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Archived News from March 2015

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5th March 2015 23:39


Boss could tweak things for Newport game
mansfieldtown.net, 2nd March 2015

Murray aims to find cure for away form as Stags prepare for trip to South Wales.

Read more at http://www.mansfieldtown.net/news/article/boss-could-tweak-things-for-newport-game-2307805.aspx#zG7UpssgFpghyhHx.99

Manager Adam Murray has hinted that he may tweak certain things as our team aim to ‘kick on’ from Saturday’s victory over Dagenham & Redbridge by putting points on the board away at Newport County tomorrow night.

Despite going five matches unbeaten at One Call Stadium, our team have struggled on their travels in recent weeks with our last away success coming at AFC Wimbledon, just before Christmas.

“This away form is winding me up now,” said Murray. “We went over the previous away games yesterday as a group and looked at what it is that is the pain in the backside.

“Obviously, [our away form] has now been made an issue, but when you look at each game individually and when you take each game on the situation and the merit, you start to understand that there are certain reasons why we maybe haven’t got the result that we should have.

“We’re going to be looking to put that right. We might change things around a little bit and the way we go about the game, like tweak the shape a little bit, but we’ll see.”

He continued: “We don’t want to change too much because we’re starting to see the fruits of the pathway that these boys are on at the minute, so it’s not about making wholesale changes - it’s about [making] the tweaks that can possibly put us something on the board away from home.”

Tomorrow night, Jimmy Dack will take charge of his first home match at Newport since being appointed as the successor to Justin Edinburgh, who left Rodney Parade for Sky Bet League One side Gillingham last month.

When asked what we should expect from the Exiles, Murray replied: “I think there have been little tweaks [since the change in management].

“I know the guys down there quite well. Jimmy and ‘Hatts’ (Wayne Hatswell) are good football guys and they know what they’re doing. They’ve had a good couple of wins and performances, so fair play to them.

“Newport is always a tough place to go. Since they’ve come up to the Football League, they’ve adapted and 'put themselves on this league' which is a credit to them and is something we’re looking to do in the future as we want to move forward and we want to be sitting where they are.

“So it’ll be a good game to go into and we go into it with confidence after a good run of form and a great month.”

Our team head to Rodney Parade on the back of registering their best points tally in a month so far this season.

In February, we picked up 10 points to climb to 18th position in Sky Bet League Two with wins coming over Stevenage, Luton Town and Dagenham & Redbridge. The other point came in a home draw with Northampton Town.

Reflecting on our recent upturn in form, Murray said: “I think we’re starting to see the results of the hard work that’s being put in.

“When I first got the job I always said that is was going to be a process and a project that was going to take time and we’re only scratching the surface. We’re nowhere near where I believe we can get to and where we should be and we’re only a couple of per cent into the journey.

“So I think that’s why we’re starting to pick up the results, ‘winning ugly’ when we have to and playing good stuff when we need to. We’re starting to get that balance right and people have stepped up to the mark and have performed well now in the five games in a row at home where we’ve been unbeaten.”

When asked about the importance of our weekend win over the Daggers, our manager replied: “Obviously, we knew it was a big three points for us before the game.

“People like John Lomas (Chad sports reporter) built it up to be a ‘must win’ and I didn’t want to let him down,” joked Murray. “But as staff and as the management, you have to manage the scenario and the situation, and we obviously knew it was a big game.

“If we’d lost would it have been the end of the world? No, but [the result] was a big step in our journey. We’re going to have a few more where they’ll be big games, but at the minute it’s about keeping performance levels as high as we possibly can and we move on [to the next game].”

In team news for tomorrow’s game, goalkeeper Lenny Pidgeley is unable to feature against his parent club and is likely to be replaced between the sticks by Swiss shot-stopper Sascha Studer.

Otherwise, apart from long-term absentees Liam Hearn, Luke Jones and Matty Blair, our boss has no fresh injury concerns.

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Time to end abysmal away form, says Stags manager Murray ahead of Newport trip
by John Lomas, chad.co.uk, Monday 02 March 2015

Mansfield Town’s players spent Sunday analysing their previous away games as they prepare to head to Newport County tomorrow and try to put an end to their abysmal form on the road.

http://www.chad.co.uk/sport/mansfield-town/time-to-end-abysmal-away-form-says-stags-manager-murray-ahead-of-newport-trip-1-7133506

The Stags made it three wins and two draws in five home games with Saturday’s 2-1 win over Dagenham & Redbridge to pull further away from the drop zone.

But away from home they have the second worst record in the division after bottom club Hartlepool with two wins and three draws and boss Adam Murray said: “This away form is really winding me up now.

“We sat and watched our previous away games yesterday as a group to look at what is the problem.

“We looked at each game individually and took each on its merits. You start to understand certain reasons we have not got the results we should have.

“We don’t need to change things around a lot in the way we go about things to put that right. We just need to tweak our shape a bit and I am sure we can get some away points on the board.”

Stags make the long haul to South Wales tomorrow to take on an Exiles side that sit in the play-off spots in seventh and last weekend pulled off an excellent 1-0 win away to table-topping Burton Albion.

Newport lost boss Justin Edinburgh to Gillingham last month with assistant Jimmy Dack promoted into the hot seat and Saturday’s win underlines their potential.

But they have lost two and drawn one of their last three home games, having won their previous four on the bounce.

“There have been a few tweaks there,” said Murray. “I know the boys down there quite well, they are good football guys. They have had some good wins and good performances and fair play to them.

“It will be a really tough place to go. They have done well since they came back into the Football league and it’s something we are looking to do. We want to move forward and be sitting where they are. It is a good game to go into. Confidence is good.

“We hit our targets set by the staff and players for February which was pleasing and we will set the March ones between us today.

“It is now about turning up the heat and putting our foot down on the gas.”

Indeed, February’s 10-point haul was the best of the season and Murray added: “We are starting to see results for all the hard work we’ve put in.

“When I first took over and I first got the job I always said this was a product and a project that was going to take time. We have only scratched the surface so far and are nowhere near where I believe we should be.

“But we have shown we can win ugly if we have to and play some good stuff when we need to. We are starting to get the balance right, people are stepping up to the mark and performing well now.

“That was a big three points for us on Saturday and a big step in our journey, but if we’d lost it wouldn’t have been the end of the world.

“It wasn’t pretty, but people have to understand how bad the conditions were out there. Trying to take goalkicks and corners, the wind was actually moving the ball and we couldn’t get out of our half in the first half.

“So I don’t think the players have had the credit they deserve as our defending was awesome in that first half with the wind and the pressure we were under.

“And if our first goal had been in the Premiership it would be getting played over and over again.”

Stags should have centre half Ryan Tafazolli available, despite dislocating a shoulder during the Dagenham win.

“I thought he had been shot when he went down,” said Murray. “He looked like something out of Braveheart on the battlefield. I just thought ‘get up you seven foot monster’! Credit to him for carrying on and getting through the game.

“It shows the steps he is making not just as a footballer but also as a man. Him and Martin Riley have shown me how well they can perform together these last few games.”

One enforced change will be in goal where Newport loanee Lenny Pidgeley will not be allowed to play against his parent club.

That will mark a return for Swiss keeper Sascha Studer and Murray said: “He is a very good goalkeeper and I have no qualms about him going in. This is another chance for him to show everyone how good he is.”

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Newport County v Mansfield Town: Lenny Pidgeley backs Sascha Studer to shine in goal
nottinghampost.com, Monday 02 March 2015

By Nottingham Post, by Sarah Clapson

Lenny Pidgeley is certain Mansfield Town will be in safe hands when they travel to Newport County tomorrow evening.

Read more at http://www.nottinghampost.com/Newport-County-v-Mansfield-Town-Lenny-Pidgeley/story-26106517-detail/story.html#ARwS61IjtKTTdYh1.99

The on-loan goalkeeper is unable to play against his parent club, leaving Sascha Studer set for his first taste of action since December.

Pidgeley says he will give his team-mate the inside track on tomorrow’s opponents and has backed the Swiss stopper to shine in South Wales.

“I know a few of the boys, so I’ll let him know what my thoughts are on it,” he said.

“Sascha has been really good in training since I got here. He’s keeping himself sharp and looking sharp in training, so I’ve got every confidence that if he comes in he will do a good job.

“Newport have probably got one of the best home forms in the league, so going there is going to be a tough game.

“I won’t be able to play but I’ll be there supporting Mansfield. I better hide!”

Studer has made 18 appearances for the Stags since joining in the summer, having had to battle with previous loanees Dimitar Evtimov and Adam Smith for a place.

Pidgeley has tied down his spot after making the switch last month, with boss Adam Murray keen to have an experienced head between the posts.

The former Millwall custodian though, believes Studer has a bright future.

“Sascha is still at a young age for a goalkeeper,” said the 31-year-old. “I was at Millwall when I was that sort of age.

“It’s still quite a tender age for a keeper, 23 years old.

“Looking back to when I was 23, I was still really inexperienced.

“The (Mansfield) management were looking to bring someone in in their 30s with a bit more experience, at an age when you are just going about your job more steady. Knowing what to do, what to say and how to be in the changing room is a big thing.

“People don’t really see that on the outside but it’s getting that confidence in the team, that building together and trusting in each other.

“Sascha is a really good keeper. Hopefully if he is learning from me, then that’s great.”

The Stags are looking to break a run of five successive away defeats at Rodney Parade, against a side currently in the play-off positions.

“It’s one if these things I’ve got in my belly at the minute - and normally when I want to scratch something, I come out winning,” said Murray.

“I want to put this to bed, this away form - it’s doing my head in at the minute.

“To go there normally, when they’re not in the position they are, is tough, so tonight will be a challenge.

“But you saw on Saturday the spirit we’ve got in the camp and we’ll go there and throw the kitchen sink at them.”

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http://www.southwalesargus.co.uk/sport/football/newportcounty/11826330.Dack_wants_Parade_to_become_a_fortress_again/
Dack is urging supporters to help the club to back-to-back wins when they entertain Mansfield Town on Tuesday night.

“It’s about getting our home form right,” he explained.

“Whether we need to tweak the system to be more on the front foot and open teams up a little bit more, is something for Wayne Hatswell and I to discuss.

“Rodney Parade has been fantastic for us and we’ve got to get it going again and will give it another go on Tuesday and try to get the three points.

“There is a bit more pressure on us at home from the supporters and I don’t blame them, they pay their money and they want to be entertained.”

And Dack admits the Rodney Parade pitch is beginning to show signs of a long season.

He explained: “I don’t want to go on about it, but we need to start getting that first goal, because the pitch at the moment is not a chasing down pitch.

“I don’t want to be disrespectful to it (the pitch) because the ground staff does a fantastic job, but there are a lot of rugby games going on now and it’s a pitch where you’ve got to get that first goal and really take it to teams.

“I don’t want to turn it into an issue, it’s not the best, it could be better, but it’s much better than it was last season.”

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