Archived News from November 2003
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STAGS SCRAMBLE DRAW IN THRILLER
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Mansfield Town 3 - 3 Huddersfield Town
Day 45(+2), Artell 62, Disley 90(+1) Schofield 14, Stead 30, 63 Attendance: 5,828 (1044 from Huddersfield) Pilkington, Hassell, Artell, Day, Vaughan, Lawrence, Williamson, Curtis, Corden, Mendes, Larkin. Subs : Christie (for Corden, 46) Disley (for Williamson, 70) MacKenzie (for Mendes, 85) Subs not used: JWhite, Dimech. ------- Match Statistics (Stags/Terriers) 16 Goal Attempts 11 12 On target 7 3 Off target 3 1 Woodwork 1 5 Corners 3 9 Fouls 13 3 Offside 3 ---------- BBC.co.uk: Craig Disley scored a dramatic late goal as Mansfield twice came from behind to draw against Huddersfield. Huddersfield, who had lost their last six away games, led 2-0 after goals from Danny Schofield and Jon Stead. Rhys Day and Dave Artell restored parity for the home team with goals on either side of the half-time break. Stead, who had hit the post between Mansfield's two goals, put Huddersfield back in front before Disley's late equaliser earned a point for the Stags. ---------- CHAD website: Stags 3 Huddersfield Town 3 MANSFIELD Town and Huddersfield Town shared the points and six goals in a Field Mill thriller this afternoon. Craig Disley was the Mansfield hero with a dramatic equaliser in stoppage time to earn Stags a deserved share of the spoils. The Terriers, who beat leaders Hull last week, were looking to end a miserable run of six successive away defeats at a club who had just won four on the bounce. Stags even gifted them a 2-0 lead. But Rhys Day pulled one back in first half stoppage time before fellow central defender Dave Artell levelled it on 61 minutes. Even so, Jon Stead's second goal of the afternoon put the Terriers' noses back in front. But then all three of manager Keith Curle's second half substitutes combined to snatch a point at the death. Stags were unchanged from the side that won at Carlisle last weekend. But the visitors suffered a blow when striker Andy Booth was ruled out with a hamstring injury, Lee Fowler coming in. Tony Carss did pass a fitness test to keep his place. The home crowd were in high spirits after England's Rugby World Cup win earlier in the day and greeted kick-off with a rendition of 'Swing Low Sweet Chariot!' Huddersfield were first to attack with Stags having to clear a long throw by Clarke. And in the fourth minute Stead was afforded enough time and space 18 yards from goal to get in the first on-target shot which Pilkington was safely behind. The Terriers then forced a corner which Curtis headed away at the near post. Stags finally brought visiting keeper Senior into action on 12 minutes when he had to race out his box to clear Williamson's through ball before Larkin could capitalise. Schofield then teed up Carss for a shot at the other end which struck Curtis at close range, knocking him down as the ball rolled for another corner. Disaster struck for Stags on 15 minutes while they were down to 10 men with Vaughan off the pitch for treatment to a facial injury. Pilkington, under no real pressure with the ball at his feet, tried to pass it to Williamson to his left but miskicked and gave it straight to Schofield who, from 15 yards, gratefully chipped Pilkington into the empty net. Stung into action, Stags went straight on the attack and Day set up Mendes for a shot from 15 yards which was always flying straight at the keeper. Then neat footwork from Corden 25 yards from goal saw him make space and let fly though the ball sailed well over the top. But it was the Terriers who struck again on 31 minutes as they caught Mansfield napping with a swift counter attack. A long clearance released Schofield down the right. Spotting Stead supporting him to his left, Schofield squared the ball and Stead sidestepped the advancing Pilkington before finding the empty net. Shortly afterwards Stags pair Williamson and Artell had to be separated as they conducted a furious row near the halfway line. Senior was in action again on 39 as Lawrence threaded a slide rule pass for Larkin who took a touch and then hit a low shot which the keeper was always behind. A free kick got the ball into the Huddersfield box again and, after a furious scramble, Worthington hacked it away from just in front of the line. The Terriers went on the attack again and Stead fired into the side netting with an attempt from wide of the box on the left. But Mansfield piled on the pressure near the interval and got their reward from the second of two corners with the two minutes of added time already elapsed. Lawrence floated the ball in from the right and Day rose well to head home off the inside of the far post and give Stags a lifeline. After a quiet first half, Corden was replaced for the second half by Christie. And he almost made an immediate impact. Within seconds of the restart Lawrence drilled the ball in hard and low from the right of the box and Christie turned it on target at the far post with Senior spreading himself to smother at Christie's feet. At the other end Hassell was robbed by Stead just outside the box and the striker saw his low shot clip the outside of the left hand post. Stags then won a free kick 30 yards from goal which Vaughan drilled into the wall. And Christie did well to out jump the keeper at the far post to reach Day's hoisted cross, only to head over. Vaughan forced a save with a shot on the turn from 18 yards as Mansfield continued their much-improved start to the second half. The goal they so desperately needed arrived on 61 minutes. Williamson sent a long free kick into the box and as Terriers' defenders dithered Artell turned well to steer the ball past Senior. But with the home fans still celebrating, Huddersfield roared back in front three minutes later. Schofield got down the right and crossed and Stead rose majestically six yards from goal to head past the helpless Pilkington. Lawrence sent a stinging shot over the bar in Mansfield's next raid. Disley replaced Williamson in the Mansfield midfield for the last 20 minutes. Stags won a free kick 35 yards from goal which Hassell rolled to Lawrence. But his curling effort went tamely at Senior. Huddersfield almost conjured a fourth on 76 minutes with a neat move that saw Carss cross to the near post where Schofield sent a diving header just the wrong side of the post. Stags were desperately unlucky five minutes from time as Vaughan fed Mendes in the box and he turned sharply only to see his goal bound shot deflect inches wide of the far post. MacKenzie replaced Mendes on 86 for Mansfield's last throw of the dice. And a minute from time he forced Senior to superbly tip the ball away as he tried to curl it over the keeper from wide on the left as Huddersfield half cleared a corner. But Stags netted a dramatic late equaliser as the game entered four minutes of stoppage time. MacKenzie's pass set Christie off down the left. He wriggled to the by-line and crossed hard and low towards Disley who turned the ball home from six yards. Vaughan and Brown were lucky to only see yellow cards after a dust-up near the tunnel as the pair slid in for the ball. And as the final whistle went moment later the sides flared up again in the centre circle as a fantastic afternoon of football ended on a sour note. --------- Evening Post website report: LATE DISLEY STRIKE EARNS STAGS A DRAW Mansfield Town 3 v 3 Huddersfield Town Craig Disley grabbed a last-gasp equaliser for the Stags in a six goal thriller at Field Mill. Huddersfield made the better start, and forced Kevin Pilkington into an early save.The away side's early pressure paid off on fifteen minutes, as the dangerous Danny Schofield beat Pilkington to give Huddersfield a surprise lead. And they extended their advantage on the half hour, thanks to Jonathan Stead. But Huddersfield had not kept a clean sheet away from home since April, and on the stroke of half time, Rhys Day brought the Stags back into the game with a vital strike. Jonathan Worthington hit the bar four minutes after the break, but Mansfield were level on the hour thanks to David Artell's third goal of the campaign. Mansfield managed to maintain parity for just two minutes as Stead grabbed his second of the game and gave the Terriers the lead once more. But Disley popped up late on to secure an important point for Mansfield. -------- Pinkfootball.com: An injury-time equaliser stretched Mansfield's unbeaten run to five matches and denied Huddersfield only their second away win of the season. Late substitute Craig Disley popped up in the right place to stab in Iyseden Christie's low cross two minutes into injury time to complete Mansfield's second fightback of the match. David Artell had crowned the first recovery, turning in the loose ball from Lee Williamson's free-kick and haul the home side level at 2-2 in the 61st minute after they had trailed by two goals. But within two minutes the Terriers, who finally ended a run of six successive away defeats, were back in front when the £1million-rated Jonathan Stead headed in his second goal of the game and 14th of the season from a Danny Schofield cross. Mansfield piled on the pressure in a rousing finale. Liam Lawrence blasted over, Junior Mendes' close-range shot was deflected wide and substitute Neil Mackenzie saw his delicate lob clawed out from under the bar. Huddersfield looked to have survived before Disley struck with his fourth goal of the campaign. Earlier Huddersfield had been gifted a 15th minute lead when home keeper Kevin Pilkington, under no pressure, cleared straight to the unmarked Schofield and he cleverly lobbed into an empty net. The visitors deservedly doubled their lead on the half-hour with the home side struggling to create any openings and holding the Terriers' pacy attack. This time Schofield was the provider, racing clear on the break before squaring to the unmarked Stead who side-stepped the keeper to score. The Stags, restricted to just two tame long-range shots from Mendes and Lawrence, grabbed a lifeline two minutes into first-half injury time when Rhys Day headed in a Lawrence corner off the inside of the post. Just 20 seconds into the second half Mansfield's half-time substitute Christie almost scored with his first touch, but his close-range drive was bravely blocked by Phil Senior and that set the trend for a thrilling, see-saw second half. ------------- More Reports and reaction to follow. |
Latest | November 2003