Archived News from December 2018
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FLITCROFT, HAMILTON, NEAL ARDLEY REACTION
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Boss bursting with pride after derby day victory
mansfieldtown.net, Saturday 08 December 2018 Stags’ boss David Flitcroft says he felt like a ‘proud dad’ watching his players record a 2-0 victory over local rivals Notts County at One Call Stadium this afternoon. Devastating winger CJ Hamilton scored in either half to ensure that Mansfield were victorious in the Nottinghamshire derby. The manager says that watching his players perform as they did filled him with pride. “I think the biggest thing was responding from Tuesday night,” he said. “We flushed it [out] and made sure we got our work done on Thursday and Friday. “CJ [Hamilton] and Tyler Walker’s movement destroyed them at times. They were outstanding. We made a massive impact in making that split [defence]. https://www.mansfieldtown.net/news/2018/december/gaffer-post-notts/ “I thought we used the ball brilliantly. We can talk about form, but a new manager going in and having that time to work on them, he could make himself a hero with a win. “But this is my first Notts derby here [at One Call Stadium], and this place was rocking! I love the CJ Hamilton song - it was rocking! “It was important getting the second goal because that settled everyone down. “When you see those players perform to that level, it’s like being a proud dad because you work with them and make them better. That’s my style of management. “These players are honest and they don’t get it wrong on purpose. But when they get it right, I think they’re fantastic.” The Stags’ boss was delighted with Hamilton’s performance after his brace earned all three points for Mansfield. “He [Hamilton] causes that many problems. You never know which way he’s going to go, so as a defender, he’s your worst nightmare. “If you show him onto his right foot, he’ll use it and get a shot off with his right foot. If you show him onto his left foot, he’ll use his left foot. “We’ve hit the post a couple of times and hit the bar. This has been a fantastic performance. These boys, their attitude is phenomenal and it has been all season. “We look at that one loss in the league and we have to be measured in our praise for the players, because we know that next week there’s a real job to do. With a fantastic victory and feel-good factor, we have to back that up now.” The manager also dedicated the derby day victory to the Mansfield faithful, along with commenting on the cohesion between the players in the dressing room. “I’m chuffed for the supporters today. It’s a day for them. Derby day is all about the supporters. “Sometimes you get in a big game, people stop making angles. But there was none of that. Pearcey [Krystian Pearce] got on the ball and was brave, Sweeney too. “Mal Benning was brilliant. He hurt them with his passing and movement. We’re probing down each side of the pitch. “It was a real team performance. What Tyler and CJ have produced together today, I won’t underestimate it. “Possibly [it was the biggest win], of my tenure. I picked a team full of energy and full of running. There’s a cohesion here. “The game is the game, but what satisfies me is watching players get better. You have to have a purpose and it has to stimulate you every day. “They’re absolutely wild in there [dressing room]! That’s what you want to see - that camaraderie and togetherness. They were rocking in there.” --------------- Flitcroft delighted with 'brave' Mansfield Town side after beating Notts County chad.co.uk, by JOHN LOMAS, Saturday 08 December 2018 Mansfield Town made no mistake in seeing off their struggling local rivals Notts County 2-0 this afternoon - but boss David Flitcroft said the victory was never a forgone conclusion. Notts are in a relegation dogfight and this was Neil Ardley's first League Two game in charge as their third boss of the season already. But two CJ Hamilton goals sealed what was a comfortable win in the end as Stags leapt into the top three for the first time. “You could argue looking at the table today that it was going to be a forgone conclusion,” said Flitcroft. “But these things are never foregone conclusions. Things happen in derbies all the time. Read more at: https://www.hucknalldispatch.co.uk/sport/football/flitcroft-delighted-with-brave-mansfield-town-side-after-beating-notts-county-1-9483615 “Neil Ardley, a great football man, has come in and you always get a big lift from that. But that lift didn't turn into enough to give us any real problems. “We focused in training on being brave and not getting sucked into any background noise. “The bravery of the back three and the keeper to play the ball out under pressure gave us the foundation to go on and win the game. “We hurt them and once they started conceding space to us we have got a lot of the pitch to go and attack you in. “The lads were brilliant and all credit to them as they've put the work in this week.” Stags' biggest crowd of the season - 6,604 - created an electric atmosphere and Flitcroft said: “This place was rocking today. You could feel that energy and it was electric. Our brand of football is connecting with supporters. “The supporters are connecting with the players. It's important those players energise the supporters.” He added: “That might possibly have been the most significant win of my tenure in the eight months I have had here. “A game is a game but what satisfies me is watching people get better - players and staff. “I was disappointed by Tuesday night, so it was a response to that. We worked on it in training. “It's all very well doing it Monday to Friday but the real test is doing it in a game and they have done, so I am buzzing.” He said the dressing room atmosphere post-match was fantastic. “They are all singing the CJ Hamilton song. It is wild in there, KP (Krystian Pearce) is being thrown about,” he smiled. “It's brilliant - you want to see that camaraderie and that togetherness. The lads are rocking right now.” The only sour note was seeing midfield ace Neil Bishop go off near the end holding his shoulder after a challenge. “I was just happy it wasn't concussion or anything more sinister,” said Flitcroft. “I don't know if it's his collarbone, we will have to wait and see. “It's their Christmas do tonight so he will have to drink with his other arm. That's probably his biggest problem at the minute. “We will get it checked out and make sure he is safe and well and settled.” ------------------- Stags’ quality shone through in derby - CJ mansfieldtown.net, Saturday 08 December 2018 Winger CJ Hamilton believes that the Stags’ starting line-up produced quality from back to front as they emerged as 2-0 victors over Notts County. Hamilton produced a man of the match display at One Call Stadium as he netted either side of half time to propel his side towards three points. Beating Ross Fitzsimons with two expert finishes, his brace ultimately secured bragging rights for the Stags’ faithful. Yet despite being the afternoon’s match-winner, Hamilton also praised the rest of the squad for their positive showing across all areas of the pitch. “We moved the ball well and everyone was superb today,” he stated. “From Bobby [Olejnik] up to me and Tyler [Walker], the team was superb. We should have been three or four up easily. https://www.mansfieldtown.net/news/2018/december/cj-post-notts/ “The team’s back to winning ways, too. We were calm on the ball and passing it round, hurting them with me and Tyler running in behind. “We went in at half time and you always want to keep going, because if you let teams back into the game they can always get one and it becomes a cagey end. “We said we’ll step on it and keep going to hopefully get the second goal - which we did.” The 23-year-old produced a scintillating performance that saw him net his fifth and sixth goal of the season, but he refused to believe that there aren’t areas for improvement. “I feel like I’m getting better,” he continued. “Some things I’m not so good at so I can improve, and there’s always room for improvement, no matter what level you’re playing at. “Hopefully I can keep on improving and producing on the pitch. “I’m happy to play anywhere as long as I’m starting and helping the team out. “As I play further forward, though, I get the chances like you’ve seen today and when I’m in those positions it’s a lot more effective for the team.” Hamilton also cited the work done by David Flitcroft and Ben Futcher as a catalyst for the Stags’ form and team spirit as he looked forward to an evening out with his teammates. “Everything’s coming together from the gaffer and Futch; you can see it’s working on the field so hopefully we can keep that going to get promoted. “The victory means a lot because we’re chasing the pack and trying to get in them automatic spots. “It’s going to be a good night out. There’ll be a lot of team bonding before the Christmas period and it’ll be a good session for the boys. “The team spirit is up there. Every game we win there’s more hype so it keeps on building.” -------------------- Mansfield Town's two-goal hero Hamilton: I can get even better chad.co.uk, by JOHN LOMAS, Saturday 08 December 2018 CJ Hamilton continued his fabulous recent form with both goals as Mansfield Town beat local rivals Notts County 2-0 today. But the bad news for League Two defences is that Hamilton believes he can get even better. His electric pace tore Notts apart in the big derby game and he smiled: “I do feel I am improving but I feel like I can still get better. There is always room for improvement no matter what level you play at. Read more at: https://www.chad.co.uk/sport/football/mansfield-town/mansfield-town-s-two-goal-hero-hamilton-i-can-get-even-better-1-9483640 “They are two of the most important goals I have scored for the club along with the Port Vale one which got us the victory. They're up there. “This win means a lot as we are chasing the pack. “Everything is coming together from what we are doing on the training field. Hopefully we can carry on and get promoted. “Obviously we came here to beat them and that's the job we've done. Getting the three points was the main thing.” On his goalscoring exploits, he said: “Personally it was great. “I love giving as much as I can for the team and scoring goals. Hopefully I can keep doing that for the rest of the season. “I enjoyed both goals. The first was harder than I thought as Mal Benning put in an unbelievable cross, and to take it on the half volley and put it back across goal is a hard thing to do. “I also liked the second one as I cut across. It was a great pass from Jacob Mellis and I got there and did the rest. “We created a lot of chances and moved the ball well. Everyone was superb throughout the team. “We were only 1-0 up at half-time so we had to keep it going as we know you can let teams back into the game.” ---------------- Neal Bishop @NealBish Thanks for messages! Injury is fine , be ready to go next week, great days work by everyone director Steve Hymas on Stagsnet Dislocated shoulder. They popped it back in. He's fine. --------------------- Ardley: Missed chances changed the game https://www.nottscountyfc.co.uk/news/2018/december/ardley-post-mansfield-81218/ Neal Ardley rued missed chances and a poor second half display following Notts County’s 2-0 defeat to Mansfield Town on Saturday. A goal in each half from CJ Hamilton earned the Stags all three points in the Nottinghamshire Derby - the Magpies’ new manager’s first league game in charge. But Ardley felt the result could have been different had Notts converted their openings before the break. “We had two big one-on-ones and we have to take them because those are the moments that change games,” he said. “In the first 35 minutes or so our gameplan worked very well and we had three or four excellent chances which could have made things so different. “We weren’t good in the second half and I don’t know whether that’s an issue with mentality or physicality but it’s something we will work on.” The opening goal of the game came from a cross, which has been a regular issue this season and something Ardley is looking to address. “We’ve worked hard at defending against balls into our box so it was disappointing to concede like that,” he said. “It’s not just stopping the cross, it’s defending them when they do come in which we have looked at in training. “Our issue is that we concede too many goals. We want to maintain an attacking threat, though, so we need to find the balance of keeping clean sheets without just sitting back.” Despite the result, the gaffer is confident that results will take an upturn - not least because of Kane Hemmings' and Jon Stead's involvement at One Call Stadium. Ardley said: “There’s lots we’ve got to sort out but we need to work hard and we will get it right. “It was a tough game to start with but there are good players at this club and I’m confident that we will turn it around. “With Kane and Steady back in we have more firepower and we’re going to work hard to improve all the things we need to.” ------------------- No complaints from Magpies boss Ardley after Mansfield Town defeat chad.co.uk, by JOHN LOMAS, Saturday 08 December 2018 New Notts County boss Neil Ardley had no complaints after seeing his side beaten 2-0 in today's local derby at Mansfield Town. The struggling Magpies were beaten by two CJ Hamilton strikes as Ardley was given a baptism of fire in his first League Two game in charge. But he said he firmly believed he will steer Notts to safety. “I thought in the end they were the better team,” he said. Read more at: https://www.chad.co.uk/sport/football/mansfield-town/no-complaints-from-magpies-boss-ardley-after-mansfield-town-defeat-1-9483589 “For the first 35 minutes it was a good game and our game plan worked well. Either team could have scored. “We had two one-on-ones, Nathan Thomas and Will Patching both got in, and you have to take those chances. It could have been very different - goals change games. “As we started to chase the game, it got a bit stretched and they've got a lot of pace and movement. “Second half we got a bit ragged, particularly after the second goal, which is disappointing.” He added: “In the two games I've been here we've been good in the first half and not so good in the second so that's something we need to address. “We were disappointed with their first goal, coming in round the back post with the bodies we had in there. “That's a common theme and that's something else we have to sort out and maybe one or two fresh faces coming in. “We will be all right. We just need to work hard at it and we will turn it round. There are good players here and we will get it right.” ---------------- |
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