Archived News from December 2017
|
STAGS DRAW A BLANK AGAINST YEOVIL
|
 |
|
English Football League - Sky Bet League Two
Mansfield Town 0 - 0 Yeovil Town Attendance: 3032 (86 from Yeovil) Date: 16 December 2017 Martin Shaw and Simon Chamberlain at the One Call Stadium, Field Mill Mansfield Town were unable to beat a Yeovil Town side that is languishing towards the bottom of the table, and that had taken just one point from their last five games, in a 0-0 draw at the One Call Stadium. In a disappointing first half, it was Yeovil who created three good chances to take the lead, as Sam Surridge headed against the angle of bar and post, then Matt Worthington brought an excellent save from Conrad Logan who got down low to Worthington’s powerful shot from just outside the box which took a deflection on the way. Then it was Surridge again who chipped onto the roof of the net in a Yeovil break. Mansfield went close on the stroke of half time as Lee Angol’s on target shot was deflected into the side netting, while earlier in the half Alex MacDonald had shot straight at the keeper. The second half saw Mansfield completely dominate possession but a real lack of quality in the final third meant that not many clearcut chances were created. Mansfield’s best chance came on 70 minutes when Mellis played in from the right and sub CJ Hamilton was denied by a fine save from keeper Artur Krysiak who palmed away his goalbound volley. Hamilton had injected some purpose into Mansfield’s attacking. On 75 minutes, Benning dinked a free kick beyond the far post to the byline, where Krystian Pearce rolled the ball back across the face of goal and Paul Anderson, surprisingly employed as a striker for the last half hour, was unable to turn it in from close range when he seemed certain to score. Mansfield had Yeovil pinned back for much of the half but the final ball and crosses in general were very poor which resulted in the lack of efforts on goal. There was also a real lack of quality from set pieces, both corners and free kicks, which were wasted. Once again, Mansfield badly missed Joel Byrom and his quality of balls into the box. Mansfield also missed striker Kane Hemmings, with Lee Angol ineffective since his return from injury. The Stags are two points outside the play-offs and six points outside the top three, with another home game against a side languishing towards the bottom of the table in Morecambe coming to town next week. Steve Evans made four changes to the side that lost at Crawley and reverted to wing backs in the system he’d played at Blackpool 10 days ago. Benning returned to the side at left wing back. Pearce started, alongside Bennett and Diamond in central defence. Mellis and Atkinson were in central midfield, with MacDonald behind the front two of Rose and Angol. Hemmings was still not ready to return from injury. Byrom was still out. So the changes saw Benning, Pearce, Mellis, and Angol replace Hunt, Anderson, Hamilton and Spencer. Before announcing the side, Steve Evans asked me to guess the side and agonisingly I got 10 out of 11, failing with the last man as I had Hemmings rather than Angol. Mind you Evans had given me a clue when I said “White at right back..” and he hesitated saying “yes but..” so I quickly changed my side to the new formation. Yeovil had taken just one point from the last five league games. New signing Oscar Gobern, who briefly was at Mansfield, had got injured on his debut last week so was not involved. FULL REPORT IN THE MATCH CENTRE ------------------------------- REPORT: Mansfield Town 0-0 Yeovil Town chad.co.uk, by JOHN LOMAS, Saturday 16 December 2017 A cold and frustrating afternoon saw struggling Yeovil Town hold Mansfield Town to a 0-0 draw at the One Call Stadium this afternoon. A game of very few real chances saw the Glovers dig deep to pick up only their second League Two point in six outings. Indeed, they had the best chances of a poor first half before an even worse second half saw CJ Hamilton denied by a fine save by the visiting keeper. On a freezing cold afternoon, it was disappointing fare as the home side struggled to get into gear and the visitors frustrated them at every opportunity. The Glovers hit the bar, forced a save from Conrad Logan and saw another attempt land on the roof of the net in the best moments of the first half. But there was little in the 90 minutes for either set of fans to get overly excited about as the Stags remained two points adrift of the top seven. Stags went with a 3-5-2 formation and recalled centre half Krystian Pearce, left wing back Mal Benning, midfielder Jacob Mellis and striker Lee Angol. Out went Johnny Hunt, Paul Anderson, CJ Hamilton and Jimmy Spencer. Striker Kane Hemmings had not recovered fully from a calf injury and so was left out again. Mansfield started well, winning two early corners and asking early questions. MacDonald was then wide with a low shot from 25 yards in the sixth minute - the first goal attempt of the game. At the other end a minute later Zoko forced Logan to turn a low effort away for a corner, though it did look to be going wide anyway. Bennett halted a Yeovil break with a trip on Gray on 11 minutes, rightfully earning a yellow card. But it was the visitors who twice came close in as many minutes to breaking through. On 16 minutes Khan crossed for Surridge to get in a header that hit the crossbar. A minute later Logan had to get down quickly to parry a smart 20-yard piledriver from Worthington. Stags finally tested Krysiak on 21 minutes as MacDonald swapped passes with Benning to get behind the right back and into the box where he smashed a finish straight at the keeper. Diamond then got in an important block on a Zoko shot in the box as home fans began to grow impatient. On 28 minutes Benning was just too high with a looping shot after a series of passes with Mellis to make space at the edge of the box. Surridge came close again on 29 minutes as he raced into the box on the left, went inside Pearce and lifted a dipping finish onto the roof of the net. In added time at the end of a poor first half MacDonald fed Angol into space on the left of the box, but his low finish deflected wide as the half ended on a few boos from the stand. The second began in ill tempered fashion as Surridge and Pearce collided off the ball and Pearce stayed down holding his face, Both teams ran in and shoved each other. In the end the referee bizarrely booked both players. White played a good ball into the box for Mellis whose low cross deflected just wide and almost flew into the net off a defender on 53 minutes. On 56 minutes Surridge's low 20 yard shot was straight at Logan with home fans now booing the Yeovil man's every touch. MacDonald whipped in a first time cross to the far post from the right only to see Benning jump well but head wide on 58 minutes. Benning was then just wide with a first time shot from a half-clearance before MacDonald was replaced by Anderson on the hour. Both sides had shots at goal at either end, but Zoko and MacDonald's efforts were both easy for the keepers. Stags then sent on Hamilton for Bennett on 66 minutes Surridge was roundly booed as he left the field three minutes later, to be replaced by the dangerous seven-goal Olomola. Mansfield came desperately close on 70 minutes as Hamilton volleyed a MacDonald cross powerfully at goal and Krysiak acrobatically pushed it away. Soon after Pearce reached a Benning free kick on the by-line and sent it skidding across the face of goal with no one able to turn it home. With nine minutes to go the Stags made their final change with Butcher on for Mellis in midfield. Krysiak punched away a goalbound Anderson header from a tight angle on 83 minutes as the frustration grew. Seven minutes were added with Benning booked in the fourth of them for his foul on sub Green. The final whistle produced the inevitable boos from the stands. STAGS: Logan; Pearce, Diamond, Bennett (Hamilton 66); White, Mellis (Butcher 81), Atkinson, MacDonald, Benning; Rose, Angol (Anderson 60). Subs not used: Olejnik, Digby, Spencer, Potter. YEOVIL: Krysiak, Smith, Worthington, Khan, Gray (Green 84), Dickson, Zoko, Surridge (Olomola 69), Bailey, Sowunmi, James. Subs not used: Maddison, Mugabi, Davies, Olomola, Nelson, Santos. REFEREE Martin Coy of Durham. ATTENDANCE: 3,032 (86 away). CHAD STAGS MAN OF THE MATCH: Alex MacDonald. Read more at: https://www.chad.co.uk/sport/football/mansfield-town/report-mansfield-town-0-0-yeovil-town-1-8914040 ------------------------ REPORT | Mansfield Town 0-0 Yeovil Town Battling Town pick up a point on their travels ytfc.net, by Alex O'Loughlin A determined performance saw Yeovil Town come away from Mansfield Town with a share of the spoils in Sky Bet League Two. The livelier outfit in the first half, the Green and Whites went closest to scoring as Sam Surridge saw a header crash off the crossbar. Buoyed by a positive opening 45 minutes the Glovers produced a dogged performance after the restart to hold off their play-off chasing opponents and return to Somerset with a point following a 0-0 draw. https://www.ytfc.net/news/2017/december/report-mansfield-town-0-0-yeovil-town/ Darren Way made one change from the side that saw off Port Vale in the Emirates FA Cup during the week. Having replaced the concussed Connor Smith on Tuesday, Matt Worthington claimed the Irishman’s starting berth for the trip to Nottinghamshire. Ruled out of action, C. Smith joined Rhys Browne (hamstring) and Oscar Gobern (hamstring) on the sidelines, allowing Sid Nelson to feature in the matchday 18 for the first time in the league since the 21st November. At a close to freezing One Call Stadium the visitors were quick to warm up and almost broke the deadlock on three occasions inside the opening 20 minutes. Fresh from netting in midweek, Francois Zoko forced Conrad Logan into an early save with a low drive, before strike partner Surridge went even closer. Determined work from Otis Khan on the left eventually saw a cross to the back post which the Bournemouth loanee turned onto the crossbar with a looping header. With the woodwork still wobbling Worthington’s venomous strike from 20 yards took a deflection on the way through forcing Logan into a good reaction save, as Town started brightly. Having been on the defensive for most of the opening exchanges the Stags entered the game in an attacking sense, as the diminutive Alex MacDonald fired straight at Artur Krysiak after weaving into the box. However, that chance failed to swing the momentum in the hosts’ favour as the Glovers went close again on 29 minutes. Breaking quickly, Khan and Surridge combined again to play in the latter, only for the young striker’s lobbed shot after beating Krystian Pearce to land on the roof of the net. Becoming an end-to-end affair for the remainder of the half, Way’s side stood strong at the back to dispel a number of balls into the box, whilst the Stags defence had to be alert to twice block goalbound Zoko shots. Lee Angol’s deflected shot into the side-netting rounded off an entertaining opening 45 minutes, as Town returned to the changing room with plenty to be encouraged by. As the temperature plunged in Mansfield the second half became a scrappy affair. Moments after the restart, both Surridge and Pearce went into the book for an off the ball tussle, as the hosts looked to inflict their physicality on the visitors. Often interrupted by referee Martin Coy's whistle, shots became few and far between as Surridge and Zoko both shot straight at Logan as the match ticked past the hour mark. After a lull, the game burst back into life on 70 minutes. Following a spell of pressure, MacDonald teed up CJ Hamilton on the volley inside the box, but Krysiak was perfectly placed to get a strong hand to the winger's well-hit strike to keep it 0-0. As the Stags upped the intensity levels they produced another chance to notch the opener, as Pearce's header back across goal looked to find Paul Anderson who failed to connect just two yards out. Entering the final 10 minutes it was Steve Evans' side who remained on the front foot, as the Glovers battled to pick up just their fifth point of the season on the road. Having manfully defended for much of the second period the Glovers almost put themselves 1-0 up in the closing stages. Jake Gray's deflected shot fell to Nathan Smith in the box, but the defender's instinctive strike was blocked six yards out. Indicating the stop-start nature of the second half the fourth official's board indicated seven minutes of additional time, but Way's side stood strong to pick up the point their performance deserved for just the third time on their travels this season. Mansfield Town: Logan; Pearce, Diamond, Bennett (Hamilton 66'); White, Atkinson, MacDonald, Mellis (Butcher 81'), Benning; Rose, Angol (Anderson 60'). Bookings: Bennett 11', Pearce 48', Benning 90' Subs not used: Olejnik, Digby, Potter, Spencer. Yeovil Town: Krysiak; James, Sowunmi, N. Smith, Dickson; Gray (Green 84'), Bailey, Worthington, Khan; Surridge (Olomola 69'), Zoko. Bookings: Surridge 48' Subs not used: Maddison, Davies, Mugabi, Nelson, Santos. ------------------------- Ciderspace News Page : Mansfield 0 Yeovil 0 : First Away Clean Sheet For Ten Months Gained At Field Mill http://www.ciderspace.co.uk/ASP/news/news.asp?NewsItemId=27926 Yeovil Town gained their first clean sheet on the road for ten months this afternoon, as the carved out a 0-0 draw against Mansfield Town. The Glovers poor away form this season meant that they had not achieved a shut-out since the February 2017 draw against Notts County at Meadow Lane, but they got a point in a match where Sam Surridge went the closest, with his first half header striking the woodwork. The Stags dominated the second half, but despite that pressure the visitors held firm to get a draw that leaves them in 21st place in the table. The Glovers went into the match making just one change to their line-up. Connor Smith suffered a head injury in midweek and his concussion meant that he had to sit out the match with Matt Worthington coming into his place. On the bench, Sid Nelson took the spare place, putting him on the teamsheet for the first time in six matches. Mansfield had a couple of early chances with Alex MacDonald having a shot deflected for a corner as Nathan Smith blocked his shot, with Artur Krysiak had to palm the ball out for a second corner. The same player shot wide from distance, before Yeovil began to get a foothold as Francois Zoko saw his attempt saved by Conrad Logan. The Glovers had their best spell midway through the first half, with Otis Khan's cross creating the chance of the game as Sam Surridge connected with a header inside the box that came off the woodwork. They were also a bit unlucky not to see a Matt Worthington effort land in the back of the net, after his shot from outside the box took a deflection, almost deceiving Logan - the keeper did well to recover and parry the ball. Alex MacDonald had another attempt saved by Krysiak when Malvind Benning set him up, whilst a flowing move from the Stags was completed by Benning shooting over the bar. There was a nervy moment when Omar Sowunmi let in a Stags player through a bit of bad ball control, but Krysiak anticipated the danger well by coming off his line. Yeovil were still well in the half, with Sam Surridge unfortunate to lose his footing as he shot, meaning that his attempt to lob Logan went over the bar and onto the roof of the net, in what was an even open 45 minutes. Mansfield started the second half in a fired up state, and the game took a bit of needle, particularly when Krystian Pearce and Sam Surridge got involved in a spot of wrestling, leading to all outfield players getting involved in the aftermath, and both players getting bookings. That seemed to result in Stags players trying to target the AFC Bournemouth loanee, in an effort to sucker him into a second caution - thankfully he kept his cool and didn't bite. This was a half that the Stags dominated, with only a Francois Zoko shot worrying their goalkeeper. In the main, Yeovil were having to defend heavily, particularly after Mansfield introduced Paul Anderson and Christopher Hamilton as substitutes. Alex MacDonald saw a free kick saved, and then found Hamilton in the box forcing Krysiak into a superb block. Tom James was also responsible for stopping a second Hamilton effort before it could reach the goalkeeper, but there were hearts in mouths when from a free kick Pearce headed the ball back across the face of the box, with Anderson inches away from connecting with a ball which from two yards out he surely would have scored. Thankfully that final touch wasn't there. Mansfield didn't quite sustain their pressure in the closing stages, with Paul Anderson going the closest as Krysiak parried his header to his left. But despite referee Martin Coy perplexing a lot of people by giving the home team seven minutes worth of injury time to find a winner, it didn't happen, and the deeper the game got into that period, the more Yeovil were able to regain possession and run the clock down. Not a pretty game at all, but as it gives Yeovil only their fifth away point of the 2017-18 season, and that rarity of a clean sheet on the road, even dropping a place in the table won't hurt too much. Link: 2017-18 Latest League Two Table. Final Score: Mansfield Town 0 Yeovil Town 0. Scorers: None. Mansfield Town: 1 Conrad Logan 16 Hayden White 2 Rhys Bennett 5 Krystian Pearce 6 Zander Diamond 3 Malvind Benning 7 Alexander MacDonald 8 Jacob Mellis 11 Will Atkinson 32 Danny Rose 9 Lee Angol Substitutes: 4 Paul Digby 10 Paul Anderson (60 mins for Lee Angol) 12 Robert Olejnik 15 James Spencer 17 Alfie Potter 22 Christopher Hamilton (66 mins for Rhys Bennett) 24 Callum Butcher (81 mins for Jacob Melis) Yeovil Town: 1. Artur Krysiak 23. Tom James 17. Omar Sowunmi 3. Nathan Smith 11. Ryan Dickson 10. Jake Gray 4. Matt Worthington 16. James Bailey (Capt) 7. Otis Khan 14. Sam Surridge 13. Francois Zoko Substitutes: 12. Jonny Maddison (GK) 5. Bevis Mugabi 6. Keston Davies 15. Jordan Green (84 mins for Jake Gray) 24. Olufela Olomola (68 mins for Sam Surridge) 25. Sid Nelson 30. Alefe Santos Mansfield Town Bookings: Rhys Bennett (foul, 11 mins), Krystian Pearce (off the ball incident, 49 mins), Malvind Benning (foul, 90 mins) Yeovil Bookings: Sam Surridge (off the ball incident, 48 mins) Mansfield Town Match Statistics: Possession: 57%; Shots: 14; Shots On Target: 5; Corners: 8; Fouls: 10. Yeovil Match Statistics: Possession: 43%; Shots: 11; Shots On Target: 7; Corners: 3; Fouls: 13. Referee: Martin Coy (County Durham). Assistants: Steven Plane (Worcestershire) and Paul Thompson (Derbyshire). Fourth Official: James Bell (Sheffield). Attendance: 3,032 (with 86 Yeovil Town supporters). ------------------------ |
Latest | December 2017