Archived News from October 2014
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CLEMENTS SETBACK / OTHER INJURY NEWS PRE CAMBRIDGE
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Injuries healing ahead of Cambridge clash
mansfieldtown.net, 16th October 2014 Key players return to training ahead of visit of in-form Cambridge United. Read more at http://www.mansfieldtown.net/news/article/injuries-healing-ahead-of-cambridge-clash-2018795.aspx#RoBzJQVqEbwegOBw.99 Several players have overcome recent injuries ahead of our match with in form Cambridge United on Saturday. Although it is unclear as yet who is in contention for a place either in the starting xi or amongst the substitutes, midfielders Fergus Bell, Simon Heslop, both of whom sustained knocks in last weekend’s 1-1 draw at Portsmouth, are back in training. Loanee shot-stopper Dimitar Evtimov has also regained full fitness, following treatment for his groin injury at parent club Nottingham Forest. Assistant manager Adam Murray revealed the positive news at his press meeting earlier today. “A few of them were kind of on a tightrope at the start of the week, which we had to monitor and see how they were doing,” said the 33-year-old. “Fergus [Bell] has come through. He’s seen the doctor and he’s okay - he’s got the all clear. ‘Hessy’ [Simon Heslop] will train today and we’ll see how he goes.” He continued: “It’s like there’s been some kind of voodoo on the place, but it’s one of those things. We’ve dealt with it so far and we’ll keep plugging on.” In more positives news, centre-back Ryan Tafazolli will ‘up his training’ this week as he bids to overcome his recent injury, whilst fellow defender Luke Jones is back in training. Meanwhile, Micky Moore, our first team coach, revealed earlier this week that burly forward Matt Rhead could be a doubt for Saturday’s match, having suffered a hamstring strain at Fratton Park. The player is making good progress, but, as yet, no timescale has been put on when he will be able to return. “He’s doing well,” added Murray. “He’s a little bit further than we expected, so we’re hoping that’s positive. We’ll see how training goes today and tomorrow, but as far as things look at the minute, he’s okay.” One player who definitely won’t figure on Saturday is playmaker Chris Clements, who has had a slight setback with his hamstring injury which has sidelined him over the past few days. “He’s had a setback,” said our assistant boss. “He felt it on Monday, so he’s sat out this week and is going to need a little bit of time. I don’t think it’s as bad as when he first [injured his hamstring], but he’s not 100% yet and not worth the risk.” Elsewhere, defender John Dempster will have an operation on his groin injury next week. Murray added: “[His surgery] isn’t until next week and then obviously there is the recovery process after that, but I know John is working as hard at the minute to keep himself as fit as he can, before his rehabilitation.” Looking beyond Saturday’s game with Cambridge, we face back-to-back away trips to managerless Tranmere Rovers and then York City, who appointed Ross Wilcox as their new manager yesterday. “We’ve got three tough games coming up,” added our skipper. “We’re focussing on Cambridge first and we know what they’re about. They’ve got a good manager. I’ve worked under Richard [Money] and he’s a top coach. “They’re big, strong, physical, organised and structured, and it’s going to be a tough test. They had a great result on Saturday, and will obviously be full of confidence.” Adam Murray’s full interview from this morning’s press meeting is available on Stags Player. ------------- Brighter news for Stags on the injury front? chad.co.uk, 16 October 2014 There was brighter news this morning for injury-torn Mansfield Town on their latest three casualties as they prepared for Saturday’s visit of Cambridge United. http://www.chad.co.uk/sport/mansfield-town/brighter-news-for-stags-on-the-injury-front-1-6899630 Fergus Bell, Simon Heslop and Matt Rhead all came off in last weekend’s 1-1 draw at Portsmouth but two, or possibly all three, of them are expected to figure in Saturday’s home clash with Cambridge United. Bell, already soldiering on with a dislocated collarbone, was left without vision in his left eye last weekend after a shuddering bang on the head from team mate Matt Rhead, Rhead himself then limped off with a hamstring problem, and goalscorer Simon Heslop came off with a swollen foot after a block. Rhead went for a scan on the hamstring this week and assistant manager Adam Murray said: “He is doing well and a lot further on than expected. “We will see how he comes through training today but he, like a lot of them, is pencilled in for Saturday at the moment. He had a hamstring strain but there wasn’t much of a tear in there. “We had a few on a tightrope at the start of the week and we’ve had to monitor them. “But Fergus has had the all-clear from the doctor and Simon will train today and we’ll see how he goes.” Stags had 10 first team players ruled out at the start of the week and Murray, himself suspended for Saturday, said: “It’s like there’s some kind of voodoo on the place, but it’s one of those things and you just keep ploughing on.” Stags now have two young loan players making up the numbers with Derby’s Keiron Freeman and QPR’s Jamie Sendles-White, who didn’t disappoint at Fratton Park. Murray said: “Young players from a higher level sometimes come to this standard and it can take a couple of games to get the tempo at which it is played. But they played well on Saturday and now need to keep up that standard. “We are not in a position where players can come in and learn the game on our shift. They have to come in and hit the ground running.” He added: “We have three tough games this week. We have to go to Tranmere and York, who will have the effect of changing managers. But we are focusing on Cambridge on Saturday. “Their manager, Richard Money, is a top coach. I had a brief spell working with him and saw how he works from day to day and what he is about. He is good at what he does. “They are big and physical and they are organised. They got a great result last Saturday and will be full of confidence. “But we are the home side and we need to put visiting teams on the back foot.” However, Chris Clements, who came on near the end of last weekend’s draw at Portsmouth, despite not being fully fit, felt his injury again on Monday and will now be rested on Saturday with a view to being fit to face Tranmere on Tuesday the soonest or York away the following weekend. ---------------- Bell looks forward to another physical battle mansfieldtown.net 16th October 2014 Midfield playmaker expects tough encounter on Saturday. Read more at http://www.mansfieldtown.net/news/article/bell-looks-forward-to-another-physical-battle-2019984.aspx#xTwY8T2wggt55vxl.99 Midfielder Fergus Bell is relishing Saturday’s visit of in-form Cambridge United, having resumed training today for the first time since being knocked cold in our draw at Portsmouth. Bell was one of our stand-out performers in the match at Fratton Park, but was replaced by Rob Taylor in the closing stages, prior to receiving medical treatment for concussion. Reflecting on his memories of the game, Bell laughed: “I remember the first half quite well, but after a knock, the second half is a bit of a blur. “I seem to remember that we played quite well and maybe we could have nicked [a win] in the end, but all in all I think it was a good performance to build on for this week. “I’ve got to say thanks to the medical team at Portsmouth. The doctors were fantastic and I spent a long time with them after the game. “I had a bit of an issue seeing from my left eye and that’s always a concern after a bump on the head, but they cleared me after about an hour and everything was okay in the end.” The 23-year-old continued: “I’m getting a bit of stick at the minute as I can’t seem to get through 90 minutes without [picking up] some sort of injury. “I had a bit of a knock to my ankle against Exeter and then there is my shoulder. “Obviously, everyone goes in whole-hearted to tackles and challenges and I think there is a fine line between going in over-zealous and over-enthusiastically and being careful and looking after your own body. “I’m sort of finding that line. We do a lot of pre-hab, which is injury prevention, with the physio, and they might be knocks, but hopefully they’re not going to be long-term.” Looking ahead to Saturday’s game, Bell is expecting a tough test against a Cambridge United team who have won their last two matches and will arrive at One Call Stadium full of confidence. “I’ve got a friend who plays for Cambridge as right-winger, Ryan Donaldson, and they’ve been really strong movers in the leagues,” said Bell. “Last year, they had a fantastic season. Their squad clearly had a lot of quality for the Conference [Premier] and they’ve taken that form into the [Football] League. “We were watching their game on the bus on the way to our game last week, and they just blew their opposition [Oxford United] out of the water. “I think they’ve got some good players, no doubt. They play with a lot of physicality, but they’ve also got good pace.” He added: “We’ve beaten teams in similar positions to them in the league and there’s no doubt, as you’ve seen over the years in League Two, anyone can beat anyone. “Confidence is high with us this week. It’s a really good test and if we can put in the same kind of performance as we did at Portsmouth, we’ll no doubt get a positive result - and it’ll be nice to do it here in front of our own fans.” “I expect a tough game and a very physical one at that.” ------------------- Patched-up Bell typifies Stags’ dressing room spirit chad.co.uk Fergus Bell typifies the current spirit in injury-hit Mansfield Town’s dressing room as he prepares to patch himself up and solider on against Cambridge United at One Call Stadium tomorrow. http://www.chad.co.uk/sport/mansfield-town/patched-up-bell-typifies-stags-dressing-room-spirit-1-6899925 Bell, already playing on with a strapped-up dislocated collarbone, ended the 1-1 draw at Portsmouth last weekend only able to see out of one eye after being banged on his temple by team mate Matt Rhead, who also ended the afternoon injured along with Simon Heslop. “I remember the first half quite well. But, after a knock on my temple from Rheady, the second half is a bit of a blur,” he admitted. “We seemed to play quite well and could have nicked in in the end. All in all it was a good performance to build on this week. “You don’t want to bump into Rheady. I don’t know how you can mark him, he is a real handful. “I know he picked up a knock too and I hope he is back sooner than expected as he was an integral part of the performance at the weekend. “I have to say thanks to Portsmouth’s medical team. They spent a lot of time with me after the game. I had a bit of an issue as I couldn’t see out of my left eye, which is always a concern after a bump on the head. “There was a worry I may have concussion. They cleared me eventually but I held up the bus for a bit. Protocol says I needed to have three or four days to recover but I am back in training today and I think I will be ready for the weekend.” He added: “I have had a few injuries this season, first my ankle at Exeter, then my shoulder and now this. “It is a fine line between being over-zealous and over-enthusiastic and being careful and looking after your own body. I am still finding that line.” Bell revealed he intends to complete the season with a completely dislocated collarbone sticking up under his skin before having it operated on. “I saw a surgeon and he recommended an operation at the end of the season to put it back into place,” he said. “But I am fortunate in a strange way that it’s fully dislocated and won’t keep popping back in like Lee Beevers did last season. “At first I was worried about falling on it. But now I don’t think about it before a game and once you’re out there the adrenalin gives an extra dimension. “The operation is partly a cosmetic thing too as my vesuvius is coming out of my shoulder. “There was a massive pain barrier to get through at first as it was a grade three, which meant all three ligaments were actually ruptured. That left a lot of inflammation around the joint. So it was the best decision to miss the Stevenage game and give it time to reduce the swelling and inflammation. “Maybe people think I glue myself together for games. But I can play on with this. It is about 95 per cent and as good as it can be. “As a young player having a run in the team, you want to continue that run. You don’t want to be out injured. “I had a discussion with the gaffer and medical team and I was advised to miss the Stevenage game as it was felt I might do more damage to the shoulder. “The fans can see a lot of us here will play through knocks. I can’t wait until we get a clean bill of health and there is real competition for places as we have some class players to come back.” Bell has enjoyed meeting Stags supporters home and away since signing for the club in the summer after a move home from Italian club AC Monza. “For me it’s a huge part of the football club. Of all the clubs I have been with in the past this one has the biggest family feel for a football club,” he said. “In Italy we were kept at arm’s length from the fans. But I relish the opportunity to speak to anyone and I enjoy hearing their opinions.” Bell knows exactly what to expect from Cambridge tomorrow and said: “We watched Cambridge on the bus last week and they blew the opposition out of the water and they have some good players. “They play with a lot of physicality and also have some good pace. But it’s nothing we can’t match. We expect a tough game and a very physical one at that. -------------------- Heslop has the taste for more Stags goals chad.co.uk After opening his account for the Stags in last weekend’s 1-1 draw at Portsmouth, Simon Heslop reckons he has a few more goals in him this season. http://www.chad.co.uk/sport/mansfield-town/heslop-has-the-taste-for-more-stags-goals-1-6899931 Midfielder Heslop is hoping to be fit to face Cambridge tomorrow, despite limping off at Fratton Park last Saturday and now has his sights set on more goals.?Heslop scored inside the first minute of the second half to give Mansfield a lead and said: “It was about time! The result is the most important thing but it’s always nice to get your name on the scoresheet. “They are not coming thick and fast like they used to when I was younger. I have more defensive responsibilities these days. But I’ve got a decent strike on me and I think there are a few more to come. “The coaching staff hadn’t even got back out by the time I scored so I had to explain the goal to them afterwards! “After we got the first goal we had two or three chances. If we’d taken one of them we could have put the game to bed. “We had disappointing performances in the couple of games before, so to get a result and a performance at a really tough place to go was pleasing.” Heslop then had another injury set-back as he damaged the same foot he had already injured a few weeks back but in a different spot. “My season has been a bit stop-start,” he said. “I needed stitches in my foot after the Notts County game and I finished the game when I probably should have come off. Then I probably tried to come back a bit soon and ended up getting an infection in it. But I managed a goal and a decent performance at the weekend and I hope I can now kick on from there. “On Saturday I got a whack on the same foot, though nearer my toes. But, all being well it will be okay for the weekend. “We have a small squad and the physio is working extra hard to get as many players back as possible.” On opponents Cambridge, he said: “Sides who get promotion from the Conference tend to do well in their first season in the League. You have to be a really strong team to get out of that league. It seems to be the case with Cambridge. “We saw some of their game last week on the bus and they look a good, well-organised team. We know we’ve got to be at our best to beat them. “We need to turn this into a bit of a place that people don’t want to come to - a bit of a fortress. “I hope the Accrington game was a bit of a blip and we can write that off and get back to winning ways on Saturday. “It is important we now start going on a bit of a run as the league will start to sort itself out before Christmas and it’s important to be right up there in the top half of the table towards the play-offs by then.” ---------------------- Tom Naylor can impress for Cambridge United, says Richard Money CambridgeNews, October 16, 2014, By Aaron Mason Richard Money believes Tom Naylor can make a mark with Cambridge United after extending his loan deal. Read more: http://www.cambridge-news.co.uk/Tom-Naylor-impress-Cambridge-United-says-Richard/story-23187057-detail/story.html?#ixzz3GOYAsaz9 The Derby midfielder suffered the ignominy of being sent off on his debut in the 1-0 home defeat to Luton almost a month ago and has had to kick his heels serving a three-match ban as a result. But he is available again for Saturday's encounter at Mansfield and will be on United's books for another two months after extending his temporary move to the delight of Money. Money said: "He just adds to the competition for places and he's of the right quality, I think everyone who saw the first 57 minutes against Luton would say that. "I think Naylor is an ideal replacement if (Tom) Champion gets injured again, but I also think he can play with Champion as well. "He can also play centre-half and right-back, so he's a versatile boy. "Also we've lost (Issa) Diallo, so that makes us one light in midfield and although we've pushed (Robbie) Simpson and (Liam) Hughes into service there, it means we've taken them away from other positions on the pitch." Money hinted after last Saturday's 5-1 win at home to Oxford that Champion could also be in contention for the Stags clash after recovering from a broken cheekbone. And he remains hopeful Champion will get the green light to be able to play from specialists tomorrow. "We think it's only a case of ticking the box, but we'll have to wait and see," said Money. "He joined in training pretty much two weeks after the injury, but we've been very careful around him. "If the specialist gives him the okay, we've got three games in seven days and I imagine 16 different people will start those games because it will enable us to freshen things up a bit." --------------------- Selection calls will be tough for Cambridge United head coach Richard Money ahead of Mansfield trip CambridgeNews, October 17, 2014, By Michael Vaughton Richard Money admits he has tough decisions to make as Cambridge United's injury worries continue to ease ahead of a busy week in Sky Bet League Two. Read more: http://www.cambridge-news.co.uk/Selection-calls-tough-Cambridge-United-head-coach/story-23214921-detail/story.html?#ixzz3GOYNony6 The head coach hopes influential midfielder Tom Champion will get the all-clear from a specialist today to return from a broken cheekbone for tomorrow's trip to Mansfield, which would only leave Achilles injury victims Ian Miller and Issa Diallo out for the U's. And, with home games against Cheltenham and Hartlepool to follow in quick succession on Tuesday and next Saturday, Money could be set to rotate his squad depending on the tests facing his side. "You've got players coming back that would be considered first-11 selections under normal circumstances, so it makes those decisions tough to make and to decide," said Money. "We've been in a position for the last month where we're trying to find people to play in certain positions because of so many injuries, so obviously every manager and coach would rather have it the way it is right now. "It's obviously very pleasing that the players and the staff have found a way to get the team still moving forward with so many injuries. I guess it's what football and coaching is all about. "We've now got ourselves to a stage where we're playing so well without those players that now it's difficult to bring them back, but that's what we have to try to do and I have to decide who we need for particular games. "We've got three games coming up this week and they're all different, presenting different challenges. Just maybe certain players will be more equipped for one game than the other." Mansfield, who are one point worse off than the U's and four places below them, have taken one point from their last three games and drew for the first time this season in their last outing at Portsmouth. "They're an extremely competitive outfit and it's always a tough place to go," said Money. "They're very aggressive, very strong in their approach to the game and that's why it's so difficult to go and play against them. "We have to cope with all different types of challenges and this is another one. They're an honest group and an honest football club, and it means we're going to be tested." Tomorrow's match is all-ticket for United fans. Visit http://www.cambridge-united.co.uk for full details. ------------------ |
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