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Archived News from February 2015

STAGS BEAT LUTON WITH QUALITY GOAL
20th February 2015 15:57


Football League - Sky Bet League Two
Mansfield Town 1 - 0 Luton Town
Bingham 32
Attendance: 2998 (801 from Luton)

Date: 17 February 2015

Martin Shaw at the One Call Stadium, Field Mill

Mansfield Town produced a very solid display to deservedly beat Luton Town 1-0 at the One Call Stadium in a game of few chances. The only goal of the game came on 32 minutes with a high quality move as Junior Brown clipped the ball down the left touchline to Jack Thomas who fired a superb crossfield pass perfectly for Rakish Bingham who fired first time past Mark Tyler in the Luton goal. Every win is precious when you are at the wrong end of the table and beating fierce rivals Luton made the victory doubly-sweet. Luton were unbeaten for 10 games and had only lost 5 times all season. But the Stags defence was rock solid with Sutton, Riley, Tafazolli and Elder all in fine form and limiting Luton to only a couple of good chances. The Stags move five points clear of the relegation zone and up to 18th place, ahead of Oxford United who Mansfield visit on Saturday.

Adam Murray made one change to the side that drew with Northampton, with Callum Elder returning from injury in place of Lee Beevers at left back. Ravenhill again played in front of the back four, and Oliver was on his own up front in the 4-1-4-1 formation. Chris Clements was back on the bench after his badly gashed leg injury. Luton had three players suspended, including larger than life centre half McNulty, and another couple out through injury in a list of players missing long enough to rival that of Mansfield.

Luton have never won a league game at Field Mill and there have been some epic encounters between the two clubs over the past couple of decades.

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Tuesday, 17th February 2015: Mansfield Town 1, Luton Town 0
chad.co.uk report by John Lomas

Despite another nailbiting finish, Mansfield Town this time got over the line and recorded a fantastic 1-0 home win over high-flying Luton Town at the One call Stadium tonight.

http://www.chad.co.uk/sport/mansfield-town/tuesday-17th-february-2015-mansfield-town-1-luton-town-0-1-7112236

Sub Rakish Bingham was the hero with the only goal of the night on 32 minutes that maintained Stags’ amazing record of never having lost a league game at home to the Hatters.

And it came just four days after the Stags had failed to hold on in an identical situation when they gave Northampton a stoppage time penalty in Saturday’s 1-1 draw.

Luton arrived on a 10-game unbeaten run, but injury-hit Stags sweated blood for the cause and dug in deep to protect keeper Lenny Pidgeley’s goal.

Mansfield suffered yet another injury blow on 19 minutes when Reggie Lambe limped off.

But that saw Bingham come on to play wide and he popped up with a great finish from Jack Thomas’ pass after a superb home counter-attack from a Luton corner.

The victory saw Mansfield vault over three other struggling sides into 18th place, including this Saturday’s opponents Oxford United.

Mansfield welcomed Nathan Elder back into the side, the loanee Leicester left back replacing Lee Beevers.

There was also a surprise place on the home bench for Chris Clements, who was expected to be sidelined for a few weeks with a gashed ankle.

He gave a brave display as sub for the last 20 minutes though ended up having more stitches into the wound at the end.

Luton arrived without suspended central defenders Steve McNulty and Luke Wilkinson and also had new loan signing Cameron McGheehan serving a ban.

On a cold night, Drury cut out an early attempted one-two in the Luton box by Heslop and Lambe in a cat and mouse opening.

Lacey then did enough as he jumped with Oliver to stop him seriously testing Tyler with a header from Elder’s long cross.

Then Heslop curled in a dangerous low ball from the left in front of goal which Tyler grabbed before Oliver could pounce.

Stockley tried to get Cullen away with a neat lofted ball forward, but Tafazolli was in to police the situation and clear.

Sutton clashed angrily with Howell after the Luton man left a foot in as he cleared, the referee giving Howell a warning only.

There was little to warm the fans for the first 15 minutes, Ravenhill heading clear the game’s first corner.

Lambe had a shot charged down after Sutton and Oliver had worked the ball to him in the left of the box.

Under pressure from Ravenhill, Robinson sent a hurried shot well wide of the home goal from 20 yards.

Stags’ never-ending injury issues continued on 19 minutes as Lambe was replaced by Bingham.

Luton skipper Smith then had to go off to tend to a cut and change his shirt.

Robinson for Luton and then Bingham gave the ball needlessly away as the sides strived to rise above the mediocre.

The Hatters won a second corner on 29 minutes which Pidgeley managed to punch away, despite being fouled, and the whistle went anyway.

Oliver headed clear a Drury free kick on 32 minutes, but when it reached Smith 25 yards out, he tested Pidgeley with a rasping low drive that he pushed away for a corner with Lacey trying to get a touch.

But when Stags cleared that corner, they swept upfield to take the lead, still in the 32nd minute.

Youngster Thomas played a diagonal pass from left to right and found Bingham in the box whose low finish was powerful and deadly from 10 yards.

Heslop then pulled a low shot wide of the Luton goal.

The Hatters hit back with corner number four. Again Stags broke with Heslop trying to put Bingham away, this time stopped on the right.

Elder and Oliver made space on the left to set up a shooting chance for Brown that was blocked.

A minute from the break the ball broke for Heslop just outside the box and he sidefooted a tame finish straight to Tyler.

Two minutes were added and in the last of those a far post cross from Drury from the right picked out Howells, who headed wide at the far post.

Hatters boss John Still was clearly unimpressed with his side’s first half and threw on Oduwa and Whalley for Robinson and Howells for the second half, Whalley having bagged a brace against Mansfield at Kenilworth Road in November.

But Stags almost doubled their lead out of nowhere on 49 minutes as a long Thomas cross from the right deceived Tyler and came back off his bar.

An Oliver backheel almost got Thomas in for a return pass in a neat home move on 53 minutes as the home side pressed for a second.

Oliver nodded a long Elder cross back down towards Thomas on the edge of the box, but the youngster’s finish was always sailing wide.

But this was much more positive from the Stags after the way they had gone into their shells, defending and ultimately surrendering a 1-0 lead against 10-men Northampton on Saturday.

Bingham saw a low shot deflect wide for a corner on the hour which was easily cleared at the near post.

Stags skipper Ravenhill, who only came back from a hamstring problem on Saturday was limping badly for a while and almost a passenger.

Cullen tested Pidgeley with a low shot after a one-two with Stockley on the edge of the box on 67 minutes, but the keeper held on as the ball bounced in the mud.

Two minutes later it seemed Clements would replace Ravenhill, whose limp had eased, but instead he came on for Heslop, who had played really well.

Luton really should have been level on 74 minutes when a throw from the left was flicked on and Cullen was left unmarked at close range only to poke a finish wide.

The home fans were becoming more and more tense, sensing another nervous finish on the way.

Stags needed a second goal to kill it, but Brown was well off with his hopeful long range attempt as we entered the last 10 minutes.

Oliver was given deserved applause for a battling display on 85 minutes as he was replaced by Rhead.

Tafazolli invited trouble as he gave away a free kick 40 yards from goal on 89 minutes, but Rhead headed that and the follow-up ball away.

Four minutes were added in which a scramble saw Smith higt the sidenetting.

STAGS: Pidgeley; Sutton, Riley, Tafazolli, Elder; Ravenhill, Thomas, Heslop (Clements 69); Lambe (Bingham 19), Oliver Rhead 85), Brown. Subs not used: Studer, McGuire, Beevers, Kee.

LUTON: Tyler, Franks, Smith, Lacey, Drury, Howells (Oduwa HT), Griffiths, Cullen, Harriman. Robinson (Whalley HT), Stockley (Guttridge 69). Subs not used: Justham, Parry, Layayette, Hall.

REFEREE: Kevin Johnson of Somerset.

ATTENDANCE: 2,998 (801 away).

CHAD STAGS MAN OF THE MATCH: Ricky Ravenhill.

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Match report: Mansfield Town 1 Luton Town 0 - Hatters lose game in hand as Stags end ten match league unbeaten streak
bedfordshire-news.co.uk, By James Cunliffe

MANSFIELD TOWN 1 LUTON TOWN 0

Luton Town simply do not win at Mansfield. Not in the league. Any league. Ever.

Field Mill had never been a happy hunting ground in 12 previous attempts, stretching back to 1932 and that record never looked like being altered tonight.

Read more: http://www.bedfordshire-news.co.uk/Match-report-Mansfield-Town-1-Luton-Town-0/story-26042459-detail/story.html?#ixzz3S7oQhUmd

This was the fourth-placed Hatters' game in hand on the League Two promotion pack, their chance to return to the top three - but they've made a habit in 2015 of passing up similar opportunities to cut the points deficit. This one went some way to highlight that their squad is perhaps not as strong as they thought it was.

Missing, thanks to suspensions, was the calm, controlled leadership of central defensive partnership Steve McNulty and Luke Wilkinson. Their midfield lacked not only the combative style of the injured Nathan Doyle but pace, with Jake Howells replacing Tottenham loan flyer Nathan Oduwa. Long ball was the option and it suggested, early on, that it was one which would not pay dividends.

The Stags' winner - when it arrived on 32 minutes from early substitute Rakish Bingham - came on the counter from a Luton corner. But, in an opening half devoid of any talent from both sides it stood out as a rare moment of class. An anomaly in an otherwise dour evening in which Mark Cullen, after three goals in his last two games, squandered Luton's only real chance in the 73rd minute.

"The form he is in, we would have expected him to score," said manager John Still afterwards, who added that the defeat was "frustrating."

"I don't think we started great. I don't think either team started great.

"I felt reasonably comfortable in the first half. We've made an error from one end of the pitch to the other. It was really an error that we shouldn't make. Basic. Other than that I never felt under pressure from them.

"In the second half it was wave after wave. I think Mark's [Cullen] done a fantastic bit of skill and put it past the post. We've had lots of balls in and around their box and not been able to get back in it. There you are, that's football."

The Hatters' only effort on target in the first half saw stand-in skipper Jonathan Smith bobble an effort harmlessly towards goal where keeper Lenny Pidgeley unveiled some unnecessary theatrics, diving down to paw away for a corner. From there they conceded.

Mansfield would have doubled their lead five minutes before the break but for Alex Lacey's last-ditch block to deny Junior Brown, while in added time at the other end Howells never looked favourite to head Andy Drury's deep cross on target. He didn't.

It was no surprise that Oduwa replaced him at the break in a double substitution that saw Shaun Whalley - the scourge of the Stags at Kenilworth Road in November - come on for Robinson to instantly address Luton's pace problem. It was creativity that remained an issue.

"I think it was a lack of quality tonight shown up front," said Mark Tyler.

Their good intentions were almost quickly undone by an uncharacteristic mistake by the keeper, who misjudged the flight on Thomas' centre but saw the crossbar spare his blushes.

The hour mark came and went before Cullen forced Pidgeley into a routine save after a one-two on the 18-yard line with Jayden Stockley. From the Hatters' perspective it was the move of the match. Underwhelming as it was it couldn't hold a candle to their golden chance.

That was was when all hope of salvaging a point disappeared with a disastrous poke wide from Cullen after the in-form forward had done the hard work by flicking the ball over a defender a few yards from goal.

With it - and on Pancake Day of all occasions - Town tossed away their ten-game unbeaten league record and a significant chance to push their promotion credentials.

The same old bitter tale of disappointment away at Mansfield. Field of dreams? Yeah, the nightmare kind.

Mansfield: Pidgeley, Sutton, Riley, Tafazolli, Ravenhill, Heslop (Clements, 69), Lambe (Bingham, 19), Thomas, Brown, Oliver (Rhead, 86), Elder

Unused subs: Studer, McGuire, Beevers, Kee

Luton: Tyler, Franks, Smith, Lacey, Drury, Howells (Oduwa, 45), Griffiths, Cullen, Harriman, Robinson (Whalley, 45), Stockley (Guttridge, 69)

Unused subs: Parry, Lafayette, Hall,

Referee: Kevin Johnson

Attendance: 2,998 (801)

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