Archived News from March 2022
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CLOUGH, RAWSON, MATT TAYLOR REACTION
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Tonight was a ‘special’ victory hails boss
mansfieldtown.net, Friday 4th March 2022 Mansfield Town manager Nigel Clough says tonight’s 2-1 victory over Exeter City at One Call Stadium was a ‘special’ win over ‘the best side we’ve played’. The result equals a club record of ten successive home league wins, previously set in 1949. Speaking to the media post-match, the boss said the victory was ‘an unbelievably tough one’. “I think Exeter are the best side we’ve played,” said the boss. “[Against] A lot of other teams we would’ve won more comfortably tonight. https://www.mansfieldtown.net/news/2022/march/tonight-was-a-special-victory-hails-boss/ “It was an incredibly hard game for us tonight, because of how Exeter played.” The manager took pride in equalling a club record that has stood for over half a century. “To break a record that stood for 70 odd years is pretty special,” he said. “It seems to be that sort of season; I hope it is come the seventh of May. “It’s another little milestone and it shows the incredible run that we’re on at the moment.” Stags’ goalkeeper Nathan Bishop made a number of excellent, point-blank saves throughout the contest and impressed in the Mansfield goal. “[He was] Absolutely brilliant,” said the gaffer. “That’s why he’s a little bit disappointed with the mistake [that led to Exeter’s consolation goal]. “When you make a mistake and you still get the three points, that’s okay. “He kept us in it with three or four brilliant saves tonight.” Defender Farrend Rawson scored his first Stags’ goal this evening. The 25-year-old’s opener in the match came to the surprise of his manager. “It seemed to almost slow-motion and just dropped to him a yard out and he’s tucked it away,” said the Mansfield chief. “At this time of the season you take anybody scoring and often it is the most unlikely ones.” "A brilliant ball in from Matty Longstaff. Matty Longstaff wasn't as influential as he was last week, has made one and scored one." "Most of our good stuff came down the left again tonight, between Quinn, Murphy and Macca. Some very very good stuff especially in the first half. "I didn't think our strikers were quite firing on all cyclinders tonight. When your strikers aren't quite on it it's important that others chip in. The manager’s side was backed by a crowd of 6,702 at One Call Stadium this evening - one of the largest home crowds of the season. “There is something special about the atmosphere under the floodlights and you saw that again tonight. “For six-and-a-half-thousand it sounds like there is an awful lot more in the ground than that.” When asked whether Ollie Clarke and Maris were rested for the game, Clough outlined why they didn’t feature: “No. We just picked the side. We wanted two up top at home. We’ve got a very good choice of midfielders. It’s incredible at the moment to have Maris, (George) Lapslie, Ollie Clarke and Kieran Wallace on the bench, with (James) Perchy and Danny Johnson. “You can’t believe the comfort it gives you when you write the team out, and then we’ve got Oli Hawkins and JJ to come back, and Jason Law.” "George Lapslie was very good when he came on." With a challenging run of fixtures beckoning for the Stags, the boss believes this evening was another step in the right direction with a momentous victory over a promotion rival. “There’s still 14 games to go, plenty of points still to play for,” said the manager. “We said after the three games; Exeter, Tranmere and Port Vale [that] we’ll know a bit more. “We started that little run of three games with a great three points [this evening].” Watch the manager's interview in full by clicking here. ----------------------- Nigel Clough: Mansfield Town boss delighted to equal club record of 10 successive home league wins https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/60632159 Mansfield boss Nigel Clough expressed pride in his team after they equalled a club record of 10 successive home league wins by beating Exeter 2-1. It was their 14th game without defeat and lifted them to third in the table. The run is all the more remarkable given that Mansfield were winless in 14 games in the first half of the season. "It's just another little milestone along the way and shows the incredible run we are on at the moment," Clough told BBC Radio Nottingham. He described the record as "pretty special" and continued: "I thought we would need a clean sheet to win the game because Exeter are so solid, it's difficult to create lots of chances against them, but we got that all important second goal. "We said the three games, Exeter, Tranmere and Port Vale, we'd know a bit more and we start that run with a great three points, and it was as hard a three points as we've earned this season." Farrend Rawson and Matty Longstaff scored for Mansfield before Matt Jay's last-minute consolation in reply. Farrend Rawson's goal against Exeter was his first since scoring two against Mansfield for Forest Green in January 2020 It was Rawson's first goal for Mansfield since joining them from Forest Green in the summer of 2020 and Clough said he was a "highly unlikely" scorer. "I don't know what odds he was at the start of the night to get a goal - it was a bit strange, it seemed like almost slow motion the way it dropped to him a yard out and he tucked it away. "At this time of the season, you'll take anybody scoring at any time and often it is the most unlikely ones." ----------------------- Nigel Clough hails hard-fought win as Mansfield Town beat Exeter City to go third chad.co.uk, By Stephen Thirkill, Friday 4th March 2022 Nigel Clough described Mansfield Town’s 2-1 win over promotion rivals Exeter City as another milestone for the club. https://www.chad.co.uk/sport/football/nigel-clough-hails-hard-fought-win-as-stags-beat-exeter-to-go-third-3598073 “It is a significant win because of the quality of the opposition we have played,” said Clough. “It is also pretty special to break a home record that has stood since 1949 (10 home wins in a row). “It seems to be that sort of season with breaking records and it’s another little milestone along the way and shows the incredible run that we are on. “It was a tough victory. Exeter are the best team we have played and we would have won more comfortably against other teams. “It was a very hard game for us because of how well Exeter played. “Nathan (Bishop) is disappointed with his mistake at the end, but he kept us in it with three or four brilliant saves. “Farrend Rawson is an unlikely scorer but you take them from wherever you can get them at this stage of the season. “There is something special about the atmosphere under the floodlights and you saw that tonight. “Stephen McLaughlin was excellent, I thought all the back four were excellent tonight, and Nathan Bishop, and ultimately that is what has won us the game.” --------------------- Confidence is sky high - Rawson mansfieldtown.net, Friday 4th March 2022 Defender Farrend Rawson says that confidence in the camp is sky high after his first goal for the club helped Mansfield equal a club record with victory over Exeter. The 25-year-old opened the scoring on a night when Nigel Clough’s side earned a tenth straight home league win to equal a club record set in 1949 following a 2-1 triumph against the in-form Grecians. The Nottingham-born man says he was disorientated when the ball first came to him, but his instincts helped him to poke the ball over the line. https://www.mansfieldtown.net/news/2022/march/confidence-is-sky-high---rawson/ “It was a weird one, a bit of a blur,” he said. “It was one of those ones, I just tapped it in, didn’t even know how I ended up there. “It was amazing striker movement [made] to lose my man,” he said humourously. “[The] most important thing [was that] the ball hit the back of the net. The goal was coming. I think we built the momentum. “It’s my little girl’s second birthday on Monday so that was for her.” The Mansfield number six spoke about how the club’s tenth successive league victory at One Call Stadium prolongs the good feeling amongst the squad. “[I’m] buzzing with the goal but more importantly I’m buzzing with the win,” Rawson told iFollow Stags. “It keeps the momentum going. “[We’re taking it] a game at a time but we’re all buzzing at the moment. Confidence is really high. “We’ve got a great squad, a great manager [and] I think the lads are all just buzzing now. Coming in every day [we] keep working hard, keep practicing the basics and keep pushing. We’ll see where it takes us.” The former Forest Green Rovers defender was inspired by the raucous atmosphere inside One Call Stadium and admits that the fans will play an important role in the closing stages of the season. “Until the end of the season every game is going to be massive,” he said. “It helps when you come here and you’ve got the fans bouncing, they pick you up [and] they push you on. [Like] last week at Bradford away we had 2,000 fans and it was absolutely rocking, it was amazing. That’s the kind of thing we’re going to need now until the end of the season to keep us going. “Out there it’s amazing to play, [it was a] great, great night. A great night for us and we go again, it’s all we can do. “There’s a real happiness around the place. A real buzz, and hopefully that continues, we’ll keep working hard to make sure it does.” Watch Faz's interview in full now on iFollow Stags by clicking here. -------------------- Goalscorer Farrend Rawson gives his verdict on Mansfield Town's big win over Exeter City chad.co.uk, By Stephen Thirkill, Friday 4th March 2022 Goalscorer Farrend Rawson says Mansfield Town’s confidence is sky high after the 2-1 win over Exeter. The defender scored his first goal for Mansfield as Stags extended their unbeaten streak to 14 matches. They also shattered a record which had stood since 1949 after they made it ten home wins on the spin. “It was a tough game,” he said. “Exeter deserve all the credit they got. They are a good side and one of the better ones that we have played here. https://www.chad.co.uk/sport/football/goalscorer-farrend-rawson-gives-his-verdict-on-stags-big-win-over-exeter-city-3598156 “We worked as hard as them and then our quality came through in the end. “We are just taking it one game at a time. Confidence is high and we have a great squad and manager. “We are all just buzzing, we are working hard, practising the basics and we will see where it takes us. “The dressing room has a real happiness and a buzz, hopefully that continues. “It is about time I got the goal, but more important is the win which keeps the momentum going. Overall it is a good day at the office.” The win was witnessed by a crowd of just over 6,700, with it being the highest home support of the season. And Rawson once again took his hat off to the fans for spurring on Mansfield. “Every game is massive, but it helps when you come here and you have the fans picking us up,”he said. “They push us on like they did at Bradford. That is the kind of thing we will need from now until the end of the season. “It is amazing to play in front of the fans when they are that loud and full out of it. “It spurs you and makes you feel ten feet taller, it was a great night.” ------------------- Matt Taylor told the Exeter youtube channel: "I'll be very surprised if they finish outside the top 3. A really impressive team." ------------------ Exeter City 'short of their best' as unbeaten run ended by Mansfield Town devonlive.com, By Daniel Clark, Friday 4th March 2022 “We would have had to be at our best and we weren’t quite there. I would be surprised if they finish outside the top three, but we are not a bad team. We gave them a proper game but have just fallen short.” Exeter City manager Matt Taylor felt that his Grecians side were short of their best as they suffered a first defeat in two months at Mansfield Town. Farrend Rawson’s first goal for the Stags poking up from a corner gave them a first half lead, and just when City were threatening an equaliser, on-loan Newcastle United man Matty Longstaff doubled the advantage to put the game out of Exeter’s reach. City had chances, with Sam Nombe hitting the post, and borrowed Manchester United goalkeeper Nathan Bishop making a string of good saves, before Matt Jay did finally pull one back to make it 2-1, but with pretty much the last kick of the game. The defeat, which ended a nine game unbeaten run, saw City drop down to fifth in the League Two, while Nigel Clough’s Mansfield are up to third with the win - an 11 th in a row at home, and Taylor admitted after the match he fully expects them to be in League One next season. https://www.devonlive.com/sport/football/football-news/exeter-city-short-best-unbeaten-6757818“They are a good team and looked like a good team,” the City boss said. “We got physically outmanoeuvred in too many areas and to fall behind to a set piece was disappointing but on the scale of the play, we didn’t play our best. “In the second half we were much improved, created chances, and then all of a sudden we are 2-0 down and a mountain to climb and a really difficult one at this level against such a good team. We tried our hardest and got the goal and had chances but it was too late. “We would have had to be at our best and we weren’t quite there and we didn’t quite stay in the game, and as well as we played, it wasn’t good enough “There are still 14 games left and a lot of football to be played. I would be surprised if they finish outside the top three, but we are not a bad team. We gave them a proper game but have just fallen short.” Get the best stories about the things you love most curated by us and delivered to your inbox every day. Choose what you love here Kieran Phillips forced Bishop into a good save early on, before the Stags broke the deadlock on 34 minutes. A corner was only half cleared, the ball was swung back in by Stephen McLoughlin, was flicked on by Rhys Oates, and Rawson was left free inside the six yard box to poke home. Early in the second half, Bishop again came to the hosts’ rescue with a brilliant double save from Josh Coley, before Longstaff made it two, sweeping home from ten yards after another McLoughlin assist. Substitute Nombe saw an effort in stoppage time hit the post, with back from injury Ofrrande Zanzala just unable to stretch out enough to get a touch on the rebound to force it over the line, before skipper Jay did score his 15 th of the season, but first for two months, after a rare Bishop error when he pushed a cross straight into his path. But that was the final action at Field Mill, and Taylor felt that his Grecians side just didn’t quite do enough on the night to come away with what would have been a vital point. “My biggest gripe with the first half was we couldn’t physically compete and weren’t quite brave enough with the ball and in possession and we didn’t play forward enough and weren’t enough forward runs,” Taylor said. “Second half we were better but the second goal though was the real killer. It was a difficult task and we had to wrestle something from the game and we didn’t do that for too much of it, but the second goal was too cheap. “They have a good goalkeeper and he is probably one of the best in the league and there are fine margins. Had one of the chances gone in, it would have been a different feel at 1-1, and we created the chances and we just have to find a way to get it over the line.” City are back in action on Tuesday when they start a run of three home games in a row, when Swindon Town visit St James Park, with Exeter still having games in hand on almost all their rivals. --------------- Exeter City boss Matt Taylor believes his side paid the price for being bullied by Mansfield Town chad.co.uk, By Stephen Thirkill, Friday 4th March 2022 Frustrated Exeter boss Matt Taylor felt his side lost the physical battle during their 2-1 defeat at Mansfield. Matt Taylor felt Exeter were outmuscled too much in the first half. Farrend Rawson scored his first goal for Stags to open the scoring, before Matt Longstaff doubled the advantage midway through the second half. Matt Jay pulled one back five minutes into stoppage time but it was too little too late. And Taylor felt his side had lost the war in the first 45 minutes. https://www.chad.co.uk/sport/football/exeter-boss-believes-his-side-paid-the-price-for-being-bullied-by-mansfield-town-3598081?fbclid=IwAR3usc_r4qMmqnwfeTU5J9fZwBWmAdYIXDeKOim5mJaKNQWEqziVwcaDrh8 “It was a tough game, but they are a good team,” he said. “They were a lot better than us in the first half and physically dominated us in too many areas. “We never got hold of the ball enough and we were disappointed to go behind but on the scale of the first half we probably did deserve to be behind. “I was really pleased with the second half and our improved performance, the second goal almost came. “We felt we had the ascendency and we were on the front foot, so the second goal was a real kick in the teeth and then you are chasing the game. “The consolation goal came too late. Their keeper has made some good saves tonight, we needed one of those to go in - certainly at 1-0. “2-0 is a massive mountain to climb. We will dust ourselves down. “The lads are an honest bunch and they will give everything, but they needed to show more for the first part of the game. “We showed tonight that we are a good team, there's a lot of points to play for and we will be ready on Tuesday to go again.” -------------------- Matt Taylor reflects on Mansfield defeat exetercityfc.co.uk Manager has his say on Friday's loss Matt Taylor felt his team were 'outmanoeuvred' by promotion chasing Mansfield on Friday night. Speaking after the game the Manager reflected on a tough night for his side. "To fall behind to a set piece was disappointing but on the scale of the play in the first half we weren't at our best. In the second we improved. Created Chances. And just like that you're two-nil down with a mountain to climb." https://www.exetercityfc.co.uk/news/2022/march/mt-post-mansfield/ City had chances to stay in the game at earlier stages but Matt Taylor has credited the Town goalkeeper for his contribution. "He's made a top top double save. He's one of the best keepers in the league in all fairness. The mood around the place would have been totally different had Josh Coley put away his chance. If it wasn't for a good goalkeeping display we could have gotten back in the game earlier than we did." ------------------- Exeter City skipper Matt Jay hoping consolation strike will restart goalscoring streak devonlive.com, By Daniel Clark, Friday 4th March 2022 "If can find some form it will really help the side. It was nice to pop up with a goal, but first thing first is the result, and we are disappointed with that.” Exeter City skipper Matt Jay hopes that his consolation strike in the Grecians’ 2-1 defeat to Mansfield Town can be the start of him getting back in the goals. The captain took his tally to the season for 15 when he volleyed home with what was essentially the last kick of the game on Friday night at Field Mill, but was the first time in ten he was on the scoresheet, and the first in the league for nearly four months. Farrend Rawson and Matty Longstaff had put the Stags 2-0 up, and despite City creating enough chances, it wasn’t until the skipper struck very late that they put one away as the loss ended a nine game unbeaten run. Nigel Clough’s Mansfield leapfrogged City with the win - and 11 th in a row at home - and now are third in the League Two table, while Exeter dropped to fifth, but do have games in hand on those around them. https://www.devonlive.com/sport/football/football-news/exeter-city-skipper-matt-jay-6757921 “We are disappointed to have lost,” Jay said. “We were on a good run, we felt we had a chance as we were in such good form, but we have to give credit to Mansfield for how they did, but we will come away thinking about the what ifs as we did have good chances to draw level. But there is still plenty of football left and we will attack the next few games “We limited them to only a few chances and the first goal is disappointing as it is from a set piece so we need to get back to doing what we were and we don’t seem to be getting those kinds of goals, but there is plenty of football left.” Jay had earlier in the week spoken about needing to get himself back on the scoresheet and end his drought, which the 26-year-old did in stoppage time, when Nathan Bishop could only push a cross into the path of the attacker, who volleyed home. It was the first time in 16 League Two outings that he had been on the scoresheet - although had scored on in the Papa John’s Trophy in that run - and he is now on 15 goals for the season and his hoping to replicate the form that score him score in six successive league games in October and November. “The goal has been a long time coming,” he said. “It has become something of a burden on my back and hopefully this is the first of many as we are going to need them. We will need goals from everywhere, but if I can find some form it will really help the side. “It was nice to pop up with a goal, but first thing first is the result, and we are disappointed with that.” City now have three home games in a row, and the captain said that being back at St James Park is something they need to take advantage of and make sure they return to winning ways when Swindon Town visit on Tuesday. “Our fans were brilliant and it is fantastic to see so many here,” Jay added. “We really thank them and try to go over and thank them as much as we can. It is not over and we will need them and we have some big games coming up and thankful for them. “Had this been a home game, we would have fancied it. SJP is a fortress and people will find it hard coming to us and we have an opportunity, so we need to win them.” ------------------ |
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