Archived News from April 2010
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HOLDSWORTH,FOSTER, K.PERRY, DEAN SAUNDERS REACTION
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Luke Foster and Kyle Perry video interviews --->
http://www.mansfieldtown.net/page/NewsDetail/0,,10325~2014242,00.html David Holdsworth video interviews ---> http://www.mansfieldtown.net/page/NewsDetail/0,,10325~2014238,00.html -------------- David Holdsworth and Dean Saunders audio interviews with BBC ---> http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/eng_conf/8583802.stm BBC.co.uk: Wrexham manager Dean Saunders: "It's a great three points, we knew it was going to be a tough game. "That's what made the goal - Kristian O'Leary's run and then Mark Jones has took the goal well, apparently it was a penalty anyway. "We tried to frustrate them, we knew the crowd might turn against them... we knew we would have to defend in the second half." ------------- Dean: A Great Three Points http://www.wrexhamafc.co.uk/page/Reaction/0,,10311~2013525,00.html Posted on: Sat 03 Apr 2010 IT was a much relieved Dean Saunders who watched his side hold on for a welcomed away win, holding on for a 1-0 success at Mansfield. "That was a great three points, " he said. "David Holdsworth has done a good job this year. But only one team will achieve their objective of winning the league, the rest of us will have failed in that respect. "They are only a couple of wins away from the play-offs, the difference being a couple of goals in the last few minutes of games. "We knew they were a good team, so let them have the ball in the first third of the pitch and then we were able play a bit on a bad surface, although ours is no better. "We were able to get enough bodies in the middle to slip a few passes to each other and create a few chances. "The goal came about from a great run by Kristian O'Leary, who made a run down the left channel and took the centre back with him. "He then held the ball up, laid it back and we got an overload at the back post. "That's something we have been working on in training and I have been encouraging ------------- Field Mill pitch under fire after defeat CHAD.co.uk, 03 April 2010, By John Lomas THE Field Mill surface came in for heavy criticism today as Stags crashed 1-0 at home to Wrexham in a mudbath. http://www.chad.co.uk/stags/Field-Mill-pitch-under-fire.6202613.jp However, manager David Holdsworth said: "We dominated possession and passed it quite well on that so-called pitch. "It is probably the worst pitch in the league today but the weather has been awful. "Groundsman Michael Merriman will probably come under criticism but he has worked as hard as he can on it. "It costs a lot of money to get in machinery to do any more. "As a manager you want the best pitch in the league." Striker Kyle Perry said: "That's probably the worst pitch I've ever played on. It was like a pig's field in the middle – in fact pigs wouldn't be happy on it. "But Wrexham had to play on it as well so you can't dwell on it. "There are no excuses. At the end of the day we were not good enough and not clinical enough in front of goal. We made a mistake and it cost us." Stags are now 10 points off the play-offs with only five games to go and Perry said: I always say 'never say never' but realistically you are fighting a losing battle." Boss Holdsworth also admitted: "We have to be realistic. Games are running out and I don't see the other sides slipping up too much. "Credit to Wrexham today, they defended with their lives and got bodies in front of the ball. "We had enough chances to win plenty of matches so it is very frustrating. "The ethics were right today and I don't know how we didn't score. "We didn't create enough in the first half though we kept the ball well. Sometimes you just hope for a scrappy goal. "But goals win games and Wrexham scored. I think Andy Nicholas slipped but anyone would slip in that box today. And it's a bad time to concede just before half-time. We then did everything but score. "This was a great three points," said Dragons boss Dean Saunders. "That is 18 clean sheets now and the record is 21 so we are going for that now. "We knew it would be tough today as David Holdsworth has done a great job here. "We knew they are a good team so we let them have the ball in the first third of the pitch and worked hard. "We tried to frustrate them in the second half as we knew the crowd might turn against them. They were very edgy. "We hung on, they had a chance in the 94th minute and it didn't go in and that is the difference today between a win and the games in which we've seen things go against us late on recently. "The lad worked hard and I couldn't ask any more." ------------------------ Skipper calls for fans to lay off Stags boss Evening Post, April 05, 2010 SKIPPER Luke Foster today pleaded with disgruntled Mansfield Town fans who have called for boss David Holdsworth's resignation to give him a break. http://www.thisisnottingham.co.uk/football/Skipper-calls-fans-lay-Stags-boss/article-1968403-detail/article.html? A section of supporters chanted for the manager to go after Saturday's 1-0 home defeat to Wrexham – their fourth game at Field Mill without a win. Foster – who signed for the Stags from Oxford in the January transfer window – branded those chants 'crazy'. And ahead of this afternoon's trip to Cambridge United, he insists encouragement, not criticism, is what is needed. "It's crazy for some of the supporters to say 'sack the manager' when we are not far off the play-offs. You can't build Rome in a day," said Foster. "Some of the players, myself included, have only been here a few months. Sure, he will want to bring others in during the summer and some may go. "But I believe we've got a good squad and if we hit the ground running then we have a decent chance of challenging. "I know the fans are frustrated and I can understand that. They pay a lot of money and they want to see good football and the team winning. "But we are trying and those who come to games will have seen we have played some better football recently, even if we have not quite got the results. "There are games we have drawn here, the Altrincham and even the Luton game where we have drawn but we should really have won. "I know we can't keep calling on the fans to be patient, but the best thing you can hear when coming off whether we are losing 1-0 or winning 5-0 is clapping and them getting behind us." ---------------- http://www.wrexhamafc.co.uk/page/NewsDetail/0,,10311~2015005,00.html? Mangan: Mitchley Played His Part Posted on: Mon 05 Apr 2010 ANDY Mangan was quick to praise his striker partner Danny Mitchley after the victory at Mansfield Town. "Danny's come in and he's done really well for the lads; he's lifted us all," he said. "We've come to a difficult place and held our own. We made a few chances and Neil Taylor should have had a penalty, I've had a couple of shots and Danny had a chance front stick. I thought we played quite well. "That chance which Mitchley latched onto came from a Mangan cross, and it was nice to see the young Blackpool striker making the instinctive run of a striker to the near post. "His movement was particularly appreciated by Mangan, who just needed a quick glance over his shoulder to see that Mitchley was making exactly the sort of run he'd have made if the roles were reversed. "It was good to see him making that run, because I knew exactly what he was trying to do and what sort of ball in he needed. "I know what balls I like, I'm always pointing to the front post, so when I see he's running there it's easier for me to feed it in for him. "I was unlucky with a couple of shots in the first half and in the second maybe Danny should have pulled one right across the face of goal for me when he tried to give it to the overlapper but I was on. As long as we win though, that's the important thing. "I thought I worked hard and it's about the team, not me. I know that's an old cliché but the crucial thing was to get the three points. I don't really care how I play as long as we win. "That was a massive win! It was a great performance by the lads. We've all worked really hard, dug in and got the right result. It was really hard work and the pitch didn't help either, but we stuck in there." ------------------------ Dean Saunders praises Wrexham FC teamwork in Mansfield Town win by Mark Currie, Daily Post TOGETHERNESS and an absence of defensive slip-ups combined to earn Wrexham FC only their fourth away league win of the season, according to delighted manager Dean Saunders. A Mark Jones goal just before the break at Field Mill was enough for the Dragons to complete a seasonal double over Mansfield Town, who saw their remote play-off aspirations all but extinguished by the defeat. “It's a great three points,” said the Racecourse boss afterwards. “We knew it was going to be a tough game because (Mansfield manager) David Holdsworth has done a good job with his team this year. There's only one team that can win the league and the rest of us have failed to do what we are trying to do.” Saunders was pleased with the build-up for the goal that came three minutes before the break, but admitted his side had come under sustained second-half pressure after snatching the lead. “It was a great run from Kristian O'Leary down the left channel and took the centre-back with him,” he added. “He held the ball up, laid it back and we got an overload at the back post, which is what I've been wanting them to do and what we've worked on in training. If midfield players don't ever run past the strikers then the two centre-backs just have to mark the strikers. “Kristian's run made the goal and Mark Jones finished it well. We then tried to frustrate them and we knew the crowd might turn against them. We knew we would have to defend in the second half as they were going to lump the ball on us because of the pitch. “They put three big fellows up there and sometimes you are just hoping the ball bounces your way. We are a good defensive team and that was our 18th clean sheet of the season. I think the club record is 21 so we'll be trying to get that before the end of the season. “We hung on at the end but that game was no different to the Cambridge game – we played just as well – except that the ball went into the net. Today they had a chance in the 94th minute and it didn't go in, so we are all coming out smiling instead of feeling suicidal on the bus. “Today we played like a team and I can't ask any more. Neil Taylor and Mark Jones worked their socks off in the wide areas, Kristian O'Leary makes us look more solid, Aaron Brown did well at left-back and the two centre-backs played well. “The goalkeeper (Chris Maxwell) came and caught some crosses which took the pressure off us and (Andy) Mangan's nicking goals for us. I thought he and Dan (Mitchley) played well – in the first half especially – so when you get all those pluses you are going to get a result.” Mansfield striker Kyle Perry took the defeat on the chin and offered no excuses for what was only a second defeat in 10 games for the Stags “At the end of the day we were not good enough and we were not clinical enough in front of goal,” he said. “We made a costly mistake and they scored the goal that's won them the game. “Percentage-wise we had more of the ball but they got the three points.” He added: “We created more opportunities in the second half but they defended as a unit, they kept a clean sheet and that's what wins games at this level. “This is probably the worst pitch I've played on and in the middle it's worse than a pigs' field, but Wrexham had to play on it as well and they are going home happy while we are disappointed.” ---------------- |
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