Archived News from January 2005
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PILKS HOLDS HANDS UP
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STAGS KEEPER PILKINGTON HOLDS HIS HANDS UP
Evening Post, 31 January 2005 Stags keeper Kevin Pilkington blamed himself for Lincoln's crucial second goal on Saturday, but insisted the side would bounce back against Notts County next weekend. ''It was a mistake from me and I have to hold my hands up for the second goal,'' he said. ''It just bounced in front of me and I should have held on to it. ''Their first goal was a bit lucky and then after Luke was sent off we were on the back foot, though their keeper did have to make a great save. ''For the sending-off, their lad was 70 yards from goal so it can't be a goalscoring opportunity. I thought it was a bad decision. ''I didn"t have a lot to do first half and I thought we did very well. Unfortunately the goal changed the game.'' Now Stags prepare to face Notts County at Meadow Lane this weekend and Pilkington added: ''You always look forward to local derbies. ''We are still confident. We had only lost once in eight games before Lincoln so we will bounce back and hopefully get a good result at Meadow Lane.'' WHY I PUT CORDEN ON THE LIST Evening Post, 31 January 2005 Carlton Palmer defended his decision to axe Stags winger Wayne Corden and make him available on a free transfer. Corden was replaced by teenage debutant Adam Rundle in Saturday's defeat at Lincoln and Mansfield's caretaker-manager said: ''I thought Adam did well on his debut. At the end of the day the fans have their favourites and it's not my fault that the better players were allowed to leave this football club on frees at the end of last season. ''I have let Neil MacKenzie go because he can't play in a 4-4-2. He didn't do it for me. ''As for Wayne Corden, I've had him in the side for 14-15 games and can anyone tell me that Wayne Corden had been playing to what Wayne Corden can play? ''Adam Rundle has come in today and done well for a 19-year-old footballer who we are looking to improve. Wayne Corden was left out totally because I didn't think his head would be right. If I get the same reaction from him that I did from Alex Neil and Luke Dimech, then fine. ''I don"t mind the supporters having a go at me because you have to brave enough to do these things. ''I remember when I was at Southampton and Dave Jones said to me I can't leave Matt Le Tissier out. I asked why as I said we would get beaten with him in the side the way he was playing at that moment. ''Jones said it was because he was the fans' favourite. But I don't subscribe to that. I just said to Dave Jones that if you keep playing him you will get beaten and get the sack anyhow. ''You have to be brave enough to make those decisions. The fact that we lost at Lincoln doesn't make the Wayne Corden decision any less right. ''I do not like losing football matches and it doesn't make any diference if it's a derby. Make no mistake, we were the better side at Lincoln for an hour.'' Palmer added: ''I thought for the first half the tactics we used were working brilliantly. Adam Murray should have scored for us and Lincoln's only chance in the first half came after we lost three headers. ''We created our own problems and they proved to be our undoing on the day. ''That is the first cheap victory against us since I have been here and it's also the last one. " I told the players I wasn't going to go mad at them as they had only lost once in eight and done brilliantly. But at Lincoln we let ourselves down. ''We took too many chances when the ball wanted clearing. We should have used the width of the pitch more. "But we were in charge and made them change their system not once, not twice but three times. On the red card for Luke Dimech, he said: ''The sending-off was a joke because he's five yards inside his own half and he can't be denying him a goalscoring opportunity. And it wasn't a bad enough foul to say it's an automatic red card. ''That changed the game. Having said that, their keeper then made a great save. ''I've told the player's 'let's put that one in the bin and start again' as I don't want to start picking people apart after only losing one in eight. "But am disappointed with our lack of discipline." STAGS THROW IT AWAY Evening Post, 31 January 2005 Lincoln City 2 v 0 Mansfield Town In a week in which he is hoping to be named full-time Mansfield Town boss, this was hardly the result Carlton Palmer wanted. Stags threw this match away after looking the better side, twice allowing Lincoln to react quickest and capitalise on loose balls in front of goal in the second half. The fact that Stags went down to ten men shortly after going behind didn't help matters either - though Luke Dimech's sending-off will remain the subject of hot debate. Mansfield rarely enjoy much success at what is considered a local derby at Sincil Bank. And the 1,264 away fans must have been expecting the usual Imps bombardment in the Lincolnshire drizzle. Instead we had a strangely dour first half in which both sides cancelled each other out in all departments with no one having a real clear-cut opportunity to score. Adam Murray did scuff a shot from a good position and Simon Yeo found the side netting at the other end when he should have brought at least a save out of Kevin Pilkington. But, overall, it was a midfield stalemate with Stags playing the better football when permitted. With only one defeat in eight games behind them, Mansfield also began the second half in confident fashion. But a 12-minute period swung the afternoon in favour of the Imps. First Ciaran Toner broke the deadlock with a close-range finish, prodding home after Matthew Bloomer's effort had come down off the underside of the crossbar on 53 minutes. Palmer will have been disappointed it wasn't a defender who got there first to clear instead. Then came the sending off. The law states that if, as the last defender, you deny an opponent a goalscoring opportunity by fouling him, then you will be dismissed. Dimech was a good 15 yards into the Lincoln half as Stags took a corner. It was cleared as far as Simon Yeo who turned and tried to get past the Maltese international and go clear. Dimech certainly halted him illegally. But Yeo was still in the Lincoln half and had a long way to go before taking on Pilkington. Nevertheless, referee Eddie Ilderton sent him packing and Stags' uphill battle had turned into a mountain. Palmer had begun the afternoon playing with Richie Barker as a lone central striker with two out-and-out wingers playing outside a central midfield trio. With Wayne Corden seemingly on his way out of the club, that meant a debut at last for new boy Adam Rundle on the left. And both he and Brown, wide on the right, looked quick and lively throughout the first half. Having gone behind and down to ten men, Palmer tried a succession of substitutions and even pulled Barker back into the centre of defence. The substitutions almost paid off as two of them combined on 73 minutes with Derek Asamoah's cross met by a superb volley from Colin Larkin which produced Alan Marriott's best save of the afternoon. But, pushing forward so much with ten men, it left Stags wide open at the back and the Imps had wasted a succession of chances before Yeo killed them off eight minutes from time. Pilkington failed to hold a Kevin Sandwith free kick. But again it was a red shirt that popped up first to net from close range. After victories home and away against Stags last season, Keith Alexander's men do seem to have a bit of an 'Indian sign' over their neighbours these days. And, make no bones about it, this was a crucial result. Victory for Mansfield in this one would have pulled them to within just three points of Lincoln in the seventh and final play-off place. Instead, the Imps moved up to sixth and the gap to the play-offs is now seven points for Mansfield. That is becoming a tall order and, with so many players coming and going and a change of manager, this remains a hugely transitional period for Mansfield Town. But there are 17 games left and plenty of points still available. It certainly doesn't get any easier with an even bigger local derby looming for Palmer at Notts County this coming Saturday. On top of local pride, a Notts win would draw them to within just two points of their neighbours. But, despite their poor second-half showing at Lincoln, Palmer insisted that, having played so well in their previous eight games, he wouldn't be laying into his side too hard this week. Instead he expects them to make amends at Meadow Lane. And they can certainly play much better than they did on Saturday. BOSS HAPPY DEREK DID NOT START Evening Post, 31 January 2005 Lincoln City manager Keith Alexander admitted he breathed a sigh of relief when he saw Stags paceman Derek Asamoah was only a substitute for Saturday's derby showdown at Sincil Bank. ''I was delighted when I saw that Derek Asamoah was on the bench,'' said the former Stags striker and assistant manager Alexander. ''I've seen him a few times and he has good pace, takes people on and scores goals. Thankfully we only had to contend with him for 20 minutes or so. "It could have been a bigger scoreline, especially second half. I thought we played some good stuff, made a few chances and, as in previous weeks, we've not converted them all. ''But we are delighted with the win as Mansfield are not a bad side. ''Simon Yeo had a couple of good chances which flew in for him last week but not this time. But Simon always makes three or four chances and today he eventually got us a goal at the right time. ''Mansfield played a funny sort of a system with one up front which meant we'd got five at the back marking one. I changed it round at half-time and put Peter Gain on and I though we were the better side by a long way then. ''The front three have looked very lively in recent weeks and did well again. It made sense to bring Francis Green back in as Craig Westcarr is going back to Forest. ''Alan Marriott did pull off one crucial save for us and week in week out there's none better than him at this level. ''Over the last few seasons when we've gone in front rarely have we been beaten and I expect us to shut up shop and make sure they don"t get a goal back. ''At times I thought our football was excellent. In fact sometimes I think we even over-played, passing when we could have had a shot.'' On the second half red card for Stags defender Luke Dimech, he added: ''The only question mark about it could be that he still had over 50 yards to run. "But it was the last man that brought him down so I think it's a definite sending-off, unfortunately for Luke, who was an apprentice here many years ago. ''All of a sudden playing against ten men we were able to keep the ball better and get into the right areas.'' ------------- Stags give it away on the 'cheap' CHAD STAGS caretaker-boss Carlton Palmer was seething with his side's 'cheap' 2-0 local derby defeat at Lincoln yesterday – but refused to blow his top at his players. "We created our own problems and they proved to be our undoing on the day," he said. "That is the first cheap victory against us since I have been here and it's also the last one. "I told the players afterwards I wasn't going to go mad at them as they had only lost once in eight and done brilliantly. But at Lincoln we let ourselves down, for want of a better word, by 'fannying on the football'. "But we were in charge and made them change their system not once, not twice but three times which was our intention to stay in the game for as long as possible and then force the issue later on and try to win it." The dismissal at 1-0 down of defender Luke Dimech hardly helped matters and Pamer added: "The sending-off was an absolute joke because he's five yards inside his own half and he can't be denying him a goalscoring opportunity. And it wasn't a bad enough foul for an automatic red card. "That changed the game. Having said that, their keeper then made a great save. "I've told the players let's put that one in the bin and start again on Monday as I don't want to start picking people apart after only losing one in eight. "But am disappointed with our lack of discipline and causing ourselves more problems than Lincoln did. "I do not like losing football matches and it doesn't make any difference if it's a derby. Make no mistake, we were the better side for an hour. "I thought for the first half we were the better team and the tactics we used were working brilliantly. "Adam Murray should have scored for us and Lincoln's only chance in the first half came after we lost three headers." Imps boss Keith Alexander admitted he was delighted and relieved that Stags kept pacey striker Derek Asamoah on the bench until midway through the second half. "I was delighted when I saw that Derek Asamoah was on the bench," he said. "I've seen him a few times and he has good pace, takes people on and scores goal. Thankfully we only had to contend with him for 20 minutes or so. It could have been a bigger scoreline, especially second half. I thought we played some good stuff, made a few chances and, as in previous weeks, we've not converted them all. "But we are delighted with the win as Mansfield are not a bad side." Palmer defends Corden axe CHAD CARLTON PALMER today defended his decision to allow Wayne Corden to follow Neil Mackenzie out the door at Field Mill. But he hinted that Corden could still have a future at Mansfield if he could find his form. Teenage winger Adam Rundle made his debut in the 2-0 defeat at Lincoln yesterday and caretaker-manager Plmer said: "I though Adam did well on his debut. At the end of the day the fans have their favourites and it's not my fault that the better players were allowed to leave this football club on frees at the end of last season. "I let Neil MacKenzie go because he can't play in a 4-4-2. As for Wayne Corden, I've had him in the side for 14-15 games and can anyone tell me that Wayne Corden had been playing to what Wayne Corden can play? "Adam Rundle came in and did well for a 19-year-old footballer that we are looking to improve. Wayne Corden was left out totally because I didn't think his head would be right. "If I get the same reaction from him that I did from Alex Neil and Luke Dimech then fine. "The reaction I got from Colin Larkin, who I also believe has got great ability but hasn't been doing it, was that at least he came to see me and said 'gaffer I want to win a place in your team and stay' and therefore he stays and we'll work at it. "I don't mind the supporters having a go at me because you have to brave enough to do these things. "I remember when I was at Southampton and Dave Jones said to me I can't leave Matt Le Tissier out. I asked why as I said we would get beat with him in the side the way he playing at that moment. "Jones said it was because he was the fans' favourite. But I don't subscribe to that. I just said to Dave Jones that if you keep playing him you will get beat and get the sack anyhow. "You have to be brave enough to make those decisions. The fact that we lost at Lincoln doesn't make the Wayne Corden decision any less right." |
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