Archived News from March 2022
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CLOUGH AND McLAUGHLIN ON BRADFORD & EXETER
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Taking points off promotion rivals is the ‘incentive’ - boss
mansfieldtown.net, Tuesday 1st March 2022 Mansfield Town manager Nigel Clough says taking points off promotion rivals Exeter City and Tranmere Rovers in the next two games is an ‘incentive’ to put the Stags in a ‘strong position’ in Sky Bet League Two. The boss believes the back-to-back Friday night fixtures add extra ‘significance’ as Mansfield look stutter the promotion pushes of teams around them. Speaking in his news conference this afternoon, the gaffer said: “It’s tough when you play the teams in and around you because they take on added significance. https://www.mansfieldtown.net/news/2022/march/taking-points-off-promotion-rivals-is-the-incentive--boss/ “We know that if we get some positive results in those three games that when we come out of that period, we’ll be in a very strong position. “That’s the incentive.” This Friday’s match against Exeter was brought forward from an originally-scheduled Saturday fixture. “We like the night matches,” said the manager. “It [the rescheduling] suited Exeter as well because it means they can travel up on the day. “We try and move one or two, not too many during the season, but one or two doesn’t do any harm. “It is a special atmosphere under the lights when the crowd get going. “It’s one that we’re looking forward to, but I think it’s also probably the two form teams in the league, outside of Forest Green, at the moment. “ The Stags are on a magnificent run of 13 league matches without defeat following an excellent 2-0 victory away at Bradford on Saturday. “We were due a win on the road having drawn our last two [before Bradford],” the Stags’ chief said. “I didn’t think we played anywhere near as well as we did against Newport the week before, but we didn’t do anything daft in the game and we made Bradford work hard for their chances. “We scored a very, very good goal ourselves. [We were] A little bit fortunate with the second one but Matty Longstaff said he thought it was going in anyway. “We just about deserved our victory; we kept a clean sheet without the two main centre-halves.” The manager was keen to praise his goalkeeper Nathan Bishop for a superb save late on in the match away at Utilita Energy Stadium. “It was a brilliant save. Anything can happen at that time [in the game] with them putting lots of balls in your box so it was a vital save. “He’s [Bishop] not had too much to do in recent weeks, he’s delighted with the clean sheets now that he’s getting. “I think we’ve conceded three in eight games now or something and none of them [have been from] open play. “We’re defending well as a team at the moment and restricting the opposition but that’s certainly going to be tested in the next three games [against Exeter, Tranmere and Port Vale].” Over 2,000 Mansfield supporters backed the boss’ side for the win in west Yorkshire in what was another excellent following. “We shouldn’t undermine their presence on Saturday and the vocal nature of that but when we were having a bad time, all the lads will tell you how much they appreciated the supporters sticking with us. “I thought, generally speaking, the vast majority of supporters stuck with us. “When we’re enjoying days out like that at Bradford, Doncaster, and Sunderland [you appreciate them sticking with us]. “I think we’ve had some memorable away days this season.” Top scorer Rhys Oates shone against Bradford in another impressive performance from the former Hartlepool man. “Rhys Oates [is] now blossoming up there with his confidence [and that] was never more visible than in the goal he scored,” the boss said. “There’s not many scruffy ones. I don’t know how many he’s got this season but a fair proportion seem to have been special goals. “He’ll have some contenders in the Goal of the Season.” The manager discussed the latest on the injury front ahead of Friday night’s enticing evening fixture against Exeter. “We need all the options that we can have in the last 15 games and having Laps (George Lapslie) back certainly gives us something a bit different,” he said. “That’s the idea of having this strong squad, it’s not massive in terms of numbers. Jason Law is still here who we would like to try and get out on loan, if possible, to a Conference side. “If one or two lads were to miss a week or two we should be able to cover it. “We won’t risk players, if they’ve got tight hamstrings or thighs, quads as Rhys Oates has got then we’re very conscious that if it was to go fully, they’re out for four to five weeks and we’re talking the majority of the remainder of the season. “We’ve to be very careful of that and him and George Maris being a doubt, and on or two others as well, with the squad being strong at the minute; that’s an ideal time to use it.” Watch the manager's interview in full now by clicking here. ----------------- https://twitter.com/mansfieldtownfc Nigel Clough: “Matty Longstaff supported him [Oates] well and Murphy. The physical stats from those three on Saturday were excellent.” Nigel Clough: “We’re not too far off having a fully fit squad, it’s just the little niggles and knocks. Rhys Oates unfortunately felt his thigh again so he’s a doubt for Friday.” ------------------- Nigel Clough knows Mansfield Town have a big incentive in their next three matches chad.co.uk, By Stephen Thirkill, Tuesday 1st March 2022 Nigel Clough wants Mansfield Town to play themselves into a strong position by bagging plenty of points in the next three games. Stags begin a key run of fixtures when they face fellow promotion-chasers Exeter City on Friday night, before two testing trips to Tranmere Rovers and Port Vale. And Clough knows that Stags will be sitting pretty if they can emerge with a good points haul. “We are looking forward to these games, it's tough against teams in and around you because they have added significance,” he said. https://www.chad.co.uk/sport/football/nigel-clough-knows-stags-have-a-big-incentive-in-their-next-three-matches-3591881 “We know if we can come out of them with positive results then we will be in a very strong position and that is the incentive. “We like the night matches and it suited Exeter as well to play on the Friday. It will be a special atmosphere under the lights and a match we are looking forward to. “Everything has clicked for Exeter, they have had spells which they are capable of and it has clicked for them like it has with us. You have spells where it blends together and they are having one of those spells.” Clough was also quick to praise the solidity of the Stags defence, which has seen them concede just three times in their last eight games. And it is a solidity that Clough knows will be needed over the course of the next three matches. “He (Nathan Bishop) made a brilliant save at the end of the match (Bradford) to keep the header out,” added Clough. “We knew it was a vital save because if they got one at any minute it could all change. “He has not had a lot to do in recent games, but he’s delighted with the clean sheets he is getting now. He deserved them earlier in the season. “We were talking on the coach on the way home about the goals conceded. None of them have been from open play, so we are defending well as a team. “We are restricting the opposition and that will be tested in the next three games.” Stags will be backed by a vocal crowd as ever, with Clough quick to offer his appreciation of the fans. "They have been unbelievable this campaign and never more so than during our bad spell.” he added. "They stuck with us and it is nice when we can enjoy a good day out like we did at Bradford.” ----------------- Stephen McLaughlin believes Exeter City, Tranmere Rovers and Port Vale games will give good indication of Mansfield Town's promotion credentials chad.co.uk, By Stephen Thirkill, Tuesday 1st March 2022 Defender Stephen McLaughlin believes the next three fixtures will give a good indication of where Mansfield Town are at. Stags head into the fixture with their promotion rivals on a 13 game unbeaten run following the 2-0 win at Bradford. And the Irish full-back believes the run of games - which starts with Exeter on Friday followed by Tranmere and Port Vale - will be the perfect test of Mansfield’s promotion credentials. “We can’t wait for the upcoming matches,” he said. “It’s these games that will show you where you’re going to be at the end of the season. https://www.chad.co.uk/sport/football/mclaughlin-believes-upcoming-games-will-give-good-indication-of-promotion-hopes-3591990 “We’re looking forward to Friday night under the lights and can’t wait to get going. “It was a great win against Bradford, but that has gone now and it's about Friday night. “It is a big game, but every game is a big game from now until the end of the season. “We are just taking it one game at a time and will deal with them as they come.” And part of his motivation will continue to be to put smiles on the faces of the fans. Around 2,000 Stags fans backed the boys at Bradford, with McLaughlin thrilled with the support the team are getting. “The fans have been unbelievable,” he added. “We have said it before about the amount of fans that come and we don't want to send them home disappointed. “They are an extra incentive for us to do well, they are class. “It was like the boys didn’t want to leave the pitch at the end of the game at Bradford, all the signing was brilliant. “We know how much it means to the fans. I was stopped by a fan on Monday and he was thanking me for the season and for Bradford. “It shows you how much the club means to the fans and I'm delighted to be a part of it. “You can see the smiles on people's faces, when I'm taking a throw-in there are young kids there shouting your name and it’s brilliant. Long may it continue.” ------------------ Captaining Mansfield was an ‘honour’ - Macca mansfieldtown.net Mansfield Town full-back Stephen McLaughlin says captaining the Stags in their 2-0 victory over Bradford City last weekend was a ‘real honour’. The Irishman reflected on Mansfield’s 13th league game without defeat in what he feels was a ‘brilliant’ day for the club. Speaking to iFollow Stags ahead of tomorrow evening’s game against promotion rivals Exeter City, the 31-year-old said: “It’s [captaining the club] a real honour. I couldn’t believe it when I saw it. https://www.mansfieldtown.net/news/2022/march/captaining-mansfield-was-an-honour--macca/ “I was really honoured to walk the lads out [the tunnel], especially at Bradford [with it being a] massive game. “I’m really honoured, as I said, to do that for Mansfield. “It was my first time to walk a team out like that and there’s no better time to do it really. “With the travelling support - there was a build-up of it all week really. “We sold out, then we got more [allocation] and we sold it out again. It was brilliant.” The win in west Yorkshire provided added significance with Bradford’s appointment of new manager Mark Hughes just days before the game. “It was obviously a good day [at a] difficult place to go,” McLaughlin said. “We came away with a 2-0 victory which we fully deserved. “I felt we dealt with it [the buzz around Utilita Energy Stadium] very well, [especially] with the support of our own fans keeping us going. “They’ve had a bad run and are going to have a bit of a spark with a new manager, but we were creating chances which would put an element of doubt in their head, and I thought we did that. “I thought after 20 minutes that we were fine, and we got the [opening] goal we deserved from Rhys Oates.” The Bradford win last weekend was a seventh away match without defeat in all competitions. “We go there [to away grounds] and we treat it as a home game. We dominate the game, we create chances, we go forward,” the Stags’ number three said. “Sometimes as a defender you might think you have to sit in and not go forward as much as [you would] at home, but that’s completely the opposite. “We treat it like a home game and just get forward and get balls in the box and create chances just like [we do we do at One Call Stadium] at home in the last couple of months.” On what has led to Mansfield’s excellent run of 13 Sky Bet League Two matches without defeat, the defender said: “Just going after teams, our fitness levels, our pressing, passing the ball and creating chances; that’s mainly it. “Our work rate is probably one of the best in the league in terms of pressing and getting after the ball. “Some teams can’t live with it.” Tomorrow evening, the Stags host promotion rivals Exeter City at One Call Stadium knowing a victory would see Mansfield start the weekend in the automatic promotion places. “We can’t wait,” said the former Southend man. “These are the games that show you where you’re going to be [come the end of the season]. “We can’t wait to get going. “It was a great win against Bradford but now we’re looking forward to Friday night under the lights. “It is a big game, but from now until the end of the season every game is a big game. “We just take one game as it comes, and we’ll deal with it on the day.” McLaughlin highlighted the significance of the Mansfield supporters in keeping the club’s superb run of form going for such a long period of time. “We see the amount of fans that have come [to matches], we don’t want to send them home disappointed,” he said. “It’s an extra lift for us to do well. “The fans are class. “I don’t think the boys wanted to leave the pitch after the [Bradford] game. “It was brilliant.” The support for McLaughlin and the squad is evident off the pitch as well. “I know how much it means to them [the supporters] because yesterday (Monday) I was stopped by a fan, and he was just thanking me for the season and thanking me for Bradford away. “He was so happy; he was there with his kid, and it just really shows you that it means a lot to them. “The club means a lot to these fans and I’m just happy to be a part of putting a smile on their face. “You can just see the smile in people’s faces. When I’m taking a thrown-in, there’s young kids there and they’re shouting your name and stuff, it’s brilliant. “Long may it continue.” Watch Macca's interview in full by clicking here. ------------------------ |
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