Archived News from December 2013
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STAGS MISS OUT ON TRIP TO ANFIELD
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The FA Cup with Budweiser - Round Two replay
Mansfield Town 1 - 4 Oldham Athletic Dyer 12. Philliskirk 57, Clarke-Harris 62, Lanzoni 75, Rooney 81 pen. Attendance: 2836 (223 from Oldham) Date: 17 December 2013 Martin Shaw at the One Call Stadium, Field Mill What looked like it could be a great night after 55 minutes of this game, turned into a nightmare as Mansfield bowed out of the FA Cup to Oldham at Field Mill this evening, and missed out on the chance to go to Liverpool in Round 3. The nightmare was complete with injuries for Clucas and Hutchinson and a red card for Dempster. The Stags led with an early goal from Ross Dyer - a header from great play from Lindon Meikle. The Stags led at half-time and made a positive start to the second half with their best spell of the game for ten minutes, and on 54 minutes, a brilliant piece of play by Meikle saw his shot superbly tipped around the post by the Oldham keeper. Within two minutes, Oldham were level with a fabulous free kick, and on 62 minutes Oldham were in front. Stags heads went down, and Oldham made it 3-1 from a corner which should never have been given as there was a clear foul on Martin Riley ignored by the referee, and Oldham capitalised with an unmarked header. It was 4-1 when the referee missed a clear foul on Martin Riley and then sent off Dempster for handball in the box and awarded Oldham a penalty which was converted. To make matters worse, Sam Clucas went off injured right at the end and was stretchered out of the ground as the post match interviews were taking place - a precautionary measure, Simon Murphy told me, who thought it was probably ligament damage, rather than a fracture. Hutchinson also limped out of the game with a hamstring injury and he told me after the game he hoped he would not be out for too long (perhaps 2-3 weeks). A horrible for evening for the Stags, who didn’t play badly at all for 55 minutes against a League One side but ended up losing easily. The Stags have big league games coming up, starting with the visit of Accrington on Saturday, and Mansfield must bounce back. FULL REPORT AND RATINGS ON WEDNESDAY Man of the match: Lindon Meikle -------------------- Mansfield 1-4 Oldham: Stags dream cup-tie hopes dashed chad.co.uk report by John Lomas Mansfield Town’s dream of an FA Cup trip to Liverpool died under the hail of a four-goal barrage inside 24 second half minutes in their 4-1 home second round replay defeat by League One Oldham Athletic. http://www.chad.co.uk/sport/mansfield-town/mansfield-1-4-oldham-stags-dream-cup-tie-hopes-dashed-1-6322188 With Anfield the tantaslising third round prize on offer, it was the Stags who went in with a slender one-goal lead after Ross Dyer had headed them in front after only 12 minutes in a half in which the Latics dominated possession. Sam Clucas and Lindon Meikle both came close to doubling that, but the better side won in the end, Stags’ misery compounded with what looked a harsh straight red card decision against John Dempster 10 minutes from time for handball. It was a seventh home game without a win for Paul Cox’s men who know, in the long run, this Saturday’s home clash with Accrington Stanley is probably a far more important game to their season. Worryingly star man Sam Clucas limped off in stoppage time as Stags ended the night with nine men, all subs having been used. Amid a tentative start by both sides, Oldham had the first pot at goal from a move down the left, started by Rooney and pulled back to Philliskirk for a square pass to Wesolowski, who shot low and wide from 20 yards on four minutes. Murray hooked clear the visitors’ first corner before Wesolowski needed treatment for a clash of heads with McGuire. But Stags swept ahead on 12 minutes. Daniel fed the ball into the box towards Clucas who slipped Meikle to the left by-line from where he lifted a firm cross right in front of goal from where the perfectly-placed Dyer could barely miss with his close range header. Clarke-Harris did well to get a 30-yard free kick on target on 16 minutes but Marriott was well placed to gather with little trouble. The home side suffered a blow on 18 minutes when Hutchinson’s return to first team action came to a premature end as he limped off to be replaced by Clements. The Latics quickly forced two successive corners which the home side comfortably defended, Murray’s whole-hearted tackle on Smith as the second was cleared raising a big cheer. Home fans were grumbling at assistant referee Amy Fearn after two successive offside decisions against Dyer as the stadium continued to buzz excitedly. On 23 minutes Clucas might have doubled the lead as his rasping left foot shot from the edge of the box flew just wide of the left post after Dyer had laid McGuire’s pass into his path. An offside flag halted Oldham’s next move well before Clarke-Harris helped the ball into the home net on 27 minutes. Rooney then picked a pass to Clarke-Harris in the box only to see Dempster slide in and shut the door on him. On the half-hour Tarkowski looked to be climbing as he rose to nod the ball down to Petrasso, but nothing was given and he was allowed to get away a low shot narrowly wide. On 41 minutes the ball broke in the box for Petrasso who made space for a low shot that Dempster threw himself in the way of. Oldham forced two more corners as we neared the break with the hungry visitors dominating possession. Stags forced their first flag kick in the final minute of the half, but Riley’s header was cleared. Deep into three minutes of stoppage time, Mansfield survived an almighty goalmouth scramble after Rooney had been allowed to head back across goal at the far post. But they went in with their slender lead intact and the dream still alive. In the second half, the visitors quickly forced an early corner, but Stags again cleared their lines, soon after Marriott holding onto a fierce Petrasso cross. Stags had brief hope as Meikle’s poor shot reached Dyer, who failed to get a follow-up away and the loose ball looked set to break for Clucas until Grounds intervened to concede a corner. Stags almost broke through again on 54 minutes as Daniel sent Meikle down the left and, as he came inside two defenders, they collided and fell, leaving him a shooting chance which Oxley did well turn aside at full stretch. However, Daniel was booked for conceding a 57th minute foul on Petrasso just outside the box and central. And that led to the visitors levelling the game as Philliskirk stepped up to pick out the top right hand corner with a perfectly-placed free kick. The game was then turned on its head on 62 minutes as a McGuire slip allowed Petrasso to square to Clarke-Harris to his left, who buried a confident low finish. Up against it now, Stags made an attacking double change on 67 minutes with Meikle and Murray replaced by strike pair Palmer and Rhead. But it was Oldham who killed off the game on 76 minutes from their 10th corner of the night which Philliskirk put over from the left and Lanzoni ran in unchallenged to bury a header high in the net. Clements wasn’t far wide with a free kick on 79 minutes. But Stags were dealt a harsh blow on 80 minutes when Dempster got in the way of a Clarke-Harris blast and the referee decided he had handled it and pointed to the spot. That looked harsh enough but the referee then showed Dempster a straight red card and Rooney sent Marriott the wrong way from the spot to make it 4-1 on 81 minutes. It was almost five as Winchester’s long range effort deflected inches wide. Stags looked for a consolation and Rhead headed just over while Palmer forced a save with a low shot. STAGS: Marriott; Westlake, Dempster, Riley, Daniel; Clucas, Murray, Hutchinson, McGuire, Meikle; Dyer. OLDHAM: Oxley, Grounds, Wesolowski, Kusunga, Tarkowski, Smith, Rooney, Mellor, Clarke-Harris, Petrasso, Philliskirk. Subs not used: Brown, Winchester, Rodgers, Lanzoni, Miller, Plummer, Rachubka. REFEREE: Sebastian Stockbridge of Tyne & Wear. ---------------- Anfield FA Cup dream is over for Mansfield Town Nottingham Post report by Matt Halfpenny THEY were dreaming of a first trip of the New Year being to the bright lights of Anfield. Instead, Mansfield Town will begin 2014 by making the altogether less inviting trip to St James' Park, Exeter. Read more: http://www.nottinghampost.com/Anfield-FA-Cup-dream-Mansfield-Town/story-20335546-detail/story.html#ixzz2nokzoQHJ For quite some time, it looked as if the Stags were capable of getting the better of League One opponents Oldham and setting up an FA Cup third round meeting with five-time European Champions Liverpool for the second successive season. Ross Dyer gave the home side an early lead and though they rode their luck at times, they threatened to score a vital second goal that may just have pointed the way to Luis Suarez and Co. But it never came and Oldham eventually showed their class to devastate Mansfield - who finished the game with ten men after John Dempster saw red late on - with four goals in 24 second-half minutes. Even so, despite the emphatic scoreline and a seventh home game in all competitions without a win, the Stags gave a good account of themselves for long periods and can count themselves a little unlucky to lose by such a margin. They made just one change to the starting line-up that earned a point at Wimbledon at the weekend, with Ben Hutchinson chosen ahead of Anthony Howell as the most advanced of a three-man midfield in a 4-5-1 formation. Oldham were the first to show as James Wesolowski tried his luck from the edge of the box but was wide of the left-hand upright. The Stags' response was a raid down the left only for Colin Daniel to shank his cross for a goal kick after being released into space by Lindon Meikle. But after a quiet opening, the Stags were suddenly in front in the 12th minute as lone striker Dyer struck from close range. Meikle laid off to Daniel whose ball into the box was well held up by Clucas, who had made an intelligent run. The former Hereford man then waited for the perfect moment before slipping the ball back to Meikle, who had continued his run, and the resulting cross from the left byline was powered past a helpless Mark Oxley by the waiting Dyer. But the home side suffered a blow in the 18th minute when Hutchinson limped off with an injury and had to be replaced by Chris Clements. Just past the midway point of the first half, Mansfield were not too far away from doubling their lead as Jamie McGuire and Dyer combined to tee up Clucas who fizzed a shot inches past the left-hand post with Oxley at full stretch. Oldham were still very much a danger, though, as Adam Rooney brushed off Daniel and centred low for Clarke-Harris, who was just beaten to the ball by John Dempster. As Oldham up the tempo in the lead up to half-time, Mike Petrasso looked set to score as he cut in onto his left foot only to be denied by a superb Dempster block. In stoppage time, the Stags were left scrambling to clear their lines and just about held out as the pressure intensified. It was better stuff from the amber and blues as the second period got underway and Clucas twice threatened before Martin Riley miscued his attempted overhead kick. Soon after, Daniel fed Meikle and he cut in from the left to curl a precise shot that looked set for the right-hand corner until Oxley tipped the ball around the post. However, the visitors were back on level terms just before the hour mark as Petrasso was fouled on the edge of the area by Daniel and Danny Philliskirk bent an unstoppable shot into the top right corner. And the game was turned on its head in the 62nd minute when McGuire stumbled and allowed Petrasso to pick up possession. He found Clarke-Harris on the left-hand side of the box, who drilled an unerring finish past Marriott from ten yards. Cox's answer not long after was to make a double substitution and go for it, bringing on strikers Ollie Palmer and Matt Rhead for Meikle and Murray. As Stags became increasingly desperate, McGuire blasted well over the top from distance, much to the home fans' frustration. That anguish was only compounded when Philliskirk's left-wing corner was glanced in by substitute Matteo Lanzoni at the near post to make it 3-1 and end the game as a contest. Things got even worse with ten minutes to go as Dempster was shown a straight red card for handball in the box and Rooney confidently despatched the penalty before Clucas limped off to leave the hosts with just nine players. The best Mansfield can do is take the positives of the first hour from this one and move on to their vital League Two game with Accrington on Saturday. In such a precarious position in the table, they certainly can't afford to sulk. Mansfield: Marriott, Westlake, Riley, Dempster, Daniel, Clucas, McGuire, Murray (Palmer 67), Meikle (Rhead 67), Hutchinson (Clements 18), Dyer. Subs not used: Briscoe, Howell, Beevers, Deakin. Oldham: Oxley, Kusanga (Lanzoni 46), Tarkowski, Grounds, Mellor, Petrasso, Wesolowski (Winchester 24), Smith (Rodgers 82), Philliskirk, Clarke-Harris, Rooney. Subs not used: Brown, Miller, Plummer, Rachubka. Referee: Seb Stockbridge (Tyne and Wear). Attendance: 2,836 (223 visitors). -------------- Stags to riches! Reporter: MATTHEW CHAMBERS http://www.oldham-chronicle.co.uk/news-features/10/oldham-athletic-news/83858/stags-to-riches Mansfield 1, Athletic 4 Latics Kop for another Anfield bonanza For the third season in a row Oldham Athletic will do battle with Liverpool in the FA Cup. The Reds, dumped out of the competition at Boundary Park so memorably last season, will be out for revenge. Just savour that concept for a moment. Liverpool with a major score to settle against League One Athletic. Great, isn’t it? This time, as it was two seasons ago, the rousing chorus of “Oh When the Blues” will reverberate around Anfield when the third-round tie arrives early next year. And Athletic and the team’s loyal supporters thoroughly deserve to have progressed in the second-round replay at the expense of a plucky, robust Stags team which bent the rules almost to breaking point - literally, in the case of James Wesolowski’s bashed-up face. Lee Johnson’s side were similarly damaged at half-time last night. A meeting with Johnson’s text buddy Brendan Rodgers looked a distant hope thanks to Ross Dyer’s opening goal and a date for Wesolowski with a hospital x-ray machine. Outbattled and unable to penetrate a sturdy home back-line, Athletic’s management team had a big job to do. Johnson was under major pressure, not only to rectify the wrongs on the pitch but also to swell Boundary Park’s coffers. He dealt with the situation decisively. Introducing Matteo Lanzoni to the action, Athletic switched to 3-5-2 for the first time in Johnson’s nine-month managerial career. It worked a treat - thanks in no small part to goalkeeper Mark Oxley. Had he not brilliantly tipped wide a Lindon Meikle effort two minutes before Danny Philliskirk slammed in a brilliant free-kick in front of 223 joyous travelling fans, this report would probably read very differently. As it was, with Philliskirk switched infield from the left to operate behind front men Adam Rooney and Jonson Clarke-Harris, Athletic suddenly looked a potent attacking unit. Five minutes after the leveller, Athletic were 2-1 up when Mike Petrasso slipped a pass into the path of Clarke-Harris and the finish across Alan Marriott was low and emphatic. Substitute Carl Winchester was knocking over players to win headers in the centre circle and Oxley was charging from his line to claim crosses. Things weren’t half looking up. Lanzoni powered in a terrific header from Philliskirk’s flat corner delivery to double Athletic’s advantage and after Clarke-Harris’s shot was handled by a sprawling John Dempster, Rooney drove the penalty home. It could have been even more emphatic: Winchester hit a deflected 30-yard shot narrowly off target and Rooney fired over with his left foot. At the other end, Chris Clements wasn’t far off with a free-kick and Ollie Palmer forced more good work from Oxley. But the game was up for Mansfield boss Paul Cox, who can be forgiven for not quite believing the final outcome. That second half saw an amazing display from Athletic. If it can ever get boring facing Liverpool in the FA Cup, that stage certainly hasn't been reached yet. Bring it on! -------------------- |
Latest | December 2013