Archived News from November 2018
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FLITCROFT, HAMILTON, NEIL ASPIN REACTION
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Stags' boss enthused by supporters
mansfieldtown.net, 17 November 2018 Stags’ boss David Flitcroft is encouraged to hear of supporters enjoying his men’s performances at One Call Stadium this season, after today’s win over Port Vale stretched Mansfield’s unbeaten run to 14 games in all competitions. Winger CJ Hamilton scored the only goal of this afternoon’s contest with a thunderous effort just before half-time. After the match, the manager spoke of a supporter who recently spoke to him about Stags’ performances this campaign, and described the sense of community surrounding the club, catalysed by chairman John Radford, CEO Carolyn Radford, and the club’s board of directors. “A fan pulled me aside yesterday in the car park and said: ‘I’m a Mansfield fan, and I get up excited to come down to the One Call on a Saturday,’ and I just want to thank him for saying that,” noted the Mansfield boss. “I’m an idealist. I want to win football matches and get more fans in. I want to get the town energised behind it. What the chairman, Carolyn and the directors have built at this football club is something quite unique. https://www.mansfieldtown.net/news/2018/november/gaffer-post-port-vale/ “There is a community feel to it and it’s really important that everyone knows what we are trying to do inside this stadium. “It is more than winning football matches. We’re trying to win hearts and minds and trying to get people inside the stadium.” The manager also spoke highly of match-winner Hamilton, labelling the winger as the ‘quickest thing’ he’s seen in Sky Bet League One or Two. “He [Hamilton] is in brilliant form,” he added. “I said a few weeks ago, when he set up Tyler [Walker], it was probably me understanding that his development curve is going through the roof. “He’s the quickest thing I’ve seen in League One or League Two. Just in those major moments now we’re getting him to slow down and check where he’s at. “When he lands in those positions, he’s making really good decisions. When he gets it right, it’s brilliant. “You want him to do well because he’s a modern day footballer that wants to work harder than everyone else. He wants to get this right and is one of the hungriest players I’ve met.” Reflecting on the victory, the Stags’ boss said that the only thing missing from a ‘fantastic performance’ was a ruthless edge from his side in the closing stages of the affair. “It [win] feels good. I keep telling the players that it’s a belief factor [and to] keep working, keep plying your trade. “We’ve missed four or five potentially open goals and put them to the sword in every aspect. To only have a 1-0 win is almost beyond belief. “The goal that did win us the game, it’s important for CJ [Hamilton] to score goals. That’s what I’m working on with him. But it’s a winning goal, and they’re the special ones. “I thought it was a fantastic performance and in the first half we controlled the game. “When they went down to ten men, we stopped hurting them for around ten minutes. Playing football and working the ball across the pitch is what we’re about. “I think that’s the only thing on reflection that I’m disappointed with. We had that ten minute spell [where we should] go and get that 2-0 and show our ruthless side. “Tom Pope scores goals for fun. I had him in League One with Bury. We got good pressure [on him]. “We talk about the concentration levels but it’s not last gasp if we absolutely kill the other team off at two, or three, or four - and let’s be honest, it should have been. “It’s a really fantastic team performance and the lads deserve all of the credit. They were desperate to win that football match.” iFollow Stags subscribers can watch the manager’s interview in full by logging into mansfieldtown.net/ifollow later today. ----------------- Mansfield Town hero CJ earns praise from boss as Vale are beaten chad.co.uk, by JOHN LOMAS, Saturday 17 November 2018 Mansfield Town boss David Flitcroft had high praise for match-winner CJ Hamilton after his goal saw off Port Vale 1-0 today to keep Stags in the play-off zone. Hamilton netted a 41st minute thunderbolt to sink Vale and Flitcroft said of his goal hero: “He is the quickest player by a country mile in League Two and League One and the most exciting and explosive. “We could have had another couple of goals off his assist work in and around the edge of the area. “His speed has been his Achilles' heel in the past. We are trying to slow him down and get him to think in key moments and it's certainly working. Read more at: https://www.chad.co.uk/sport/football/mansfield-town/mansfield-town-hero-cj-earns-praise-from-boss-as-vale-are-beaten-1-9449814 “But I am delighted for him. He hit the post before he scored. I can play him anywhere and he is phenomenal. “He's had another match-winning day today. Winning goals are the ones you remember.” Stags are now 14 games unbeaten in all competitions and Flitcroft said: “I am delighted with the club and how we are progressing and coming together. “Port Vale got beaten quite heavily a few weeks ago and since that point they have been resolute and stronger as a unit. It galvanised them. “So we were playing a team on decent form. With Tom Pope up front and Leon Legge's throw-ins they always have the potential to score goals. “I thought we dealt with Pope brilliantly - the three centre halves were superb. “First five minutes we were poor but after that we completely dominated proceedings and looked a threat. “We caused them problems from every possible angle.” He added: “The only thing for me is that when you have a team almost on their knees you need to see them off with a second and then a third. We had opportunities to do that today. It gets rid of that edginess. “No League Two side will lie down and Port Vale just kept coming. “But we have eight League clean sheets now which is how many they got all season last season. Our form at home is phenomenal. The lads just want to play for the fans.” ----------------- Mansfield Town get official apology over offside goal that forced FA Cup replay at Charlton chad.co.uk, by JOHN LOMAS, Saturday 17 November 2018 Mansfield Town have received an official apology over the offside goal that allowed Charlton Athletic to force tomorrow night’s (Tuesday, 7.45) FA Cup first round replay at the Valley. Stags were furious Toby Stevenson’s equaliser was allowed to stand by referee Ollie Yates 17 minutes from the end of the 1-1 draw and their views have now been backed by the Referee’s Association which is a small crumb of comfort for Stags boss David Flitcroft. “The Referees’ Association has apologised for the offside goal. We’ve had that sent through and I do respect them for that,” he said. Read more at: https://www.hucknalldispatch.co.uk/sport/football/mansfield-town-get-official-apology-over-offside-goal-that-forced-fa-cup-replay-at-charlton-1-9451659 “There is a procedure that they want to make referees better and I am all for that. I help them in different ways to try to do that.” He added: “It was a fantastic performance from us at the One Call last week and it has given us the opportunity to go down to London and represent us again - and we’ll be doing that with everything we’ve got.” Stags will stay in London overnight after the game in a change from their usual midweek away arrangements. Flitcroft said: “The trip down there will have a feelgood factor. We will be spending a lot of time with each other. “We are actually going to stay down there after the game as we didn’t get home from Morecambe last month until about 4am due to motorway closures. “So the club has allowed us to stay after the game, get the right food on board and do a session down there for recovery. “It gives us more control and we’re not getting back at stupid o’clock. “What that does is give us a chance to prepare for a massive game at Lincoln on Saturday.” CJ Hamilton, who scored Mansfield’s goal against Charlton and then bagged the winner in Saturday’s 1-0 home win over Port Vale said the squad were enjoying cup fever today. “We are buzzing about going down to Charlton,” he smiled. “We could have beaten them up here last week and hopefully we can go down there and beat them at what is a nice stadium. “We don’t fear anyone this season as you can see from our results. “We’ve already played well in a cup game this season against a League One side, Accrington, and also a Championship side, West Brom. “We don’t show any fear and hopefully we can go down there and do the same thing on Tuesday.” ------------------- Gaffer has raised the stakes - CJ mansfieldtown.net, 17 November 2018 Match-winner CJ Hamilton cited his manager David Flitcroft as the main reason behind his recent stellar performances. Hamilton’s emphatic first-half strike ensured the Stags would stretch their unbeaten run to 14 games in all competitions. His second goal in as many appearances helped overturn Port Vale at One Call Stadium and proved to be further evidence for his upturn in form. The winger, whose goal also lifts Mansfield up to fifth in Sky Bet League Two, praised Flitcroft regarding the way he has nurtured him to become a better player. “Ever since he [Flitcroft] has come in, he’s put his arm around me and tried to make me better,” he revealed. “I think you can see on the field it’s making me better. He works with me on a lot of things during training, like shooting and crossing, and obviously you can see I’m producing it on the field now. https://www.mansfieldtown.net/news/2018/november/cj-post-port-vale/ “I want to bring the club to where they should be and I want to do everything I can on the pitch. “I try to leave everything out on the pitch and want to do my best.” The 23-year-old left Vale ‘keeper Scott Brown hapless when he cut inside and unleashed a rocket that nestled into the far corner. And Hamilton commented on his deserved match-winning strike, alongside his ability to drift into different positions as the game progressed. “I’d say it’s better [than the goal against Charlton] because I’ve cut in on my left and put it basically in the top bins. “That’s one of my favourites I’ve scored so far because I got everything behind it, and it came across me - it was definitely a good one. “I don’t mind it [switching flanks during games]. I feel like I can get more out of it because defenders don’t know what’s going to happen. “I enjoy switching it up and going down different sides now and again.” The winger then touched upon his side’s forthcoming Emirates FA Cup first round replay against Charlton, as he believes himself and his teammates have nothing to fear. “We’re buzzing about it,” he admitted. “We could have beaten them on Sunday but hopefully we can go down there and beat them. “We don’t fear anyone this season. “You can see from results in cup games already, like Accrington and West Brom, that we go and show no fear - so hopefully we’ll go down there and do the same thing on Tuesday.” iFollow Stags subscribers can watch CJ's interview in full by logging into mansfieldtown.net/ifollow later today. ----------------- Stags match-winner Hamilton happy with another super strike chad.co.uk, by JOHN LOMAS, Saturday 17 November 2018 Mansfield Town winger CJ Hamilton was delighted tonight after surpassing his superb FA strike last weekend with a thunderbolt goal that shot down ten-men Port Vale 1-0 this afternoon. His goal in last weekend's 1-1 draw with Charlton was impressive enough, but he admitted today bullet finish was one of his favourites ever. “I am buzzing. It was just important to get a victory today - and we got it,” he smiled. “We could have won by more, we had so many chances. Read more at: https://www.chad.co.uk/sport/football/mansfield-town/stags-match-winner-hamilton-happy-with-another-super-strike-1-9449822 “They started pushing men forward when they were down to 10 men as they had nothing to lose. “I think my goal was better than last weekend as I cut inside and put it in the top bin - so that's probably one of my favourites I've scored so far. I got everything behind it as it came across me.” Vale struggled to contain Hamilton as he switched wings and came at them from all angles. “I like it as defenders don't know what's going to happen if I go from left to right. I enjoy switching,” he said. Hamilton said much of his improvement was down to the work put into him by manager David Flitcroft. He said: “Ever since he's come in he's put an arm around me and tried to make me better, working on crossing and shooting - and you can see on the field it is making me better. “I want to do everything I can on the pitch to get this club where it should be. I want to leave everything out on the pitch every game and do my best.” ----------------------- Neil Aspin says Vale were denied blatant penalty https://www.stokesentinel.co.uk/sport/football/mansfield-boss-says-deserved-win-2232668 By Michael Baggaley Port Vale boss Neil Aspin was adamant his side should have had a penalty in this afternoon's 1-0 defeat at Mansfield, but said he couldn't complain about the defeat on the balance of play. CJ Hamilton's goal on 41 minutes made the difference to a game in which Vale played the last 26 minutes with ten men after Manny Oyeleke was sent off. But Aspin felt the game could have been different had referee Martin Coy spotted Tom Pope having his shirt pulled as he tried to reach a ball across the area in the first half. The manager said: "I think you have to analyse the game as a whole. If we are talking about chances then of course Mansfield in the second half had a lot of opportunities where they could have scored. "So, there is no way that, in chances, created, that we deserved anything from the game. "But in terms of battling and keeping going until the end, then I can't ask for any more from the players. "I thought we had a good shape in the first half and started well for 20 minutes. We should have had a penalty. I have had a look at it again and it is clear, Tom Pope gets his shirt pulled in the box. It is obvious to everyone and again that changes the game. "When you go behind against Mansfield it does give you a problem because they have a lot of pace up front and then as you are pushing it leaves space behind you. Had we got in front with the penalty decision then I am sure we would have had a good chance of picking up something from the game. "But I don't have any arguments with the score. I think Mansfield are a good side and I expect them to finish high up in the table. We knew it would be a tough game." Oyeleke will serve a one-game ban for his red-card, awarded for yellow cards either side of the break. Aspin said he had no arguments about the sending off on a day when five other Vale players were also booked. He said: "From where I looked, when you are on a yellow card it looked like another yellow. I have not looked at all the yellow cards but I don't have any grievance about the yellow cards. But I know for a fact that it should have been a penalty." -------------------- Neil Aspin: "I couldn't ask more of the players, especially with ten men" https://www.port-vale.co.uk/news/2018/november/neil-aspin-post-mansfield/ Port Vale's four game unbeaten run in the league came to an end on Saturday afternoon as The Valiants fell to a 1-0 defeat at the hands of Mansfield Town, though Neil Aspin was pleased with his side's effort and commitment during the game. Vale started the brighter of the two sides, though it was The Stags who would take the lead with just four minutes to go until the half-time whistle. CJ Hamilton, a player who has worked under Neil Aspin at Halifax Town and Gateshead, put Mansfield into the lead on 41 minutes as he cut inside and bent an audacious effort into the top corner, beyond Scott Brown. The Valiants job became that much harder in the second-half when Manny Oyeleke, having made his first league appearance since early October, was sent off for a second bookable offence. Oyeleke was dismissed from play with a lengthy 25 minutes to play and the boss has admitted they were vulnerable on the break following the red card. However, the gaffer, despite being left frustrated with a few decisions, admitted he couldn't have asked more of his players. He said: "I thought the first 20 minutes, we did well. I thought we had a good shape, on the front foot against a good side. We knew today would be a difficult game so I'm pleased with the way we started. "Obviously Mansfield came more into the game without really creating a lot, but I was very disappointed with the goal we conceded because we should've avoided that and we would've be going in at half-time at 0-0. "As the second-half started we were really on the back-foot. They were pushing us back, there's no question about that, they were the better team for a period and after the sending off, we did well to stay in the game. You're going to be vulnerable to the counter-attack but I couldn't ask more from the players, especially with ten men. Following the result, Aspin has hailed the performance of Vale stopper Scott Brown, claiming he is someone that other players can learn from. With just a few minutes played in the second-half on Saturday, Brown kept Aspin's side in the game with yet another unbelievable save from close range. Hayden White whipped in a dangerous cross which found Tyler Walker just six yards out from goal. The Stags forward looked to have doubled Mansfield's lead but for a huge save from the Vale stopper from close range to keep Aspin's side well and truly in the game. However, it's not just his performance on the pitch that Aspin has praised, it's the example he sets to other players off the pitch with his consistency levels. Aspin said: "Scott Brown, I thought he was excellent today, kept us in the game with that save and made other saves in the second-half when we were under pressure. "He's such a steady, I would say, in his performance level week-in week-out and I feel some of the players need to learn from players like Scott Brown, because he's consistent every week. "You know what you're going to get, you don't have to worry about what you're going to get." --------------------- Aspin accepts defeat but feels Port Vale should have had a penalty chad.co.uk, by JOHN LOMAS, Saturday 17 November 2018 Port Vale manager Neil Aspin had no complaints about his ten men losing 1-0 at Mansfield Town in the end today. But Aspin claimed the Valiants should have had a penalty when Tom Pope went down next to Hayden White early on and said it could have been a very different game if that had been give. “You have to analyse the game as a whole,” he said. “If you're talking about chances then Mansfield had a lot of opportunities in the second half when they could have scored so there is no way that on chances created we deserved anything from the game. Read more at: https://www.chad.co.uk/sport/football/mansfield-town/aspin-accepts-defeat-but-feels-port-vale-should-have-had-a-penalty-1-9449818 “But in terms of battling and keeping going until the end I can't ask anything more from the players.” “I thought we had a good shape in the first half and started the game well. And we should have had a penalty. I've looked at it against and Tom Pope gets his shirt pulled in the box. It's obvious to everyone and that changes the game. “When you go behind against Mansfield it does give you a problem as they have of players up front and, when you're pushing, it leaves space behind you. “If we'd gone in front with the penalty decision I am sure we'd have had a good chance of picking up something from the game. But I don't have any arguments about the score.” He added: “I think Mansfield are a good side and they are going to have a good season. I expect them to finish high up the table and we knew today would be a tough game.” On Manny Oyeleke's 64th minute red card for a second bookable offence, he said: “I have no complaints. “From where I looked, when you're on a yellow card, it looked like another yellow card. “When a player has been booked you have to trust them to be disciplined in their performance.” ---------------------------------- Port Vale captain Tom Pope has his say on the Valiants By Tom Pope, 23 NOV 2018 https://www.stokesentinel.co.uk/sport/football/football-news/how-set-piece-specialist-antony-2249021 You can add Antony Kay to the list of people who were frustrated we didn't get a penalty at Mansfield. We definitely should have had one when I was brought down...and that was frustrating for me, the team, the management...and 'Kayze' who was on the bench but had come up with the set piece from which I was fouled. When we practice free kicks and corners in training, 'Kayze' always gets on the end of them. He has a knack of finding space and, if you look at his career, he's scored more than 50 goals. The manager picked up on that so asked him to come up with a couple. It's just a shame that, for the ones we worked on, we didn't get anything because the ref didn't give fouls! Even so, it's good management by Neil Aspin to spot that Kayze could offer fresh ideas from set pieces, and it also reflects well on the player himself. For him to go to the trouble of coming up with plans for set plays, writing them down at home and going through them with us for a game he wasn't even playing in tells you something about him and also about the spirit we have here. I know people always say their club has a great group of lads and so on, but that genuinely is the case here. We are all disappointed about that 1-0 defeat at Mansfield. I don't want to bang on about the penalty we didn't get but it was blatant! It is hard for referees at the best of times but I had run around the front of their player and the ref should have had a good view It's all ifs and buts. You still have to score the penalty, but had we gone 1-0 up in the first 20 minutes it would have knocked their confidence and their fans would get annoyed with them. The first goal is always important and we have shown this season we never look like losing a game once we get our noses in front. Mansfield aren't a bad side at all, but I thought we were the better team when we went down to ten men half way through the second half, even though we were 1-0 down by then. We pushed them back quite well, they had a couple of chances on the break which they will do as we chased the game with a man down. But I thought they helped us by slowing the tempo of the game. That allowed us to regroup and get set, which was different to the opening 20 minutes of the half when they moved the ball quickly. Having said all that, we didn't create enough in the game, we know that. We got into good areas but then it was just the final pass or cross. ------------------ |
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