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Archived News from January 2008

NEW LOW AS STAGS HAMMERED BY MCGLEISH
8th January 2008 23:43


Mansfield Town 0 - 4 Wycombe Wanderers
McGleish 5, 69, 73, Jelleyman 58 og.
Attendance: 1,959 (125 from Wycombe)

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http://www.wycombewanderers.co.uk
THE BIG MATCH CLOCKWATCH
Posted on: Tue 08 Jan 2008
By Matt Cecil

Mansfield 0-4 Wycombe
McGleish (4, 70, 73)
Jelleyman o.g. (57)
Full-time:
What an excellent result here at Field Mill. Scott's three goals - or was it four? - have given the Blues their biggest win in a long time and makes it three straight away wins. Stay tuned for a full report.
90mins:
And Leon gets his first shot at goal, which was well saved at the near post by Muggleton after a lay-off by Sutton. Three minutes added on.
85mins:
Leon gets a chance to stretch his legs but he can't quite beat the defender to the through-ball. The centre backs for the Blues have been colossal by the way.
82mins:
Exhibition stuff now as the Blues run down the clock. We'd love another goal or two, but for now Andre Boucaud sees yellow. The crowd is given as 1,959, of which 139 (correction by Martin Shaw : 125) are in the away end.
75mins:
Mansfield made a change a moment before Scott's goal - you'll have to check the stats later to find out who I'm afraid because we missed it. Leon Knight comes on for his debut, along with Stefan Oakes and Andre Boucaud for Scott McGleish, Gary Holt and Tommy Doherty.
73mins:
That's four, and definitely a hat-trick for Scott. Excellent work from Sergio, he cuts it back inside the box and Scotty makes it four. Fantastic stuff.
70mins:
GOAL! Scott's going to be claiming a hat-trick! Sergio puts the ball into the box whilst in acres of space and Scott smashes the ball home with his left foot. 3-0, and it should be a third successive away win now.
67mins:
Ian Holmes volleys over from inside the box with a difficult chance as the winds cause havoc once again.
63mins:
Well it's died down a bit, but that rain was incredible. Stags have replaced Lee Bell with Danny Sleath, and the home fans are venting their frustration at the ref, who they feel has been less than helpful.
59mins:
Mansfield are looking for a quick response, and John Sutton heads the ball out for a corner from a free-kick. The Stags force another corner and Dawson fires over from the edge of the box. The rain here, ladies and gentleman, is appalling - I've never seen anything like it. It is absolutely tipping it down - the ref could decide to halt play for a while.
57mins:
GOAL! That's 2-0. Sergio's shot from the left of the box is saved by Muggleton and Scott McGleish sends the ball goalwards from the narrowest of angles. Gareth Jelleyman was the man on the line but he couldn't react quickly enough and he sends the ball into his own net. Scott might try and claim it but it looked more like an own-goal to us...sorry Scott.
50mins:
John Sutton volleys over the bar from inside the box but it was a difficult chance as the ball fell behind him from McGleish's chipped ball from wide. It's started raining here as well - not a pleasant evening to be playing football.
48mins:
We're underway again, with no changes for either side. Full marks to the Mansfield press office, supplying tea, coffee and sandwiches up here in our seats during the break - that's the first club we've been to which provides such a service and it's very kindly appreciated on this chilly evening.
Half-time:
Scott McGleish's early header separates the sides at the break, and although it hasn't been a classic by any stretch of the imagination, the Blues have been professional and deserve their lead.
45mins:
3 minutes added on, and Stephen Dawson shoots not too far high and wide from the edge of the box. Big Rab didn't look too bothered though.
43mins:
Now Blooms is injured after going in for an aerial challenge with Muggleton as the ball held up in the wind. He's not badly hurt though and play can resume. Bring on half-time and a warm Bovril.
39mins:
Russell Martin goes down hurt after a strong block challenge but Wycombe gain an advantage and Scott McGleish volleys into the arms of Muggleton on the turn from 25 yards. David McCracken and Tommy Doherty implore the ref to give a free-kick to the Blues for a foul on Russell, but to no avail. Russ is back on.
36mins:
Blooms brings down Simon Brown a yard outside the corner of the box, and Lee Bell's free-kick ends up in the arms of Rab Douglas via the head of Doherty. In these swirling winds, anything could happen from those situations. Moments later, a chipped ball down the middle excites the home crowd and threatens to split the Blues' defence, but big Rab races out and heads clear with admirable composure.
33mins:
Matt Bloomfield breaks into the box down the right-hand side and almost beats his man but Mansfield recover. Wycombe are increasing the tempo, and John Sutton heads Doherty's free-kick over the bar. I'm not just being lazy - nothing else of any note has happened.
29mins:
A media colleague describes this as a "get in and get out" job and I know what he means. It doesn't have to be pretty, but if Wycombe can snatch all three points here then it could be a very valuable win. And it's definitely not pretty yet. Second interesting fact of the day: new media man Ben Campbell is a qualified referee and has even officiated at reserve team level.
23mins:
Nothing's happening folks. It's dull, but that suits us fine - we're winning. The only talking points have been the wind blowing the ball all over the place and Paul Lambert braving the cold by removing his thick jacket and rolling his sleeves up. The jacket is back on now though, and who can blame him?
17mins:
Well it's died down a bit since the frantic opening. Wycombe's defence looks more composed but we shouldn't underestimate this Stags attack, who have looked lively. The wind is having a big say in this match and it's fair to say Scotty's goal probably owes a lot to a helpful breeze.
12mins:
I thought I'd just seen the goal of the century, but actually Tommy Doherty's flicked volley from Gary Holt's lofted through-ball goes further wide than I thought, so I look a bit silly. Interesting fact of the day: Stags striker Ian Holmes was on the same journalism course at Sheffield University as media man Ross Jeavons - how their careers have differed since then...
8mins:
An excellent darting run from Sergio beats two men and his shot is firm but straight at Muggleton. The home fans are getting restless, but the Stags are getting the ball forward quite often.
6mins:
Simon Brown shoots high and wide after a run across the 18-yard box, but there was never really any danger as he was well marshalled all the way. There will be more goals tonight, you can just feel it.
4mins:
GOAL! That's more like it. Bizarre goal really though. Russell Martin's inswinging corner is headed back into the six-yard box and Scott McGleish's looping header seems to take an age to sail over the head on Carl Muggleton and into the far corner. Great start.
2min:
Comical comical stuff - but we're not laughing. A long harmless ball through the middle is missed completely by Russell Martin and Rab Douglas on the edge of the box, and Simon Brown prodded the ball towards the empty net. The onrushing Ian Holmes couldn't make contact and the ball trickled just past the post. Not the start we'd anticipated.
0mins:
Mansfield kick off, attacking the end where the Blues fans are situated. It's windy here, so a passing game might be the way to winning three points today.
19:45
Wycombe are in their red and white quarters, while the Stags are playing in their traditional yellow shirts and blue shorts. Mansfield have such an injury crisis that their bench is made up of youngsters with little experience; in contrast, Wycombe's has two players with Premiership experience and two more who have played in the Championship. That could be the difference tonight.
19:40
Quite a nice set-up here at Field Mill, but it's a shame there aren't a few more fans to see the match. A decent turn out from Wycombe fans given the long journey, but there aren't too many Stags fans in the ground - because of their lowly league position I assume. We've got plenty of legroom in the press area - so much so that I may get backache leaning in to type. Anyway, the teams are in the tunnel - let battle commence!
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Stags 0 Wycombe 4 Tuesday, 8th January
CHAD.co.uk, by John Lomas
MANSFIELD Town went from heroes to zeroes within four days as the FA Cup heroes of last weekend capitulated to their biggest defeat of the season at home to play-off chasing Wycombe Wanderers on Tuesday night.
In truly appalling conditions which included swirling gales, heavy rain and hail, the visitors stole the early initiative with a wind-assisted goal for Scott McGleish after only four minutes.

But the former Barnet hit man was unstoppable after the break, completing his hat-trick with two inside three minutes and probably trying to claim a fourth that Gareth Jelleyman put through his own goal as a heavily depleted Stags meekly surrendered.

It worsened their relegation plight with huge games ahead at Chester City on Saturday and at home to Wrexham next Wednesday. And after two days of talk of the club facing Premiership Middlesbrough in the next round of the cup, reality began to sink in for the Stags and their suffering supporters.

For Wycombe it was a fifth win in six unbeaten games, for Stags a fifth defeat in six League games and one of their two games in hand on the pack wasted.

Matt Hamshaw missed the game to be at home with his wife and their new-born baby, Bell making a return to the midfield.

But depleted Stags were left with a very inexperienced bench with six senior pros missing from their small squad.

Mansfield spurned an empty net inside the second minute which could have given them the perfect start.

Keeper Douglas had to leave his box to clear Muggleton's long kick with Brown and Arnold chasing it down and made a hash of it which left Brown a brief glance at the empty goal.

But he was under pressure as he poked it goal wards from 18 yards and it bounced agonisingly wide of the far post with Holmes just unable to get there and divert it home.

Within three minutes they were punished by a bizarre goal at the other end.

Sutton got the first head onto Martin's corner and McGleish then sent a looping header towards goal which looked like it would drift over but caught on the wind and somehow dropped just under the bar for the striker's 12th goal of the season.

Stags again had a chance on 10 minutes when Douglas spilled a low 25 yard free kick from Bell but no one reacted quickly enough to punish him.

Muggleton was lucky when Doherty tried a deft touch on a long forward ball to lift it over him as he stood well off his line and it thankfully dropped wide.

Sutton got a head onto the end of a long Martin free kick but was well over the bar.

A Bell through ball almost got Dawson away, Douglas running out to make the challenge just outside his box.

Brown's thunderous tackle on Martin left the Wanderers man down, but the ball flew kindly for the visitors and McGleish got a volley on target which Muggleton was behind.

Dearden decided to revert back to his traditional 4-4-2 for the second half with Brown helping Holmes up front.

Sutton wasn't far over with an acrobatic finish onto a McGleish cross on 51 minutes as rain began to pour and make the conditions even more miserable.

But it was 2-0 on 58 minutes as Jelleyman put through his own net. Torres fired in a low shot which Muggleton parried and the ball ran to McGleish whose attempted finish was sliced into the net as Jelleyman tried to clear off his own line.

Sorry Stags responded with four corners, Dawson blazing over from the last as the rain turned to intense hail and the home fans began chanting for the game to be called off.

Sleath replaced the tiring Bell on 65 minutes and soon after Holmes sliced a half chance wider from seven yards as Wycombe failed to clear an Arnold cross.

But it was all over on 70 minutes. This time Torres cut into the box on the left and found him and McLeish fired a superb finish across Muggleton and inside the far post.

Stags sent on young striker Trimmer for defender Martin but within seconds Torres pulled a good pass back into the path of McGleish 18 yards out ands he beat Muggleton all ends up with another superb finish.

Wycombe sent on all three subs on 76 minutes but it was Douglas who was in action to smother at the feet of Trimmer on the restart.

New signing Knight almost opened his Chairboys account but Muggleton blocked his low near post drive.

Douglas needed a last minute save to preserve his clean sheet, diving to his left to keep out Sleath's 18-yard blockbuster.

MATCH DETAILS
STAGS: Muggleton, Mullins, Jelleyman, D'Laryea, Bell (Sleath 65), Dawson, Brown, Buxton, Martin (Trimmer 73), Arnold, Holmes. Subs not used: White, Goward, Wood.
WYCOMBE: Douglas, Martin, McCracken, Bloomfield, Holt (Boucard 76), Sutton, McGleish (Knight 76), Woodman, Johnson, Torres, Doherty (Oakes 76). Subs not used: Bullock Stockley.
REFEREE: Andy Haines of Tyne and Wear.
ATTENDANCE: 1,959.
GOALS: McGleish 4, 70, 73, Jelleyman (og) 58.
CAUTIONS: Wycombe - Boucard 83 (foul on Mullins).
CHAD STAGS MAN OF THE MATCH: Dan Martin.

 

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