Archived News from February 2018
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STAGS MISS CHANCES TO BEAT 10-MAN COVENTRY
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English Football League - Sky Bet League Two
Mansfield Town 1 - 1 Coventry City Hemmings 16. Clarke-Harris pen 71. Willis sent off 15 Attendance: 6105 (1523 from Coventry) Date: 24 February 2018 Martin Shaw and Simon Chamberlain at the One Call Stadium, Field Mill Mansfield Town miss a glorious opportunity to move into the top 3 when they were unable to beat a Coventry side reduced to 10 men after 15 minutes. The Stags produced wave after wave of pressure on the Coventry goal but lacked sufficient quality in the final third to force the win. Coventry had started the game on top and Conrad Logan pulled off a fine save after just two minutes keeping out a header by Rod McDonald. On 15 minutes, a pinpoint kick forward from Logan was brilliantly controlled by Danny Rose, who was immediately through on goal, and clumsily bundled over from behind by Jordan Willis just outside the area. Willis was correctly sent off for denying a goalscoring opportunity outside the area. Alex MacDonald took the resulting free kick, which deflected off Kane Hemmings and trickled into the net, wrong-footing the keeper, for Hemmings’ 9th goal of the season. Mansfield stretched Coventry for the remainder of the half, and created good chances to seal the game, with Rhys Bennett heading over unmarked from an Alfie Potter corner, CJ Hamilton running at goal from the right and firing straight at the keeper, and Hemmings heading wide from Paul Anderson’s cross from the right. The second half started in the same vein with a shot by Hemmings saved by the keeper after good play from Hamilton and then Alex MacDonald firing just wide from 25 yards. But a warning shot from Coventry on 69 minutes as Ryan Haynes played a great 1-2 to get into the Stags area and his shot was brilliantly tipped against the post by Logan. But moments later Coventry were awarded a penalty. Alex MacDonald picked up a loose ball in the box and had a chance to clear it down Bishop Street, but instead tried to control it, he went down, and Jonson Clarke-Harris went down over him. The referee gave a penalty. A very soft penalty, but MacDonald should not have given the referee a decision to make, by clearing the ball initially. Clarke-Harris buried the penalty into the left corner of the net. Steve Evans thought Mansfield should have had a penalty for a handball inside the area which was given as a free kick outside the area, on 82 minutes, but our pitchside video footage suggests it was just outside the area. Alex MacDonald’s resulting free kick towards the near post was just pushed away by the keeper. Another Mansfield claim for a penalty on 87 minutes as Dominic Hyam pushed Ricky Miller from behind inside the area, and Miller went down. The referee booked Miller for diving. From the video footage, there is a clear push, albeit gentle, in the back of Miller and it is probably more of a penalty than the one awarded to Coventry. Jacob Mellis tried his luck with a couple of shots towards the end but both were off target. So two huge points dropped and the Stags run of 5 home league wins on the trot is over. Mansfield are two points outside the top 3, with Wycombe losing at home, and there are a massive 12 further games to go, starting at Stevenage next week. Incidentally, over the past 12 games, Mansfield are second in the form table, having taken 27 points, with Accrington having taken 28. If Mansfield can repeat that form in the next 12 games, a top 3 place will surely be secured. It was the first time Coventry had played a competitive game at Mansfield since 1975, and the first time in a league game since 1964. FULL REPORT IN THE MATCH CENTRE --------------------------------------- MATCH REPORT: Mansfield Town 1-1 Coventry City - Stags held at home by 10-man Sky Blues chad.co.uk, by JOHN LOMAS, Saturday 24 February 2018 Mansfield Town let two precious points slip through their fingers in this afternoon’s 1-1 home draw with 10-men rivals Coventry City. Amid a red hot atmosphere, City had Jordan Willis sent off as early as the 14th minute and when the resulting free kick deflected home off Kane Hemmings the Stags were in charge. Mansfield Town v Coventry'Coventry equaliser from penalty spot. But, despite a string of chances, the home side failed to kill off the visitors and paid a big price when Alex MacDonald fouled Jonson Clarke-Harris in the box on 71 minutes and the Coventry striker rocketed home the spot kick. It was a highly entertaining game with plenty of incident for the big crowd. But it ended in frustration that three points that looked in the bag had ended up as only one. After two big wins and two clean sheets it was no great surprise that Stags boss Steve Evans named an unchanged starting XI and unchanged bench. Mansfield Town v Coventry'CJ Hamilton is second to the ball. Stags reserves had won 5-0 in midweek with a number of eye-catching performances. But they were not enough to persuade Evans to shuffle his in-form pack today. City, on a run of four defeats, welcomed back skipper Michael Doyle and Rod McDonald. Their bench included ex-Stags loanee Peter Vincenti. Before kick-off there was a well-observed minute’s silence for Coventry brothers Corey (six) and Casper (two) Platt-May who were killed when they were struck by a car as they crossed a road this week. City began the game on the front foot, forcing three quick corners. From the second McDonald was afforded a free header at the far post which Logan did well to beat away on two minutes. The game then evened out for a while, though Logan had to get down well to block a low Clarke-Harris shot from McNulty’s set-up on 14 minutes. But the game erupted on 14 minutes when Rose got goalside of last man Willis and was brought down. An automatic red card was shown and Stags had a free kick on the edge of the box in a central position. MacDonald stepped up to drill it low and the ball took a deflection off Hemmings, who turned to celebrate as the keeper dived the other way and was helpless to stop it creeping over the line inside the post. Doyle was booked for a foul which saw Stags again get the ball into the City box, reaching Hamilton, whose low cross evaded everyone. Soon after MacDonald was wide after a good series of passes as Stags began to warm to their task. After an encouraging spell of home pressure and possession, Stags’ first corner on the half-hour saw Bennett head over from Potter’s flag kick. On 34 minutes McNulty did well to stop the ball going for a goal kick and managed to hook it back on target from the tightest of angles to force Logan to tip over and pull off another important save. Six minutes later, from a Coventry corner, Stags broke well with Hamilton’s pace down the right, getting away a low shot that Burge had to turn away for a corner. Hemmings should have doubled the lead on 43 minutes. Anderson put over a near post from the right and Hemmings’ guided a free header wide from seven yards. Four minutes after the restart King was booked for his lunge on Doyle. The half began slowly but Mansfield eventually started to wind up the pressure on the visitors without testing Burge. They finally brought Burge back into action on 62 minutes as Hamilton pulled the ball back low for Hemmings to sidefoot a finish the keeper turned away. Then MacDonald was just wide from 20 yards after more home pressure. City created their first chance of the half on 69 minutes as Haynes’ flashing shot saw Logan’s fingertips turn it into the sidenetting. But when Stags failed to clear the corner, City took their chance to level. MacDonald brought down Clarke-Harris with a clumsy challenge just inside the box and a spot kick was awarded, Clarke-Harris dispatching it with venom to send the travelling fans wild with delight behind that goal. Stags threw on Miller and Mellis for Hemmings and King with time slipping away and two vital points in danger of being lost. With eight minutes to go MacDonald shaped to cross from a free kick but instead tried a cheeky low shot which Burge saved at his near post. Stags had a penalty shout on 87 minutes when Miller went down, but the referee added him to the book for simulation instead. Four minutes were added, but Stags failed to find a winner as the afternoon ended in disappointment. STAGS: Logan; Anderson, Pearce, Bennett, Benning; Potter, King (Mellis 79), MacDonald, Hamilton; Rose, Hemmings (Miller 74). Subs: Olejnik, Spencer, Diamond, Penney, Atkinson. COVENTRY: Burge, Grimmer, Willis, McDonald, Haynes, Bayliss, Doyle, Kelly (Hyam 21), Shipley, McNulty (Ponticelli 67), Clarke-Harris (Biamou 81). Subs not used: O’Bryen, Stokes, Vincenti, Reid. REFEREE: Michael Salisbury of Preston. ATTENDANCE: 6,105 (1,523 away). CHAD STAGS MAN OF THE MATCH: CJ Hamilton. Read more at: https://www.chad.co.uk/sport/football/mansfield-town/match-report-mansfield-town-1-1-coventry-city-stags-held-at-home-by-10-man-sky-blues-1-9034377 ----------- |
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