Archived News from February 2004
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VAUGHAN OUT FOR REVENGE
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VAUGHAN OUT FOR REVENGE
BY STEVIE RODEN, Evening Post, 20 February 2004 Mansfield defender Tony Vaughan is relishing tomorrow's crunch match with promotion rivals Doncaster and is confident the Stags will pick up all three points. The former Nottingham Forest and Manchester City full-back has played in his fair share of big games and, with a sell-out crowd expected tomorrow, he is ready for an electric atmosphere. Vaughan, who returned to the side last week after a spell out with the recurrence of a rib injury, said everyone is up for the game. He said: "There will be a big crowd and it is a massive match for us. "After last week's win there is a real buzz around the place and everybody is ready for this one." Vaughan revealed that he suffered three fractured ribs against Swansea back in August but played through the pain in 20 matches on the bounce until aggravating the injury against Rochdale on Boxing Day. Since then he has only played twice, including last week's 2-0 win at York, but is now feeling fully fit. He said: "I feel in good shape. We are more than capable of achieving automatic promotion and everyone knows we can do it. "I took a knock against Rochdale that made it worse and I had to rest. "But now I'm back and I want to be fit to play every game from now until the end of the season. "We know we can do it tomorrow. We owe them one after last time. "And we are not thinking of the play-offs. We want automatic promotion. "I have gone up through the play-offs with Manchester City and it was a great experience. But we do not want to go that route, we want to be in the top three." Mansfield have been lifted by last week's superb win which saw on-loan striker Richard Pacquette open his account and Liam Lawrence score a wonder goal. Neil MacKenzie and Bobby Hassell are both expected to shake off knocks in time, with long-term injury victim Adam Eaton and Tom Curtis (knee) the only players sidelined. And assistant manager John Gannon is confident the players can pull off the result. He said: "We were not at our best the last time we met but we aim to put that right. "We know their strengths and they do have threats, like Michael McIndoe. But we have to remember that we have our own danger men that they should be worried about and we will take the game to them. "We are expecting a big crowd and I urge them to get behind us as always." Stags: Pilkington, Hassell, Vaughan, Artell, Day, Lawrence, Williamson, Corden, Disley, Christie, Pacquette. Subs: J White, Dimech, Buxton, MacKenzie, Mendes. ------------ STAGS BOSS IN WITNESS BOX Evening Post, 20 February 2004 Mansfield Town boss Keith Curle spoke out in court to defend his pregnant girlfriend, who is accused of breaking his ex-lover's leg in a casino. Mr Curle's partner Germaine Smith has pleaded not guilty to grievous bodily harm after his former girlfriend suffered a broken shin bone in a 'catfight'. The Stags manager told Sheffield Crown Court yesterday his relationship with 21-year-old Dee Dunseath was purely physical - and when they broke up she plagued him with late-night phone calls. "I only ever saw Dee in the early hours of the morning and it was for a physical purpose," he said. "We had been separated about three months when I met Germaine. "Me and Germaine started staying at each other's homes but we were often disturbed by unwelcome late-night calls from Dee. "Sometimes she would speak and other times she would stay silent. I even had a threatening call from a male and the call was made from Dee's mobile phone number." Prosecutor Rachael Harrison told the court that 31-year-old Smith became angry after spotting Miss Dunseath in Napoleon's casino, Ecclesall Road, Sheffield, in the early hours of June 20 last year. She allegedly confronted Miss Dunseath in the toilets where the pair had a brief scuffle and then again by the bar when she allegedly attacked Miss Dunseath and kicked her legs. Miss Dunseath had surgery to repair her broken leg, and spent three months on crutches. Smith says she did come to blows with Miss Dunseath but denies causing her injury. "I'm a grown woman and a mum and I'm very embarrassed about this whole thing," she said. "But it was just a trivial catfight and it was over in seconds. We both grabbed each other's hair and hung onto each other, but I never stamped on her or kicked her, and I definitely didn't break her leg." --------- CURLE'S LOVER DENIES GBH Evening Post, 19 February 2004 Stags boss Keith Curle's pregnant girlfriend has denied breaking his former lover's leg during a fight in a casino. The Mansfield Town manager's partner Germaine Smith came to blows with his ex-girlfriend Deirdre Dunseath after the 21-year-old allegedly plagued the couple with late-night phone calls. Smith has admitted her part in a "hair-pulling scuffle" in Napoleon's casino in Sheffield, on April 20 last year, but denies causing grievous bodily harm. She told Sheffield Crown Court that Miss Dunseath had been harassing the pair since she began her relationship with Mr Curle in January 2003. "She would ring often, sometimes two or three times a night," said Smith. "Sometimes she would laugh down the phoneline, and other times she'd just stay silent. "It used to happen when Keith was staying overnight at my house and so it disturbed me and my ten-year-old daughter." Miss Dunseath, of Walkley Bank Road, Walkley, has admitted making the calls, but said she stopped them as soon as she realised that Mr Curle was in a new relationship. "I broke up with Keith in December 2002," she told the court. "I called him to hear his voice, and I suppose I wanted to get back with him, but I stopped as soon as a realised that he was with Germaine." When 31-year-old Smith, of Ecclesall Road, saw Miss Dunseath in the ladies at Napolean's, she told the court: "I told her to stop calling us. I told her that she was being rude and upsetting my daughter. "We had a bit of a scuffle in the toilets - we both went for each other and there was a bit of hair pulling but it was over in seconds." Miss Dunseath left the toilets and went to speak to Mr Curle at the bar, but Smith followed her. "As I walked towards them Dee turned and grabbed at me," said Smith. "She grabbed my hair and I grabbed her hair. We were both hanging on to each other and it all happened very fast." Miss Dunseath ended up on the floor where, the prosecution claims, Smith kicked her and stamped on her. Miss Dunseath later needed surgery for a broken shin, and spent three months on crutches. Dr Simon Buckley, the orthopaedic surgeon who treated Miss Dunseath, said: "The top of her shin bone had split and been pushed downwards, and there was also damage to the cartilage. "Injury like this is usually caused by significant violence, such as a kick or a road traffic accident. "It is very unlikely that it was caused by the patient simply falling over." Witness Leah Munton said: "Miss Dunseath was on the floor and Smith was stamping on her. The girl on the floor looked frightened and I could sense Germaine's anger." Smith denies kicking or stamping on Miss Dunseath. "She ended up on the floor but I've no idea why - she could have slipped or been pushed, it was busy in the casino that night. "I'm sorry that she broke her leg but I didn't do it. "I'm very embarrassed about this whole affair, I'm a mum and I wouldn't just kick someone like that." The court heard that Smith has previous convictions for dishonesty between 1992 and 1997. |
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