EVANS, PAUL TISDALE, REUBEN REID REACTION
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Stags deserved victory against Exeter
mansfieldtown.net, 1st April 2017 Stags’ boss Steve Evans believes his side's performance in the 2-1 defeat to Exeter City warranted a victory at One Call Stadium this afternoon. Left-back Mal Benning gave Stags a first-half lead with his first goal of the season before two late Exeter goals, including a controversial injury-time penalty from Grecians’ substitute Reuben Reid, turned the game on its head and sent Exeter home with three points. However, the manager believes his side did enough to beat the Grecians after dominating large periods of the game. “Our performances have been great. We should have won today; we should have won in the games at Yeovil and Cheltenham and those types of games," the Stags' chief said. Read more at http://www.mansfieldtown.net/news/article/2016-17/stags-deserved-victory-against-exeter-3652731.aspx#HAuIhbz9y60bzTPw.99 “We should win today; there’s no disputing the performance and a lot of players were on empty, as they were, to be fair to them. We got beaten by a good team, but the circumstances are cruel and I think they’ve had the rub of the green today and that’s hard to take. “We’ve lost a big game but we’ll win some more games. If we play like that, we’ll win a lot of games. I’ve got no fear in the next six games.” The gaffer says his side will continue fighting in the remaining six games of the season, despite suffering a setback to their play-off aspirations this afternoon. “We’ll keep fighting. We got into the play-offs with Rotherham by having a great run and we need to try and re-produce that. “The goalkeeper (Exeter's Christy Pym) has the best save I’ve seen live for a while in the 93rd minute when he saves it from Ben [Whiteman]. “It’s a fantastic save and sometimes you do that and you go and get something. We didn’t deserve what happened today. “It’s real gut-wrenching for the players but what have we got to do? We’ve just got to get our heads down, work hard, go to Doncaster next week and we’ve got six games to claw back four points.” Exeter striker Reuben Reid won what turned out to be the match-winning penalty in the 96th minute, with replays showing minimal contact from penalised defender Rhys Bennett. “If you’re being professional, you say he's [Reuben Reid] used his experience and played it past Rhys Bennett and gone over but the referee should see that. “It’s just gut-wrenching when he gives a penalty so late and you think at first eye it’s not a penalty and then you look at it back and you see the evidence that it’s not a penalty, that’s gut-wrenching. “The defeat’s not difficult; I think the manner of how we got beat is difficult. If that’s a scythe down in the box and it’s a clear penalty and the guy sticks it in, you think ‘right, no complaints’. “But when on first sight you think it’s not (a penalty), the fourth official’s agreeing it’s not, from eye-sight, but you have to get the DVD. “The analyst came in and showed us the DVD - well you’d be giving penalties every week if you give that.” Supporters can login to Stags PlayerHD to view the manager's full post-match interview. ------------------- Stags boss Evans accuses matchwinner Reid of cheating chad.co.uk, by JOHN LOMAS, Saturday 01 April 2017 Exeter City matchwinner Reuben Reid was accused of being a cheat by furious Mansfield Town boss Steve Evans as he won and netted a penalty seven minutes into added time to give the Grecians an unlikely 2-1 win in this afternoon’s big game Reid seemed to go down easily under Rhys Bennett’s challenge and the referee awarded the kick. It was a late kick in the teeth for a Mansfield side that were deservedly still 1-0 up with six minutes to go. “It was gut-wrenching. We deserved to win the game,” said Evans. “They’ve had a bit of a go second half and their keeper has made a fantastic save to stop us winning it, then the referee gives a penalty. Read more at: http://www.chad.co.uk/sport/football/mansfield-town/stags-boss-evans-accuses-matchwinner-reid-of-cheating-1-8470910 “We’ve just looked at it back and it’s as I thought first time, he just plays it past Rhys and goes over. It’s not a penalty. “I’ll say it now, the FA can do what they like, the player has cheated and there is no place for it in the game. “It makes it harder to take. We’ve lost a game we should have won. We dominated for long spells. “Exeter were on the rack for long spells but they have come up the tunnel as if they are celebrating promotion. That will hurt us all tonight but we’ll go forward and learn from it.” He added: “It was played like a cup tie, unfortunately we got a referee today who was absolutely shocking from start to finish. “They couldn’t deal with us and that was why they were giving so many fouls away. I am not casting any aspirations on the referee, but you look at that last penalty and you think, oh dear, is it me? Maybe it’s just my thought process right after a game? “I suggest that Troy Brown should have been off the pitch after 10 minutes for smashing Danny Rose in the face with an elbow. The referee said he was protecting himself which is a strange one.” The defeat left Stags four points off the play-offs with just six games to go. “There’s not a lot I can say to the players right now - they are as down as you could be, the supporters the same,” he said. “We’ve lost a big game. But, play like that, we will win more games. I am not fearing the next six games. “We’ve dropped six points to Exeter this season but smashed them twice - sometimes that happens. I congratulate them. They are a good team but they had a bit of help today. We will keep fighting.” -------------- Mansfield Town 1 Exeter City 2: Paul Tisdale's reaction to Grecians' last-gasp victory By David_Byrom, April 01, 2017, devonlive.com Paul Tisdale urged Exeter City to keep their feet on the ground following their phenomenal smash-and-grab win over Mansfield Town on Saturday. The Grecians ousted their play-off rivals 2-1 thanks to Ryan Harley's 84th-minute equaliser and Reuben Reid's penalty with the last kick of the game to move up to sixth in the table and give themselves a cushion over the chasing pack. Tisdale was delighted with the win but, with six games to go, reiterated that his side cannot get overexcited by the three points. He said: "It was a really competitive game and there was no doubt they had the edge in the first half. Read more at http://www.devonlive.com/mansfield-town-1-exeter-city-2-paul-tisdale-s-reaction-to-grecians-last-gasp-victory/story-30243168-detail/story.html#sGXFALdiHUE1AjES.99 "They were really, really hard to handle but I thought we had the edge in the second half and, okay, it's a rotten way to lose it, a great way to win it, and if it had finished a draw, I think we'd have both been satisfied, but we'll take the three points and move on. "Let's not be too pleased with ourselves, we've got six games to go and there's a long way to go yet." It was the second week in a row that City had left it late to take points from the game and Tisdale believes it is a combination of spirit and level-headedness from his side that has seen them do so. He said: "It's a mixture of spirit of continuing to try and but there's also the knowhow of where to stand, where to play, how to pass it, where to go. It's a mixture of that and we showed that in abundance in the last 20 minutes. "Matt Oakley was just an absolute masterclass when he came on, he changed the game, changed the pattern, so it's a mixture of the two things - of course, they believed they could score, and they carried on and well done them but you've got to know what to do as well and we did it. It was a really, really good finish to the game from us. "We'll have terrible times and we'll have exciting times, today was an exciting time, but it's not worth getting carried away as there's a long way to go yet." Tisdale also praised Christy Pym, who produced a wonder save to deny Ben Whiteman from giving the Stags three points moments before Reid won a spot kick. "That was a magnificent save, an absolutely brilliant save - I thought it saved us a point but it actually won us three," Tisdale said. "And Pierce Sweeney was on the rebound so everyone played their part in a big, big moment with two or three minutes to go. "We've gone from what looks like a defeat to a win and that's football for you and there'll be more of those to come, I'm sure." Tisdale's substitutions helped turn the game on its head with both Oakley and Reid playing big parts in the victory and the manager believes it is due to having strength in depth. "I've got a bench to work with," he said. "I haven't had that for a few years so even with an injured Lee Holmes, Robbie Simpson and Craig Woodman, I've still got a bench and I've got lots and lots of choices on that bench so it's a case of picking the right player for the right moment. It was a great ball from Matt Oakley to Reuben to create the penalty, a really good ball." Finally, Tisdale was keen to play down what City have achieved so far believing that, whilst they currently occupy a place in the top seven, they cannot yet say they are in the play-offs. He said: "I don't think it's the right theme to keep saying we've stayed in the play-offs - we're not in the play-offs. We'll be in the play-offs in May if we get there, there's only 40 games gone, so we've got to get rid of that - we're not in the play-offs, we will be after the last game of the season if we finish from fourth to seventh, that's all that matters. "Mansfield will come strong, they've got one hell of a competitive spirit, so let's not think we've done it today." -------------------- Exeter City striker Reuben Reid hits back at "delusional" Mansfield Town manager Steve Evans By David_Byrom, April 01, 2017, devonlive.com Exeter City striker Reuben Reid has hit back at Steve Evans, calling the Mansfield Town manager delusional. Evans had accused Reid of cheating to win a last-gasp penalty that earned City a 2-1 comeback win over the Stags after Ryan Harley's 84th-minute strike had cancelled out Mal Bennings' equaliser. Emotions were running high after that match, with Evans annoyed how Reid had gone down under Rhys Bennett's challenge. Evans said: "I'll say it now, the FA can do what they like, the player has cheated and there is no place for it in the game. Read more at http://www.devonlive.com/exeter-city-striker-reuben-reid-hits-back-at-delusional-mansfield-town-manager-steve-evans/story-30243952-detail/story.html#mSY4sOWdXRlqv0pb.99 "It makes it harder to take. We've lost a game we should have won. We dominated for long spells." Yet Reid was shocked to have been accused of cheating and said the foul was a stonewall penalty. "What can you say to that?" he asked. "That's delusional. Is he saying I dived? Why did I fall on the floor? Did I slip? "People see different things. Obviously he's emotional. It's a hard one for him to take so late in the game. "But I'm sure when he watches the game back he will ask his lad. I don't think there were many protests from their players. "He will see I pushed it round his guy. The guy clipped me and I go down. It's a foul. It's a stonewall penalty. It's not even 50-50." The victory opens up a two-point game between City and the chasing pack in the play-off race and Reid said that, psychologically, it was a good result. He said: "We were happy with the result. It was the biggest game of the season for us - if we lost we were out the play-offs. "So that was a massive psychological boost. "It's getting to that stage now and three points today was massive. We want to try to win every single game and see where it takes us. "If we'd dropped points we'd be hurting and up against it." ----------- George William Taft @t99fty Feels good to be enjoying football again on a Saturday, buzzing to get a start but absolutely gutted about the result, we go again! ?????? John Radford Absolutely devastated at todays result and the referees decision. Can't tell you how much I am hurting. Gutted. I would appreciate your support at Doncaster. John ------------------ |
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