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Archived News from October 2004

PREVIEWS AND EARLY TEAM NEWS
29th October 2004 14:42


DROWN OUT THE BURY CHEERS, SAYS CURLE
Evening Post, 29 October 2004
Keith Curle wants Mansfield Town fans to find their voices at Field Mill tomorrow and help push his side back up to the League Two promotion places.

The Stags boss was delighted with the support the team received on Saturday at Wycombe and he wants to generate the same noise on their home patch.

His side have not lost at home since the opening day of the season and take on Bury tomorrow.

Curle said: "The support at Wycombe on Saturday was superb.

"The fans made plenty of noise and I couldn't hear the home support at all.

"We have to make it like that at Field Mill. I don't want to hear the opposing fans at all."

The Stags go into the game in seventh - but only four points behind second-placed Leyton Orient.

They may have managed to take just one point from their trips to Cheltenham and Wycombe following their 3-1 success over Notts County but Curle has been pleased with the level of commitment his team has shown.

He said: "We could have definitely got more out of these games but we gave a good account of ourselves, as we did at Swansea the other week.

"The way the league is at the moment, it is so close that a couple of wins could put you at the top of the table.

"It was a pleasing performance at Wycombe because we went away and enjoyed most of the possession.

"The problem was that we were just unable to grab that second goal that could have made all the difference.

"In the end though, they had a lot of pressure and we could have lost it ."

Bury currently find themselves just a point behind the Stags but have not won in their last four matches.

The corresponding fixture last year finished in a 5-3 victory for Curle's side.

He said: "There haven't been any massive changes at Gigg Lane since last season and you know what you are going to get from them.

"They are a very organised and experienced side and they try to dominate you at the back.

"That is something we are going to have to cope with."

Curle is expected to name an unchanged squad to the one that earned a point at the Causeway Stadium.

But there is good news on full-back Adam Eaton who has now undergone an operation on his troublesome groin.

Curle said: "Adam has now gone under the knife and it has been a bad time for him.

"Hopefully though we will not be able to see the light at the end of the tunnel."

It will be the last game of Joe O'Neill's loan period from Preston.

He spent last season at Gigg Lane in another temporary deal.

MANSFIELD (from): Pilkington, McNiven, Woodman, Baptiste, Artell, Neil, Curtis, Dimech, Larkin, Ipoua, Asamoah, O'Neill, Corden, White, Buxton, MacKenzie.

SHAKERS SET TO SCRAP THE THREE-MAN ATTACKING FRONT
Evening Post, 29Oct
Shakers boss Graham Barrow will dispense with his three-man forward line for tomorrow"s trip to Field Mill.

The Bury boss played Jon Newby, David Nugent and Chris Porter in attack against Rushden last Saturday but wasn"t convinced by its success in the 1-1 draw at Gigg Lane.

Newby will probably be the unlucky one to miss out, although Porter had a throat infection at the start of the week.

Lee Unsworth has been nursing sore ribs but could return in place of Matt Barrass while Dave Flitcroft and Paul Scott come into the reckoning for a start after playing for the reserves in midweek.

"We know Mansfield will come at us but we showed at Darlington what we can do when a team tries to play football," said Barrow.

"We were disappointed to get only pick up two points from our two home games but we"ll be looking to finish the month off on a high note by getting the win."

BURY (from): Garner, Unsworth, Barrass, Swailes, Challinor, Woodthorpe, Kennedy, Mattis, Barry-Murphy, Flitcroft, Nugent, Porter, Scott, Dunfield, Kazim-Richards, Whaley.

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Stags move for Joe
CHAD website, 28 October 2004

STAGS boss Keith Curle has begun moves to keep on-loan Preston striker Joe O'Neill at Field Mill ahead of Saturday's home clash with Bury (3pm).
O'Neill has had little real chance to impress during his three months on loan due to the form of strikers Derek Asamoah and Colin Larkin.
But Curle has seen enough of the youngster to try to extend his time with the Stags.
"Luckily I work with Joe week in week out and see more of him than the odd 20 minutes on the field," said Curle.
"If he gets his opportunity I know he will score goals.
"I believe Joe has an opportunity to further his career here and he would be of value to this football club.
"But now it's all down to figures and numbers and whether or not we would be able to facilitate another striker at this club."
With Curle unable to extend the loan to another month, Stags would either have to take O'Neill for the rest of the season or on a permanent basis.
The manager and chairman will be talking in the next couple of days before the current loan runs out on Saturday.
However, there will be no contract on offer to fellow striker Chris Tate.
Tate has been very unlucky in that he has ended up with damaged ankle ligaments which have left him sidelined.
"The situation with Chris is that he was here on a short term contract," said Curle. "He is now injured and that contract will not be renewed.
"Unfortunately he missed out on the last 10 days of his current contract with the injury and he was unlucky before in that his chances were restricted due to the form of Colin and Derek.
"But Chris will continue to come in here to regain his fitness and will then be able to make himself available to other football clubs."
Central defender Rhys Day will miss the visit of Bury with his injured ankle but should be back in time for the LDV Vans Trophy trip to Macclesfield on Tuesday.
Said Curle: "Rhys has responded well to treatment and we have reduced the swelling and bruising.
"Now we will just monitor it and hopefully he will be fine for Tuesday."
Stags beat Bury 5-3 in a thriller in last season's corresponding fixture.
Curels said: " Bury will never give in as typified by that game last season.
"They will be organised, disciplined and physical. They will be coming here to stop us playing and hoping to quieten the crowd. It's up to us, as always, to do the horrible side of the game first and earn the right to play our football.
"But I am happy with our recent performance levels.
"We only took a point from our last two games, both away from home. But I don't think Cheltenham or Wycombe would have had many complaints if we had won both games after we dominated possession so much.
"Now we have two home games on the bounce and a chance to improve our League position."

 

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