Archived News from November 2018
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CRAWLEY MATCH POSTPONED
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Crawley match postponed due to waterlogged pitch
mansfieldtown.net, Tuesday 27 November 2018, 6pm This evening's scheduled Sky Bet League Two clash against Crawley Town at One Call Stadium has been postponed due to a waterlogged pitch. Mansfield has experienced torrential rain from 15.00GMT onwards which is forecast to continue throughout the evening. https://www.mansfieldtown.net/news/2018/november/crawley-match-postponed/ A new date will be announced in due course following dialogue between Mansfield Town, Crawley and the EFL. ----------------
comment from Martin: I had a look at the pitch. It was unplayable. I chatted to Flitcroft briefly. He was gutted the game was off. Talked about having caught up the games in hand, and now the other teams will steal a march on us again. I chatted to Mez too, who was also gutted to have the game off. And his record of four years without having a game off, was gone. ------------------------ Referee postponed game 'within seconds' mansfieldtown.net, Tuesday 27 November 2018 Head groundsman Michael Merriman revealed that it took the referee a matter of seconds to postpone tonight’s fixture after inspecting the field of play. Mansfield Town were scheduled to face Crawley Town in their latest Sky Bet League Two instalment before heavy rain subsequently led to an unplayable waterlogged pitch. The adverse weather conditions showed no sign of easing before referee Michael Salisbury deemed it unplayable. And Merriman said it was an almost instantaneous decision for Salisbury as he began to inspect the One Call Stadium turf. “It was literally seconds” he stated. “As soon as he [referee] came on he said straight away: ‘this won’t happen’. https://www.mansfieldtown.net/news/2018/november/mez-on-crawley-postponement/ “It’s one of them where it’s two to three inches deep in places. It started about half past two and was steady for half an hour, but then it really started coming. “I was talking to one of the lads who was in town earlier and he thought [the same] with the weather shooting down - it just hasn’t given up all night.” The Stags’ head groundsman prepped for the evening’s fixture as usual, yet he was understandably unable to foresee the amount of rain that had fallen in the East Midlands. “You spike as normal, and you know it’s coming, you just don’t know how bad. “Obviously I didn’t see it coming this crazy. You prepare as normal but it was just too much rain in one go. “We’ll leave the pitch alone and let it drain away for now. If we try and go on there now we’ll just make it a sloppy mess so there’s no point in damaging it. “If we played the game, would there be any point in damaging it for just one game when it’s a long old season? It’s just one of them things.” To watch the interview in full, log in to mansfieldtown.net/ifollow later this evening. --------------- Mansfield Town groundsman ‘gutted’ after first postponement in four years chad.co.uk, by JOHN LOMAS, Tuesday 27 November 2018 Mansfield Town groundsman Mike ‘Mez’ Merriman admitted he was ‘gutted’ tonight after heavy rain forced the first postponement at the One Call Stadium in four years tonight. Rain was forecast ahead of the visit of Crawley Town, but no one knew just how heavy that was going to come down. The Stags were hoping for three points to try to get into the top three promotion places for the first time. But they now face a frustrating wait until Saturday, 8th December before they return to League Two action. “I am gutted,” said Merriman. “The last time we had one called off here was in November 2014 against Concord Rangers in the FA Cup. “Everyone was geared up ready to go tonight and we could have done with the game on. “Obviously I never want to have a game off, but sometimes you just have to hold up your hands and accept it just wasn’t meant to be. “I know it’s been four years but that doesn’t make me feel any better. Read more at: https://www.hucknalldispatch.co.uk/sport/football/mansfield-town-groundsman-gutted-after-first-postponement-in-four-years-1-9465219 “I said on Twitter yesterday how good the pitch was looking and that it’s come on leaps and bounds. “That’s come back and bitten me somewhere the day after! “I won’t be doing that again - you live by your mistakes!” Merriman said the ground staff were shocked by the intensity of the rain from about 3pm onwards. And it wasn’t due to get any better on the forecasts. “It’s one of them - it’s two and three inches deep on the pitch in places,” he said. “It started about half two or so - it was steady for half an hour and then really started coming. “The weather was just sheeting down and it’s not given up all night. “You know it’s coming, but you spike as normal. You don’t know how bad it it’s going to come. “We certainly didn’t anticipate it coming this crazy. It was just too much in one go. Four hours of rain has taken its toll on it. “You always think the pitch can handle it. By 4pm I thought it was getting a bit scary as it started to fill up.” He added: “It took the referee literally seconds to call it off. “His assessor had obviously already put it in his head as he had a walk on it earlier. “As soon as he came on he said straight away it wouldn’t happen - no chance. “Obviously we had the forecast from the Met Office and the BBC. We put the two together and it was pure rain all night. “We will just leave it to drain away now as if we go on there with machinery, we’ll just make it a sloppy mess. There is no point in damaging it. “If we’d tried to play the game would there be any point in damaging it just for one game with a long old season?” ------------------ twitter michael merriman @mezski Death by Twitter #youcouldntwriteit oh well ------------------ comment from Martin, Tuesday 27 November 2018, 8pm: Crawley not interested in playing the game on Saturday. Their Italian manager was going home for a few days, and had given the players several days off until Monday. According to the Crawley Observer (see below), Ollie Palmer was going to Ibiza for a few days. Earlier story: Crawley Town's Joe McNerney feels improved away form could lead to League Two play-off place ahead of Mansfield Town trip crawleyobserver.co.uk, Tuesday 27 November 2018 After Crawley take on the Stags on Tuesday, the Reds will then have a break of 11 days before they resume league play with a home test against Northampton Town on Saturday, December 8. The defender felt that the players were looking forward to the rest, joking that Reds’ top-scorer Ollie Palmer would be relaxing by jetting off to Spain, but also believed a good result against Mansfield may hinder momentum going into the break. McNerney said: “If we get a good result against Mansfield it might be a bit of a shame (to have a break). Mansfield is going to be a very tough game but it’s always nice to have a break mid-way through the season when it comes up. “Everyone will be doing different things. I think Ollie said he was going away to Ibiza. “It’s a nice opportunity to spend the weekend with the families basically. A lot of the boys have got kids and wives and you don’t get to see them on Saturdays, or Fridays if there is an away game. “We’ll maybe have a little blowout on the Wednesday or Thursday, enjoy the weekend, and we’ll be back in training on the Monday.” Kick-off at Field Mill tonight is at 7:45pm. Read more at: https://www.crawleyobserver.co.uk/sport/football/crawley-town/crawley-town-s-joe-mcnerney-feels-improved-away-form-could-lead-to-league-two-play-off-place-ahead-of-mansfield-town-trip-1-8718837 ------------------------- No chance of Mansfield Town facing Crawley this Saturday chad.co.uk, by JOHN LOMAS, Thursday 29 November 2018 Mansfield Town are unable to quickly reschedule Tuesday’s postponed match with Crawley Town for this Saturday as the Red Devils had already made plans. Both clubs had a blank weekend ahead due to their first round FA Cup exits and some Stags fans had asked why the rained-off game from midweek could not be quickly re-arranged. However, Gabriele Cioffi’s men now have an 11-day break before they host Northampton Town at the Broadfield Stadium on Saturday, 8th December and it is believed the manager has headed back to his native Italy on a pre-planned trip and some of the players have gone away on holiday to take advantage of the break. A Mansfield Town statement read: “For transparency purposes, the club is in dialogue with Crawley and the EFL regarding a new date for the Sky Bet League Two fixture at home to Crawley Town following its mid-week postponement. "It should be noted that the fixture will definitely not be played this Saturday due to prior commitments of the Crawley Town management and players. “The match, scheduled for Tuesday, 27th November, was called off because of a waterlogged pitch.” Read more at: https://www.chad.co.uk/sport/football/mansfield-town/no-chance-of-mansfield-town-facing-crawley-this-saturday-1-9468940 Stags’ next match is in the Checkatrade Trophy second round at home to Bury on Tuesday (7.45pm). -------------------- |
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