Archived News from December 2017
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12MATCH UNBEATEN RUN OVER AS STAGS LOSEAT CRAWLEY
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English Football League - Sky Bet League Two
Crawley Town 2 - 0 Mansfield Town McNerney 63, Meite 90+2 Attendance: 1791 (229 from Mansfield) Date: 9 December 2017 Martin Shaw at Broadfield Stadium Mansfield Town’s 12 match unbeaten run in all competitions is over with a 2-0 defeat at Crawley this afternoon. The Stags lacked any sort of quality going forward and rarely looked like scoring after a terrible miss just 3 minutes into the game by CJ Hamilton having gone around the goalkeeper. Crawley provided a rare moment of quality in the game to take the lead on 63 minutes as Jordan Roberts, who showed real quality against us last season, put in a wonderful cross and Joe McNerney powered home a great header. The Stags pushed more and more bodies forward as the game wore on, but without any quality to create goalscoring chances, and kept getting caught on the break by Crawley who missed several opportunities to extend the lead outnumbering Mansfield as they broke forward. It came as no surprise when Crawley added a second goal 2 minutes into stoppage time with another break as sub Ibrahim Meite rounded Conrad Logan to score. Mansfield did have a goal disallowed on 90+5 minutes, I haven’t seen the video yet to understand why it was disallowed, but it was too little too late anyway. Mansfield badly missed the injured Joel Byrom (who according to Stags boss Steve Evans during the week should be fit for next Saturday) in midfield, and Jacob Mellis too. In hindsight, it would have been better not to play Mellis at Blackpool in the Checkatrade Trophy and keep him fresh for this game instead, (Evans has previously said that 2 games in 3 days is too much for Mellis). Mansfield are also missing Kane Hemmings, who was really hitting form before he got injured. Hemmings would have played here but felt his calf in training on Friday. Steve Evans pulled no punches after the game saying that Crawley deserved to win and his team didn’t show up. The Stags are outside the play-offs on goal difference, and 5 points outside the top 3. Mansfield have back to back home games against Yeovil and Morecambe coming up and need to bounce back from this disappointing result. I’m expecting Mansfield to win those games and be inside the play-off zone at Christmas. Steve Evans named the same side and formation that beat Guiseley in the FA Cup last weekend. Evans said that Kane Hemmings would have played here but felt his calf in training on Friday. He presumably would have replaced Jimmy Spencer, who despite his hat-trick against Guiseley, was poor at Blackpool on Wednesday in the Checkatrade Trophy, twice gifting chances to Blackpool with poor marking, one of which was converted. FULL REPORT IN THE MATCH CENTRE ------------------------------- MATCH REPORT: Crawley double ends Stags’ unbeaten run Mansfield Town's Hayden White : Photo by 'The Bigger Picture' Published: 17:23 Saturday 09 December 2017 Mansfield Town’s seven-match unbeaten run in, a run which had taken them into the League Two play-off places, ended in disappointing style at Crawley this afternoon. Goals from substitutes Joe McNerney and Ibrahim Meite were enough for Harry Kewell’s side to consign Steve Evans’ charges to a 2-0 defeat at Evans’ former club. Mansfield Town's xx : Photo by 'The Bigger Picture' It dropped Mansfield down to ninth, out the play-off places on goal difference. The Stags should have taken the lead just three minutes into the match when Jimmy Spencer’s pass found CJ Hamilton free in the area. Hamilton deftly sidestepped keeper Glenn Morris but his shot towards an unguarded net lacked power and allowed Crawley defender Josh Yorwerth to rush back and clear. At the other end, home striker Jordan Roberts had space and time 20 yards out but his wild effort not only cleared the crossbar but also the roof of the visitors’ stand behind it. In the 21st minute, Mark Randall burst into the Mansfield area and looked to have been brought down from behind by Will Atkinson but referee Gavin Ward waved away the protests. Although Alex MacDonald covered acres of ground trying to create chances for Mansfield, his balls forward could not find a way past the defensive pairing of Yorwerth and Mark Connolly. And at the other end of the pitch Conrad Logan did not have a single save to make in a half lacking in goalmouth action. The second period was following a similar pattern until Crawley took the lead on the hour mark. Defender Joe McNerney, who had come on as a second half replacement for the injured Connolly, headed home Roberts’ cross after Mansfield had only half cleared a corner. Morris did have to be on his toes in the 73rd minute when MacDonald found space 15 yards out, but he shot straight at the keeper’s midriff. And Mansfield conceded a second in extra time when Meite outpaced the Stags defence and beat Logan with a low shot. CRAWLEY (3-4-1-2): Morris: Connolly (McNerney 45), Yorweth, Lelan; Young, Randall (Bulman 90+1) Payne, Evina; Smith; Roberts, Boldewijn (Meite 88). Subs not used: Mersin, Lewis, Doherty, Verheydt. MANSFIELD: (4-4-2): Logan; White, Bennett, Diamond, Hunt (Pearce 76); Anderson, MacDonald, Atkinson, Hamilton (Butcher 68); Spencer (Angol 59), Rose. Subs not used: Olejnik, Digby, Mellis, Sterling-James. REFEREE: Gavin Ward. ATTENDANCE: 1,791. Read more at: https://www.chad.co.uk/sport/football/mansfield-town/match-report-crawley-double-ends-stags-unbeaten-run-1-8901935 ------------------- Substitutes strike as Crawley sink Stags crawleyobserver.co.uk, by LEWIS MASON, Saturday 09 December 2017 Substitutes Joe McNerney and Ibrahim Meite netted in the second half as Crawley Town made it back-to-back League 2 home victories for the first time since January this afternoon. Centre-half McNerney - introduced at the break in place of the injured Mark Connolly - headed Reds ahead after 63 minutes, then Meite rounded off the scoring a minute into stoppage-time as Harry Kewell's men bagged a 2-0 success over Mansfield Town at the Checkatrade Stadium. Jordan Roberts laid on the assist for Joe McNerney's first goal of the season. Picture by Phil Westlake (PW Sporting Photography) Stags - managed by former Crawley boss Steve Evans - had threatened in the early exchanges but it was Reds who had too much for promotion-hopefuls Mansfield in a match lacking in quality for the large part. The win sees Crawley extend their unbeaten league run to three matches and leaves them 17th in the table. Reds made two changes from the team that drew at Coventry City in their last league outing. Skipper Jimmy Smith and Josh Lelan returned to the starting line-up in place of Panutche Camara and Dannie Bulman. A minute's applause was held prior to kick-off in honour of former Crawley head coach Dermot Drummy, who died last month. Reds made a sluggish start and were lucky not to be behind inside three minutes. Jimmy Spencer played in Stags winger C.J Hamilton, his touch took him past the onrushing Glenn Morris but Josh Yorwerth recovered superbly to clear on the line. Crawley began to see a lot more of the ball as the half wore on and grew in to the game. Midfielder Mark Randall took a tumble in the area after a tangle with Will Atkinson on 20 minutes - referee Gavin Ward waved away the home side's appeals for a penalty. Stags were still carried a threat, firing balls into the box. Yorwerth crucially headed away following a flick-on ten minutes later. A clever free-kick routine almost saw Reds break the deadlock eight minutes after the restart. Randall's low pass picked out Payne, whose rising effort flew just over. A game largely lacking in quality saw a superb opener. Roberts' exquisite deliver was flicked home by the head of substitute Joe McNerney after 63 minutes. Stags, who offered very little after a fast start, went in search of a leveller in the closing stages. But it was Reds who would go onto win it, netting a second after 90 minutes. Meite - just minutes after being introduced - broke clear, rounded Conrad Logan and slotted into an empty net. CRAWLEY TOWN: Morris; Lelan, Yorwerth, Connolly, Evina; Payne, Smith; Young, Randall, Boldewijn; Roberts. Subs: Mersin, Meite (Boldewijn, 87), Lewis, Doherty, Verheydt, Bulman, McNerney (Connolly, 45). Read more at: https://www.crawleyobserver.co.uk/sport/football/crawley-town/substitutes-strike-as-crawley-sink-stags-1-8283793 ---------------------- |
Latest | December 2017