryan Stirk’s volley from the edge of the box was deflected wide. Then another good run from Oates who won a corner. At the other end, Paudie O’Connor glanced a header wide from a free kick, and former Stag Andy Cook shot from a tight angle on the left and Nathan Bishop pushed it around the post. Jamie Murphy had a shot on target that was blocked. But the Stags were in front after 44 minutes, and what a finish it was from Rhys Oates. Bishop’s clearance into the centre circle, glanced off the head of Matty Foulds, allowing Oates to run at goal. Just inside the area, he cut inside from his right foot to his left foot and curled a delightful shot past defender Songo’o and wide of the keeper into the left of the net. Another superb goal from Oates. It was a great time for the Stags to score, and just after half time, the Stags made it 2-0, and it came from good movement down the left. Bishop bowled the ball out to McLaughlin, McLaughlin played down the line to Murphy. Murphy moved forward and then laid off to the overlapping McLaughlin again. McLaughlin’s cross reached Quinn with his back to goal just outside the six yard box. Quinn laid it back to Murphy. Murphy’s shot from 16 yards was blocked by the arm of Songo’o, and fell for Longstaff 10 yards from goal. Longstaff took a touch before firing goalwards left footed. His shot took a little deflection off a defender which took it past the keeper into the net. Cue massive celebrations in front of the 2,100 travelling Stags fans. It was Longstaff’s goal because his shot was on target, but it was a welcome piece of luck with that little deflection. His first goal for the club. The Stags were on the lookout for a third goal to kill the game, and nearly got it as Quinn’s shot was saved by the keeper at his near post, then after a good move Murphy’s shot from the left was pushed wide by the keeper. Unable to find the third goal, Bradford put the Stags under a bit of pressure. After 71 minutes, Alex Gilliead powered a header goalwards and Bishop saved above his head following a corner. Then Andy Cook got in a clean header but it was over the bar. And on 88 minutes, a moment of brilliance from Bishop as Gareth Evans crossed from the right, Andy Cook headed towards the roof of the net, and Bishop stretched to fingertip it over the bar. One of the saves of the season. Stags fans taunted Bradford in stoppage time with chants of “sacked in the morning” aimed at Mark Hughes. Hughes is their 8th manager in 4 years. I had watched Bradford in midweek, beaten by Harrogate at home. They certainly played much better today, presumably desperate to impress their new manager. But the Stags had enough to see them off. The win means Mansfield have won 13, drawn 3 and lost just 1, in 17 league games. And the Stags are unbeaten for 13 league games. The Stags remain in 6th place, but just a point behind 4th placed Exeter. The two teams meet in a big game on Friday night. Get to the game if you can, but if you can’t you will be able to watch it with us on iFollow Stags. The Stags will be looking to equal the club record in the Football League of 10 home wins on the trot (set in 1949). And Mansfield would leapfrog Tranmere, Exeter and Sutton if they win, into third place in the table, albeit possibly only until Saturday. Apologies to iFollow listeners that we were unable to bring you commentary of the game this afternoon, and only BBC Radio Leeds commentary was available on iFollow. Each club is required by EFL to provide a line to the opposition iFollow commentary team. However Bradford have got themselves into the position of having just 4 working lines, all owned by the BBC and Sky and none by the club. So with BBC 5 Live turning up, and Sky, because of the appointment of Mark Hughes, the club had no line available for us to use. No fault attached to EFL, iFollow or BBC or Sky, the blame lies entirely with Bradford City who were simply complacent in assuming BBC 5 Live and Sky would not be turning up at the same game, and did not make sure they had their own lines available. DETAILED REPORT IN THE MATCH CENTRE --------------------- SAT 26 FEB 2022, LEAGUE TWO Bradford City 0-2 Mansfield Town Oates (44'minutes), M Longstaff (48'minutes) Assists Oates (48'minutes) Report supplied by PA Media. https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/60441858 Mark Hughes' first game as Bradford manager ended in defeat as Mansfield extended their unbeaten run to 13 matches with victory in front of a bumper 16,797 crowd at the Utilita Energy Stadium. The former Wales and Manchester City boss was a surprise choice to succeeded Derek Adams who was sacked last week and has returned to his old club Morecambe. Hughes, who had been out of management since leaving Southampton three years ago, received a standing ovation as he took his seat in the dugout, but Mansfield spoiled the party mood as Bradford slipped to their fourth defeat in a row. Both sides had shots blocked in their opponents' boxes before Mansfield took the lead a minute before half-time. A long clearance was headed into the path of Rhys Oates, who broke clear before firing into the far corner of the net. The visitors went further in front two minutes after the interval when the Bradford defence failed to clear Stephen Quinn's low cross. The ball fell to Matt Longstaff, on loan from Newcastle, and his close-range shot was deflected past Alex Bass, leaving the Bantams keeper wrong-footed. Bradford enjoyed plenty of possession as they tried to salvage something from the game, their best effort coming in the 88th minute when leading scorer and former Mansfield striker Andy Cook's close-range header was brilliantly turned over the bar by keeper Nathan Bishop. Mansfield always carried a threat in attack and Bass did well to turn Jamie Murphy's shot behind for a corner. Match Stats Home Team Bradford Away Team Mansfield Possession Home 58% Away 42% Shots Home 14 Away 14 Shots on Target Home 4 Away 5 Corners Home 5 Away 6 Fouls Home 5 Away 10 -------------------- Mansfield Town boost automatic promotion hopes with win at Bradford City chad.co.uk, Saturday 26th February 2022 Mansfield kept up their promotion push with a convincing 2-0 win at Bradford City. Goals from Rhys Oates and Matty Longstaff were enough to wrap the points up as Stags continued their unbeaten run in 2022. It showed Mark Hughes the saw the size of the task he has accepted as Bradford boss after his first game ended in a fourth successive loss. Valley Parade’s second biggest crowd of the season greeted Huges’ arrival in the dug-out against Mansfield. https://www.chad.co.uk/sport/football/stags-boost-automatic-promotion-hopes-with-win-at-bradford-city-3587868 But it was the in-form Stags who enjoyed the party - stretching their unbeaten run to 13 games with goals from Rhys Oates and Matty Longstaff. Mansfield began with the confidence of a team who have not lost for three months. But Bradford, urged on by the crowd, started to find some attacking momentum as Theo Robinson tested Stags keeper Nathan Bishop. Paudie O’Connor went close with a glancing header wide from Elliot Watt’s free-kick before Robinson went through one-on-one and rounded Bishop - only to miss the empty net. He was unaware of the assistant’s raised flag for offside. Matty Daly fired over from 25 yards and O’Connor’s header was too high from a Bradford corner. Jamie Murphy’s close-range shot for Mansfield was blocked by Yann Songo’o. But the Stags broke the deadlock just before the break, cashing in on a mistake from Matty Foulds as top scorer Oates curled home his ninth goal of the season - before celebrating by cupping his ears in front of the Bradford fans. It got even better for Mansfield four minutes into the second half. Murphy’s shot fell into the path of Longstaff and he jabbed past Bass with the aid of a deflection. The Mansfield fans behind that goal almost had a third to cheer straight afterwards as Bass kept out a fierce effort from Stephen Quinn. Bass had to be alert again to deny Murphy and Stephen McLaughlin as the Stags took control. Bradford’s only chance of a fightback came from crosses as Bishop saved from O’Connor and then superbly tipped over a header from Mansfield old boy Andy Cook. BRADFORD: Bass, O’Connor, Songo’o, Foulds, Hendrie, Watt, Sutton (Evans 75min), Gilliead, Daly (Cooke 59), Robinson (Lavery 75min), Cook. Subs not used: Delfouneso, Kelleher, Threlkeld, O’Donnell. MANSFIELD: Bishop, Hewitt, Rawson, McLaughlin, Longstaff, Murphy, Quinn (Wallace 80min), Maris (Lapslie 69min), Stirk, Akins, Oates (Bowery 85min). Subs not used: Johnson, Perch, Clarke, Wallace, Stech. REFEREE: Andrew Kitchen (Durham) ATTENDANCE: 16,797 ---------------------- by Simon Parker https://www.thetelegraphandargus.co.uk/sport/19954803.match-recap-bradford-city-0-mansfield-town-2/ 4:42pm Understand Bowery was a name discussed by City in the January window - but Mansfield didn't want to do business ... ------------------------ Mark Hughes ends his three-year absence from the dugout after taking charge at struggling Bradford City... but endures a difficult start in League Two after the Bantams are swept aside by Mansfield Mark Hughes was appointed as Bradford's new manager earlier this week It is his first management job since he left Southampton in December 2018 He got off to a disappointing start as his side lost at home to Mansfield By IAN HERBERT FOR THE MAIL ON SUNDAY, 27 February 2022 https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-10555581/Mark-Hughes-loses-game-charge-Bradford-against-Mansfield.html There were reminders all along for Mark Hughes that his return to management would be taking him to a very different kind of place. His email application to League Two Bradford City was initially lost in the chief executive’s spam folder and every time he leapt to his feet from the dug-out on Saturday, it was into a narrow channel of sand, not a manicured technical area. The last players he faced as a manager, three years ago, included Manchester United’s Paul Pogba and Marcus Rashford. Here, it was Nigel Clough’s Farrend Rawson and Ryan Stirk. Hughes looks a little older. The silver hair is a little longer. The challenge facing him at a club which has sacked seven managers in the past four seasons is, at the age of 58, to pick up his career with players who are well short of elite. He’s neither managed nor played outside the top flight, bar a brief spell in the second tier for Blackburn Rovers. And then there is the expectation he has brought to this proud but careworn club. The huge numbers who attend - 16,797 , more than some Championship games - yearn for the success that included the League Cup final at Wembley nine years ago. Before a ball was kicked, the words ‘Mark Hughes’s Barmy Army’ were ringing out across the ground. There was the old folded arms stance on the touchline, remembered from the 466 games of top flight management. But he looked like a man simply trying to assess what he has taken on. He was quickly into conversation with four of his players during one first-half injury break - directing, listening, encouraging with slaps on the back. The team were in the ascendency at that stage, finding a direct kind of football to locate journeyman forward Andy Cook and Alex Gilliead, who look the main assets of his inheritance. Yet nothing could disguise the struggle to defend against a buoyant side who had not lost since November. Given how Hughes managed with limited resources at Blackburn, that will surely be something he attends to first. With goalkeeper Alex Bass not exactly filling the rearguard with confidence, goals either side of the interval from Rhys Oates and Newcastle United loanee Matty Longstaff extinguished hope of a result befitting the welcoming party. There was no chastisement from Hughes and when Cook headed over a rare opportunity at the back post he briefly wore the look of a man whose strikers have finished such a chance down the years. But he gave little away as he stood in the sand. Confidence around this club is not high and Hughes acknowledged that fact, after a result which leaves his side 15th. ‘You can understand that,’ he reflected. ‘They were desperate to do well today. Confidence is huge, as we know, in football and in sport.’ He had been reluctant, in just two training sessions, to ask the team to immediately drop the previous manager’s strategy of lumping the ball up to strikers. ‘I think it’s safe to say we’re going to play more football and try to dictate to the opposition a little bit more than we did today,’ he said. ‘That comes from being able to keep the ball in certain occasions. I think sometimes our decision to constantly try to go forward is incorrect. You have to make the decision when to go forward and when not to. But I was conscious before the game that it was important we didn’t fall between two schools of thought.’ Near the end, Mansfield’s fans sang ‘Sacked in the morning’. Bradford face promotion-chasing Swindon next Saturday and then travel to runaway leaders Forest Green. Hughes says he was ready for a challenge. He’s certainly got one. ------------------------- |
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