Archived News from April 2006
|
PREVIEW AND TEAM NEWS + RUNDLE INTERVIEW
|
 |
|
Shirtliff interview from Radio Nottingham:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/nottingham/realmedia/2006/04/shirtliff_pre_carlisle.ram ---------------- RUNDLE AIMS TO CRASH THE CARLISLE PARTY Evcening Post, 21 April 2006 Stags winger Adam Rundle is bidding to spoil a potential promotion party for his former Carlisle team-mates tomorrow. The Cumbrians come to Field Mill needing victory to secure their place in League One next season. And if Grimsby fail to beat Cheltenham tonight, a win over the Stags could see them secure the League Two title as well. But having played alongside some of the current Carlisle team in making 30 appearances at Brunton Park in 2003 and 2004, Rundle is determined that will not happen. He is hoping the Stags can ruin the afternoon for Paul Simpson's side and an expected travelling support of 3,000-4,000 fans. "Carlisle could win the promotion or the league, but it would be nice to stop them and keep them waiting for another week," he said. "I have been speaking to a few of the boys in their team ahead of the game and I have been saying 'you won't be clinching promotion here!'" "Our home form recently speaks for itself, although it was disappointing against Leyton Orient last week. I thought for a team in the top three we played them off the park at times but we got nothing for it. It was disappointing that we are no longer in with a shout for the play-offs after the two games last weekend. "But I think the Carlisle game will be good for us because the pressure is off now, so we hope we'll be a match for them on the day." Although he has been in and out of the side over the course of the season, Rundle has generally been pleased with how things have gone. He is also hopeful that he will be offered a new deal for next season and believes he will found out his fate shortly. He said: "When I look back I have played in nearly 40 games, which is not to be sniffed at and I have not had any injuries either. "I have had some good spells at times and I have also played at Newcastle, which was a dream come true for me. "I have been left out of the squad but I have managed to get back in so things haven't gone too badly." Mansfield boss Peter Shirtliff says he is down to the "bare bones" for the visit of Carlisle. Danny Reet is suspended for the rest of the season and Giles Coke will miss tomorrow's match after both were sent off at Barnet on Monday. Jake Buxton has fractured a bone in his foot and will sit out the last three games while Gareth Jelleyman could also suffer the same fate with his knee ligament injury. But Adam Birchall should be available following an ankle problem that has kept him out of the last two games and Simon Brown (hernia) is also set to return to the squad. ---------- Depleted Stags ready to face Carlisle army CHAD website, 20 April 2006 MANSFIELD Town will be looking to spoil the party this Saturday (3pm) when title-chasing Carlisle United and an army of supporters descend on Field Mill hoping to clinch promotion. But the depleted Stags will have to do it without four more players out with injury and suspension on top of long term absentee Chris Beardsley (broken leg). The Cumbrians are expected to bring anything between 3,000 and 4,500 fans to Field Mill and know a point will clinch promotion for them. If Grimsby fail to win or Carlisle win then they are up. A win for Grimsby and a point for Carlisle would still all but promote them as the Cumbrians have a 22-goal better goal difference. Stags, whose own Play-off ambitions were shattered by two defeats last weekend, will be without suspended pair Giles Coke and Danny Reet as well as Jake Buxton, whose season is now over with a foot fracture, and Gareth Jelleyman (knee). "We are down to the bare bones, but we just have to get on with it," said manager Peter Shirtliff. "It does give other players a chance, though. We are looking forward to the game. "There should be a good atmosphere with so many of their fans coming down and I am hoping it is an afternoon our players will relish. "I hope they will relax and play but also show the same determination and commitment as Carlisle who are looking to get promoted. "We are looking to put on a good performance in front of our fans, who have been terrific of late. If we do that there is every chance we can get a good result. "I am looking forward to seeing our players against the side who are top of the league. Carlisle are there for no other reason than they have been the best team in this league. "It is a chance to measure us up againt them and see how far we've come and how far we need to go." With Carlisle expected to bring far more fans than the away end North Stand can cope with, Notts Police have asked Stags to make room for the overspill in the West Stand. A club statement today said: "Due to the anticipated large away support for this fixture Nottinghamshire Police have advised Mansfield Town to extend the seating for the large volume of Carlisle United supporters which we appreciate may cause some inconvenience to a number of our season ticket holders. "Those Stags fans affected are supporters who hold tickets in West Stand Upper - Blocks P, Q and R and West Stand Lower - Blocks F, G and H. "Please note affected supporters attending this game will need to enter the ground via a different turnstile to normal. "Stags fans sitting in the West Stand should use turnstiles 18-22 and Carlisle fans sitting in the West Stand will use turnstiles 13-17. "Mansfield Town FC would like to apologise for this disruption and hope that it doesn't detract form your enjoyment of the game." --------------- News & Star, 20/04/06 IT will be almost exactly two years to the day of their last visit to Field Mill when Carlisle United return to Mansfield on Saturday – and the difference could not be starker. Few Blues fans will forget their previous visit on April 24, 2004, when United pulled off a stunning 3-2 victory to give them a lifeline in their battle to avoid relegation. Then, jubilant Cumbrian supporters saluted the heroics of former 'keeper Matty Glennon, whose last-minute penalty save gave Paul Simpson's battlers a dramatic stay of execution. But when they lock horns with the Stags once more this weekend, they are likely to be celebrating again – but for entirely different reasons. United will run out at Field Mill (kick-off 3pm) with League Two promotion already secured if Grimsby fail to beat Cheltenham on Friday night. If the Mariners win, Simpson's men will need just a point at Mansfield to seal their place in League One next season. And if the Blues win, and second-placed Northampton fail to beat Oxford, United will be crowned as champions. Manager Simpson, whose team were finally relegated the week after that dramatic game two years ago following an heroic battle to beat the drop, admits that fate has thrown the two sides together for what could be another historic day for Carlisle. “It seems funny that it is Mansfield again,” he told News & Star Sport. “I'll never forget the scenes at the end of that game and the excitement that went with it. “This time, of course, we want to be celebrating a victory for the right reasons. “That was a really memorable day because we had avoided relegation. But this time we want to be talking about promotion. “We had a lot of supporters there then and I believe we will have a tremendous following this weekend. We don't want to let those fans down. “We want to make it a really positive day and hopefully we will all have something to celebrate at the end.” Simpson is hopeful of taking a fully-fit squad to Field Mill with Danny Livesey battling to be fit after missing the last two games with an ankle injury. The big defender, 21, returned to training yesterday and Simpson said he was hopeful the former Bolton man would have recovered in time to return to the squad. The Blues boss, however, is unlikely to rush Livesey back to face the 15th-placed Stags, and is expected to retain the centre-half partnership of Kevin Gray and Peter Murphy, with a more likely comeback date for Livesey being next Saturday's final home game of the season against Torquay. Simpson added: “Mansfield don't have a lot to play for but they will want to cause us problems. Russ (Richardson, chief scout) has watched them and warned us about the threat of Richard Barker, and Adam Rundle will want to prove a point against his former club. “So we have to make sure we are prepared for it.” ------------ |
Latest | April 2006