Latest News
|
CLOUGH, KEILLOR-DUNN, BEN GARNER REACTION
|
 |
|
Boss expresses ‘total relief’ as Stags reach ten matches unbeaten
mansfieldtown.net, Sat 16 Sep 2023 Mansfield Town manager Nigel Clough says he felt ‘total relief’ at full-time as Stags left it late to extend their unbeaten run in all competitions to ten matches with a 1-1 draw at Colchester this afternoon. Davis Keillor-Dunn struck on 90 minutes in what the gaffer described as a ‘below par’ performance in Essex. Speaking to iFollow Stags post-match at JobServe Community Stadium, the boss said: “[I feel] Total relief to get the point and stay unbeaten. “Ten games now, we’re in mid-September, double figures in games and we haven’t lost. “[That was] By far the worst we’ve played today. https://www.mansfieldtown.net/news/2023/september/boss-expresses-total-relief-as-stags-reach-ten-matches-unbeaten/ “In a silly sort of way it’s a good sign that you can play as poorly as we did and get a point but I don’t want too many performances like that in the next nine months.” Analysing the display further, Nigel said: “I’m not sure how we got a point after the performance today. “I didn’t think we deserved anything. “I thought it was very very below par compared to what we’ve been in the last nine games. “Everything that we’ve done well in the previous nine games, we didn’t do today. “We didn’t have an intent to go and hurt the opposition. “When we did get in the final third we gave the ball away.” The boss was asked about Colchester’s first-half opener and said: “It was a blatant error from Lewis Brunt unfortunately,” he said. “He’s read it well and he’s miscontrolled it on the halfway line and then lost the tussle and the tackle. “Once you’ve miscontrolled it, don’t let your mistake cost you a goal. “Don’t lose the ball. Obviously, we’re vulnerable once he does lose it but he’s a young player, learning.” Attacker Davis Keillor-Dunn rifled home the equaliser from Aden Flint’s headed flick in the area. “We get back into it [with] a very unlike-us-goal in terms of a good ball into the box and Aden Flint nods it down and Davis has smashed it into the top corner. “If there’s one person you want it to fall to at the moment it’s Davis.” George Maris missed the trip to Colchester. Thankfully, the gaffer revealed the injury is not serious. “He [Maris] had a scan on his knee this week,” Nigel said. “It’s bruising, no serious damage but [will be out] probably a couple of weeks. “Probably a week or two.” ---------------------------- Nigel Clough admits Mansfield Town were lucky to get a point at Colchester United chad.co.uk, Sat 16 Sep 2023 Disappointed Nigel Clough felt Mansfield Town didn’t deserve anything from their 1-1 draw at Colchester United. Davis Keillor-Dunn rescued a point for Stags with a cool 90th minute finish from Aden Flint’s knockdown. But Clough felt his side had got away with it after a below-par display. “I am not sure how we got a point. I don’t think we deserved anything,” he said. https://www.chad.co.uk/sport/football/nigel-clough-admits-mansfield-town-were-lucky-to-get-a-point-at-colchester-united-4338781 “I didn't think we did anything that we have been doing in the first 90 games nearly as good.. “We didn't hurt them in the final third in the first half, we gave the ball away, didn’t cross properly and the goal summed it up after we gave the ball away. We shouldn't be conceding from that position. “I don’t know where it came from, there seemed to be a lot of poor decision making out there today. “The only consolation is to stay unbeaten and get that point. It is the only bright point.” “We are trying not to let performances like this happen,,You have to give the opposition credit with how they played but you have to be patient to open them up. “To stay unbeaten after that performance is important.” --------------------------- Davis Keillor-Dunn's equaliser 'only spark' in Stags draw, says boss Nigel Clough https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/66845082 Mansfield Town manager Nigel Clough says Davis Keillor-Dunn's last-minute equaliser was his side's "only spark" in a disappointing draw at Colchester. Keillor-Dunn's 90th-minute leveller rescued a point for Mansfield in a 1-1 draw and preserved their 10-game unbeaten start to the season. The goal was the striker's seventh goal in eight league games this campaign. "I'm not sure how we got the point - I don't think we deserved anything all day," said Stags boss Clough. "I don't think we did anything that we've done in the first nine games, or anything nearly as good as we've been doing. "In the first half we had an element of control in the game, without really hurting them." Mansfield have had real injury struggles this season, with key players out for long periods, losing both Rhys Oates and Stephen Quinn for several months while Alfie Kilgour is out for the rest of the campaign. Those troubles and the lacklustre performance prompted Clough to move defender Aden Flint forward in search of an equaliser. "We had to change something and then after the hour mark we told them we'd put Flinty upfront," Clough told BBC Radio Nottingham. "He's quite a big lad, you know, and he's quite noticeable. "So when he goes to the other end of the pitch, you'd have thought that just the odd person in red might have noticed and put it on his head every now and again." Mansfield remain unbeaten in all competitions this season and sit fifth in League Two. "The only consolation of the whole day is to stay unbeaten and to get that point and to score such a brilliant goal as well," Clough said. --------------------------- Nigel Clough verdict on Mansfield Town draw at Colchester gazette-news.co.uk, By Jonathan Waldron, Sat 16 Sep 2023 MANSFIELD Town boss Nigel Clough admits his side were fortunate to claim a point after they struck late to draw 1-1 at Colchester United. Davis Keillor-Dunn slammed home a 90th-minute equaliser for the Stags from close range, after the home defence had failed to deal with Aden Flint’s flick-on in the area from Callum Johnson’s cross. It preserved Mansfield’s unbeaten run, after Joe Taylor had given Colchester a 30th-minute lead when he clinically finished from Arthur Read’s fine pass. https://www.gazette-news.co.uk/news/23794614.nigel-clough-verdict-mansfield-town-draw-colchester/ Clough said “I’m not sure how we got a point. “I don’t think we deserved anything all day. “I don’t think we did anything really that we’ve done in the first nine games. “In the first half, we had an element of control in the game without really hurting them, every time we got into the final third. “We mis-placed a pass, gave it away, we didn’t cross properly. “The goal sort of summed it up; a young player making a mistake and giving the ball away. “Once he’s mis-controlled it, you do everything you can not to concede a goal. “We massively missed Stephen Quinn’s composure today. “But we put Flinty (Aden Flint) up front and it gives you a different option, to go through him. “I’m not sure too many people in a red shirt actually recognised that Flinty had gone up front! “They didn’t play the ball towards him for about 15 minutes! "He's quite a big lad you know, quite noticeable so when he goes to the other end of the pitch, you'd have thought that just the odd person might have noticed that and put it on his head. "I don't know where it (the team performance) came from, whether it's two warm weeks on the spin and their brains are a bit frazzled with the September heat, I don't know. "But there seemed to be a lot of poor, poor decision making out there today." ------------------------------ Keillor-Dunn pleased as Stags remain unbeaten mansfieldtown.net, Sat 16 Sep 2023 Forward Davis Keillor-Dunn was pleased to see Mansfield extend their unbeaten run after his 90th minute strike salvaged a point for Stags at Colchester. Nigel Clough’s men are now 10 games undefeated in league and cup following a 1-1 draw in Essex this afternoon. Stags had to come from behind to rescue a draw in a game of few chances and had Keillor-Dunn to thank as his sizzling hit arrowed into the roof of the net in the dying embers. Admittedly Stags weren’t at their best and Keillor-Dunn said: “You take a point away from home but we’re a little bit frustrated that we didn’t play to the best of our abilities. https://www.mansfieldtown.net/news/2023/september/keillor-dunn-pleased-as-stags-remain-unbeaten/ “It was frustrating but if you want to be a good side you need to not lose games when you come away and if it’s not your day you don’t lose. “It’s a point and we’ll build on it and go again next week against Barrow.” The ex-Burton Albion man paid tribute to Aden Flint, whose crucial knock-down contributed to the last-gasp leveller. “You know how good Flinty is, using his body and flicking it on. “I have to be there to be on the end of that. He’s brilliant at the back and if you’ve got him to go up top it’s even better and when you need that goal you need to go a bit more direct and work with things and get the knock-downs. “ Keillor-Dunn said Stags’ persistence paid off in a match of few openings. “Credit to Colchester, they stopped us and nullified a lot of our threats. But you have to keep ‘knocking on the door’. “We have quality in the team. I thought Swanny [Will Swan] was good when he came on and gave us that energy. “We were trying things and had a lot of the ball in spells. “We knew Colchester would try and hit us on the counter-attack and maybe if we got the first goal it could have been different. It was one of those [games], there wasn’t a lot in it. Our quality wasn’t quite there today. “You have to keep going, it’s as simple as that. Even if you feel like it’s not your day you have to keep going.” The frontman took his impressive goal tally to seven today and added: “The pressure is on me and the lads up top to produce. “If we’re not producing then questions will be asked. We all want to chip in and score goals.” ------------------------ Davis Keillor-Dunn delighted to preserve Mansfield Town's unbeaten record after late goal at Colchester United chad.co.uk, Sat 16 Sep 2023 Goal-scoring hero Davis Keillor-Dunn was a pleased man after rescuing Mansfield Town’s unbeaten record. Keillor-Dunn smashed unerringly into the top corner in the 90th minute following a smart knock-down from Aden Flint to rescue a point. “If you can't win then don't lose,” he said. “You have got to try and get something from the game if you can't win. It wasn't quite coming off today, I don't know why. https://www.chad.co.uk/sport/football/davis-keillor-dunn-delighted-to-preserve-mansfield-towns-unbeaten-record-after-late-goal-at-colchester-united-4338771 “They defended well and made it hard for us, luckily we got the goal in the end. “We kept knocking on the door and staying in the game and we got our point. “We want to try and stay unbeaten and keep climbing the league. “We know we could have played better so it's a bit disappointing. We wanted all three points but that’s how football goes sometimes.” And Keillor-Dunn, who has now banged in seven League Two goals, is hoping his fine scoring form can continue. “It dropped on my toes and luckily it went in,” he said. “It was nice in front of the away fans. “I knew I had to get in and around the ball. Flinty (Aden) has a good presence and can cause a threat anywhere on the pitch. “I just have to keep getting in the box and being effective, to get on the end of things and to score as many as I can.” -------------------------- Colchester United head coach Ben Garner on Mansfield draw gazette-news.co.uk, By Jonathan Waldron, Sat 16 Sep 2023 COLCHESTER United boss Ben Garner felt his side deserved more after a late goal denied them victory against in-form Mansfield Town. The U's looked like they were heading for a second successive victory in League Two, after Joe Taylor had given them a 30th-minute lead with a clinical strike. But Davis Keillor-Dunn's 90th-minute goal rescued Mansfield a point and helped preserve the EFL's only remaining unbeaten record in all three divisions, as Colchester had to settle for a point at the JobServe Community Stadium. https://www.gazette-news.co.uk/news/23794236.colchester-united-head-coach-ben-garner-mansfield-draw/ Garner said: “We deserved to win the game. “The biggest positive today was the togetherness of the team and the spirit. “It was another performance that deserved a clean sheet against a top side, with one of the strongest squads in the division. “Nigel’s built that team over probably three years now. “I think our execution in the final third was the one thing that needed polishing up today. “For the areas and situations we got in, we didn’t get our technique right and our decision right. “They’re things that we can work on and we can improve. “We’re building something here - you can feel it. “The team is coming on and it’s gelling. “The supporters were magnificent and it’s disappointing that we couldn’t give them three points to go home with. “But we take a point, we move on and we have to channel that disappointment in the next two games.” Colchester came close to extending their lead just before Keillor-Dunn's late leveller, with substitute John Akinde's header cleared off the line by Mansfield's Aaron Lewis. "We had a break just before that with John and Brad (Ihionvien) which was a 2v1 which we could have made count and then John had a header where the defender (Lewis) did great and got back on the line," said Garner. "But even at 1-0, they weren't really creating anything and we were so comfortable. "I can't remember Owen Goodman having a save in the second half." Keillor-Dunn was able to rescue Mansfield a point after young defender Zach Mitchell, who had been outstanding again for Colchester, failed to properly deal with Aden Flint's flick on in the area. Garner added: "Listen, it was a difficult one. "It bounced really awkwardly for him but again, he was fantastic and we don't want to single anyone out. "We'll take it collectively and it was a top defensive performance, from front to back." ---------------------- |
Latest