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Archived News from February 2019

FLITCROFT AND MICHAEL FLYNN REACTION
16th February 2019 0:24


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Thoughts are with injured striker - manager
mansfieldtown.net, 9 February 2019

Stags’ boss David Flitcroft says his thoughts are entirely with Danny Rose after the striker was involved in a heavy collision during the second-half of this afternoon’s clash against Newport County.

A stretcher was called onto the field of play after the incident, yet Rose was thankfully able to walk off the pitch, assisted by Stags’ medical staff and an oxygen mask.

The Mansfield manager says that the striker is ‘with the right people,’ stating that the facial injury added to a ‘horrible’ afternoon.

“I’ve just experienced 100 minutes of horrible football from both teams,” he said. “It was probably one of the worst football experiences I’ve had watching the game.

https://www.mansfieldtown.net/news/2019/february/gaffer-post-newport/

“Newport take it out of you and the referee helped them take our rhythm. The amount of fouls - we couldn’t get into any rhythm or fluidity whatsoever.

“He [referee] missed, for me, a red card on Tyler Walker. He’s nearly snapped him off, you should see the mark on Walker just under his knee. He didn’t even give a free-kick.

“I could hear the challenge on CJ Hamilton, which was a million per cent a penalty. He’s missed that. He missed two massive decisions.

“It’s obviously been compounded by Danny [Rose] now - all of my thoughts are with Danny and getting him the right care.

“I’m not sure what it is, but some of the players were horrified - he might have lost some teeth and it could be a broken jaw.

“There was nothing sinister with the challenge - he got caught in between two players and took both impacts. It’s just been a horrible afternoon - one that we have to quickly put behind us.

“Danny is with the right people, and we just have to make sure that he’s fit to travel home. Whatever we need to do, we’ll move him behind that - the medical team are the experts and he’s in the right hands.

“I can’t really speculate or give any more detail, but when you see that on the football pitch, it didn’t look good.

“It’s [been] a completely horrible afternoon and one that I soon want to forget. I want to get on with what we’re trying to do next week.”

Following the slender loss, David Flitcroft called for his charges to be braver in possession.

“It was a good chance [for Nicky Ajose] - it was a really good move. But we only put three or four of them together in the first-half.

“We had to be more brave and more courageous. There’s a bravery and courage that I’m trying to get into the players, but for some reason we just didn’t do it enough.

“We didn’t have enough bravery getting on the ball and making things happen. It’s been a really disappointing day - a horrible day - and one I certainly won’t remember.

“We’ll get the boys back up to Mansfield and get working again. We’ll not have to come to a pitch like this again this season.

“I said [in the dressing room], this is what it is, and this is what we’re going to do Monday. We have a massive game next week.

“Our game is based on, when we are in their half, we try and get it down. Make courageous angles, get on that ball. It’s a mindset that I’ve tried to develop at the football club.

“It doesn’t matter where, what the conditions are, what’s going on. Newport do it well to take you out of your fluidity.”

The Stags’ chief says that there will be ‘competition’ in this week’s training sessions, to see which of his players will be in the starting lineup for next week’s huge Nottinghamshire derby away to Notts County.

“When you get a pitch like this, you need to have a good referee. The ball is bobbling up - you need a top, top referee on these games.

“One thing that was on reflection in the dressing room is that they [players] don’t like getting beat. It’s not a lack of care today, we just didn’t work it out.

“Newport[‘s players] were playing for a place against Man City today, and I told the players before the game that, you’re playing for a chance to play against Notts County next week.

“Our game is as big as theirs, for me. Now, there’s big competition this week, and we’ll see who’s up for that fight this week to go into a massive game.”

iFollow Stags subscribers can watch the manager’s interview in full by logging into mansfieldtown.net/ifollow later today.

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Mansfield Town boss David Flitcroft furious with referee in defeat at Newport County
chad.co.uk, by JOHN LOMAS, Saturday 09 February 2019

David Flitcroft was furious with the display of match referee Graham Salisbury in today’s 1-0 defeat at Newport County. On a dreadful heavy surface in South Wales, it was a result that saw Stags miss out on going top of League Two and an afternoon in which they also lost striker Danny Rose with a serious head injury.

“I have just experienced 100 minutes of horrible football from both teams. It was probably one of the worst football experiences that I have had, watching a game,” said Flitcroft.

Read more at: https://www.chad.co.uk/sport/football/mansfield-town/mansfield-town-boss-david-flitcroft-furious-with-referee-in-defeat-at-newport-county-1-9585801

“We needed to be more courageous. We needed to be braver on the ball.

“But Newport take you out of your rhythm and the referee helped them with that. I don’t think he broke into a run all game to keep up with play. “You have to have a top referee on a pitch like this. You have to be right near everything. “He got brought in today out of the cold. He shouldn’t have been refereeing - he didn’t have a game this weekend.

“It was foul after foul and we couldn’t get into any rhythm or fluidity whatsoever. “For me he has missed a red card. We had a broken leg two weeks ago with Hayden White and today they snapped down Tyler Walker. You want to see the mark on him just under knee. “It was missed and he didn’t even give a free kick.

“Also I could hear the challenge on CJ Hamilton. It was one million per cent a penalty and he’s missed that. He has missed two massive decisions.”

But Flitcroft said his thoughts tonight were with the injured Rose. “That has all been compounded by Danny and all my thoughts are with him. We will make sure we get the right care for him,” he said.

“I am not sure what happened but some of the players were horrified when they came over. He might have lost some teeth and it could be a broken jaw. “It was a fair challenge, nothing sinister with it, he just got caught in between two players. He was a bit limp at the time and took both impacts.

“It has been a horrible afternoon and one we have got to quickly put behind us. “We won’t have to play on another pitch like that this season. “Good luck to Newport in the FA Cup and credit to them. We knew their lads were playing for a place against Manchester City today.”

Flitcroft said his players now needed to impress him in training to win a place for next weekend’s big local derby at Notts County. “In this dressing room they don’t like getting beaten,” he said. “They care. It wasn’t a lack of care today. “Anytime they’ve been asked big questions this season they have come up with the answers. “We will see who is up for the fight this week to go into a massive game next week.”

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twitter
Danny Rose @dannyrose_32 9.30pm
Couple of fractures and a tooth missing but we’re all good Thankyou for all your messages and a massive thanks to @whitts_82 and Lizzie and the medical team at @NewportCounty

Willem Tomlinson @WillemWillem8
Gutted about the result today, bounce back next week. Also happy to make my debut today stags

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POST-MATCH - Flynn hails 'most satisfying victory' of the season against Mansfield Town
newport-county.co.uk

Mike Flynn couldn’t contain his pride towards his Newport County AFC squad as a resolute team performance ensured they kept up their impressive recent form at Rodney Parade with a 1-0 victory over League Two high-flyers Mansfield Town.

The Stags had only lost twice in their previous 24 league fixtures but the Exiles weren’t afraid of that statistic and were pretty comfortable throughout - excluding the opening 30 seconds when Mansfield striker Nicky Ajose really should have converted a CJ Hamilton cross.

It cannot be underestimated just how hard assistant manager Wayne Hatswell works on set-pieces and this was how County got their joy all afternoon, including the match winner on 15 minutes.

This particular corner-kick routine was one that has been implemented by the Exiles on occasion already this season, but Mansfield clearly hadn’t done their homework as it worked a treat for County this time around.

Dan Butler’s drilled ball went in towards Padraig Amond, the Irishman flicked it back towards the edge-of-the-area for an awaiting Robbie Willmott to take a touch and smash into the centre of the goal.

County continued to threaten from set-pieces and had a goal ruled out for offside just before the break after Jamille Matt was adjudged to have gone too quickly before his flick-on set-up Joss Labadie.

In the second half, a truly awful injury to Stags striker Danny Rose put a dampener on proceedings and neither side mustered too much more from there after a clash of heads which resulted in 11 minutes additional time.

Matt was impressively kept out by Nottingham Forest loanee Jordan Smith on 77 minutes, but the points were already secured regardless - and Flynn was in no doubt about how important the victory was for the team.

“That’s the most satisfying win of the season,” he affirmed.

“People probably won’t believe that with the Leicester and Middlesbrough results but as a group of professional footballers and lads, for me, what they have gone and done today in fighting and not giving up - that’s the most satisfying victory of the season.

https://www.newport-county.co.uk/news/2019/february/flynn-post-mansfield/

“Tuesday night against Middlesbrough was hard on the legs, the pitch was heavy, and mentally it was a lot for them. That’s why this result is big for me.”

He added: “They are a funny breed. We don’t get too carried away when we win and we don’t get too down when we lose.

“They frustrate the life out of me, but they also make me very, very proud and I’ll never get tired of saying that. That performance there was first-class. It was professional, it was resilient, it was good, and I thought the boys were excellent.

“I thought the boys defended excellently when they needed to and I’m just over the moon to get the three points.”

Mansfield were previously the side in the division to have lost the least amount of games in League Two but now join Lincoln City on four defeats.

Before heading to Rodney Parade, only one of those defeats had come away from home - a five-goal thriller at Carlisle United - and some of their play in the middle third was quite simply breath-taking.

But you’re not dangerous away from the attacking positions and they couldn’t transpire that kind of play to around the County area, such was the defensive brilliance from the side - and Regan Poole in particular.

You could see why the Stags are currently in the automatic promotion places and looking good to finish there - and Flynn was under no illusions of his opinion that Mansfield will get promoted.

He stated: “I thought Mansfield played some good stuff in the first-half. A couple of their attacks in the first 20 minutes when they were doing one twos around the box were impressive.

“I’ve just said to the boys that Mansfield will go up. I’m not trying to put extra pressure on David Flitcroft, he works hard, but they’ll go up.

“They’ve got strength, good mentality, quality players so if they don’t go up then I don’t know much about football.

“I really think they’ll go up - and I hope they do because I don’t like going there.

“I don’t know about being in control from the offset because Mansfield nearly broke a record for scoring in the first five seconds.

“If that had gone in then it would have been a totally different game and you can’t start games like that. That’s my only bad point from ourselves, I hope Danny Rose is okay as well because that didn’t look too good.

“It looks like he might have broken his jaw and it did disrupt things after that. I just hope he’s all right.”

He hadn’t scored a goal before Tuesday but now Willmott has two straight from the top drawer and they wouldn’t look out of place in the top-level of the game.

Not a bad way then for Willmott to celebrate signing his new two-year contract with the club and Flynn again paid homage to the intricacy of another unbelievable set-piece goal.

“I thought it was a great strike.” Flynn continued.

“But the block from Joss Labadie was even better. It wasn’t an illegal block, you can get blocks where they’re pulling your shirt and things like that, but it was nothing like that.

“Joss stood his ground and the Mansfield player couldn’t get around him.

“It was well planned and like I said, we work very hard to try and get a little advantage and thankfully it’s coming off at the moment. It’s what we deserve.

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Latest | February 2019