Archived News from December 2007
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BURY GAME POSTPONED
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Shakers boss rues missed opportunity
burytimes.co.uk By Marc Iles CHRIS Casper claimed Mansfield Town were ripe for the picking as he faced up to the frustration of a postponed match at Field Mill. Heavy rain throughout the morning in Nottinghamshire put paid to any action, forcing match official Eddie Ilderton to call off the game after a pitch inspection at 1pm. The Shakers had looked to halt a run of poor form against League Two's basement side, leaving their manager wondering what might have been. "It is disappointing for us because they had played on a heavy pitch on Wednesday night, had a few injuries and hadn't been in the best of form," he said. "The circumstances might change by the time we meet them again." A rescheduled match is likely to add to a heavy workload in January, when the Shakers compete in both the FA Cup and the Johnstone's Paint Trophy alongside their league schedule. Casper said: "I suppose we're a victim of our own success in a way," he said. "I have said before that the lads would rather play games than train - so they will have to roll up their sleeves and prove that to me." ------------------- Audio interview with Referee Eddie Ilderton from BBC Radio Nottingham (RealPlayer needed) http://www.bbc.co.uk/nottingham/realmedia/football/2008/pp_stags_bury_home_referee.ram ------------ Audio interview with Paul Holland from BBC Radio Nottingham (RealPlayer needed) http://www.bbc.co.uk/nottingham/realmedia/football/2008/pp_stags_bury_home_manager.ram ------------ Audio interview with groundsman Mez Merriman from BBC Radio Nottingham (RealPlayer needed) http://www.bbc.co.uk/nottingham/realmedia/football/2008/pp_stags_bury_home_groundsman.ram ------------ Stags game called off CHAD.co.uk, 8 Dec 2007 SATURDAY afternoon's game against Bury at Field Mill has been postponed after heavy rain during the morning. The deluge, including sleet, follows a week of inclement weather - and a game on the pitch just three days earlier. The decision was made after an inspection at 1.15pm. The postponement's only positive note for Stags is that they had four midfield players out injured which let them well under strength. Equally the match would have given the club a chance to climb off the bottom of the League Two table ahead of next Saturday's huge six-pointer at Grimsby. However, the postponement will add to a growing fixture congestion for the Stags - with two Tuesdays in January - 8th and 15th - already pencilled in for re-arranged matches, against Wycombe and Wrexham. Manager Billy Dearden said: "There is water all over the surface - it's really coming down here. "The ball is not running on it and the forecast is terrible so that's that. "If we had started it and the rain had carried on we would have had to call it off during the game and that's one thing you don't want. "The decision was made before they opened the gates. "It's another one we have to fit in now. "We did have a lot of injuries today and we would have been a lot weaker than we have been recently. So it does give us the chance to get one or two players fit. "But you naturally want to play the game and Bury had one or two out too. I am sure we would have got by. But there's nothing we can do about it." Many fans had threatened to boycott the game in protest at owner Keith Haslam's recent decision not to sell the club to the James Derry consortium - and others were planning to join a protest organised by Stags Fans For Change and TEAM Mansfield. Stags two points from 'safety' after postponement CHAD.co.uk, 8 Dec 2007 THE Stags remain two points adrift at the foot of the Football League after a mixed set of results for their relegation rivals, following the postponement of this afternoon's match against Bury at Field Mill. Mansfield Town's match was called off due to a waterlogged pitch following heavy morning rain and sleet. Grimsby took advantage of the Stags' day off to pull further away from Town, winning their second away game in five days, this time 1-0 at Brentford, to move six points clear of the Stags. Dagenham defeated Wrexham 3-0 in a match between two more relegation candidates, leaving the Welsh side back in the bottom two. Lincoln lost 3-1 at Hereford and occupy the last 'safe' place in Division 2, two points clear of the Stags but having played two more matches. |
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