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Archived News from October 2019

STAGS MISS CHANCES AND ARE BEATEN BY SALFORD
27th October 2019 22:46


English Football League - Sky Bet League Two
Mansfield Town 1 - 2 Salford City
Maynard 77. Jervis 48, Rooney 65.
Attendance: 4170 (108 from Salford)

Date: 22 October 2019

Martin Shaw at the One Call Stadium, Field Mill

Mansfield Town were beaten 2-1 at home by Salford City in the first ever meeting between the two clubs this evening. The Stags dominated much of the game, having 69% possession, and creating 24 attempts at goal to just 4 from the visitors, but it all counted for nothing as the Stags dropped back down to 18th place as the mini-run of 3 games unbeaten came to a halt.
The Stags should have been ahead by half time. Five chances went begging in the opening 11 minutes, in a positive start, Nicky Maynard going close twice, and Conor Shaughnessy flicked a corner inches wide. The chances kept on coming, but it was Salford who went closest to scoring despite only having two chances themselves in the first half as Craig Conway’s free kick from 27 yards rattled the left post.
A sucker punch for Mansfield three minutes into the second half as a big punt forward was headed on by Adam Rooney, who beat Krystian Pearce to the header, into the path of Jake Jervis who charged into the area on the left and curled a great shot around Conrad Logan and in off the right post. Clinical finishing. Poor defending from Pearce and Kellan Gordon was out of position as Jervis was given a free run into the area. The Stags continued to create chances, Neal Bishop fired over the bar and against the back stanchion from 25 yards, and then a great run from Shaughnessy played in Maynard for a shot across the keeper and inches wide of the left post.
Salford made it 2-0 on 65 minutes with their fourth and final attempt of the game and it was presented to them on a plate as Jervis’s square ball was knocked up in the air by Pearce and fell invitingly for Rooney to volley it past Logan into the net from 14 yards. A good volley but it sat up beautifully for him. Again Pearce was at fault.
The chances kept on coming for Mansfield as Gordon did well on the right with sub Dapo Afolayan and curled in a lovely cross which Mal Benning somehow headed down into the ground and wide at the left post.
Mansfield pulled a goal back after 77 minutes as man of the match Shaughnessy curled a lovely ball into the box, Maynard controlled it superbly to turn away from his marker Nathan Pond and tuck it past the keeper. A quality finish, something that was sadly lacking for the rest of the evening from the Stags.
The Stags continued to create chances as Benning’s free kick reached Pearce who kneed it goalwards from 2 yards out, the ball hit the keeper from point blank range and then ricocheting back off Pearce and onto the roof of the net, and Bishop’s half-volley from the edge of the box was on target but blocked.
24 attempts at goal in total but the Stags were not good enough to put more than one away, while Salford scored twice from just 4 attempts and hit the post with another, with clinical finishing, aided by a couple of pieces of poor defending from Mansfield.
The Stags should not have lost this game. A night of utter frustration. But they have to dust themselves down and put it right at Walsall on Saturday.

FULL REPORT IN THE MATCH CENTRE

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MATCH REPORT: Run ended as Salford City win on first ever visit to Mansfield Town
chad.co.uk, by JOHN LOMAS, Tuesday 22 October 2019

Mansfield Town’s four-game unbeaten run was halted by a disappointing 2-1 home defeat by Salford City tonight.

It wasn’t the worst performance by John Dempster’s men and, had they taken their chances, they could have won it with some comfort.

But all credit to the Ammies who took two of their rare openings to put themselves in charge on 48 and 65 minutes and then defended superbly, Nicky Maynard’s 76th minute reply at least keeping the game alive to the thrilling end.

Mansfield had made three changes for the first ever visit of EFL new boys.

https://www.chad.co.uk/sport/football/match-report-run-ended-as-salford-city-win-on-first-ever-visit-to-mansfield-town-1-10063758

Ryan Sweeney returned from a one game ban into defence, Alex MacDonald shook off a hip injury to take over from Willem Tomlinson in midfield and Andy Cook came into the attack with CJ Hamilton dropping to the bench with the other two replaced players.

The visitors made one change with Mark Howard replacing the injured Kyle Letheren in goal after signing on an emergency loan from Blackpool.

Mansfield might have gone ahead on a fourth minute attack when Cook squared a pass to Maynard who shot straight at the keeper with MacDonald free to his right in a better position.

Two minutes later Maynard was inches wide with a glancing low header from Benning’s cross in.

On 11 minutes Howard was forced to turn a Cook header round the post from Gordon’s cross and, from the corner, Shaughnessy was inches wide as he hooked it back towards goal.

Having survived those early scares, the visitors thought they had gone ahead on 16 minutes when Burgess headed home a Touray free kick from six yards only to see an offside flag raised.

Jervis caused home worries when he sped off down the left at full pelt on a break but his low cross passed through everyone.

The dangerous Maynard was too high at the other end after spinning away on Gordon’s low ball, soon after seeing another shot deflect for a corner.

Shaughnessy was then tamely wide from 30 yards and Bishop sidefooted wide from 20 yards and then sent a low effort straight to Howard as Stags continued to plug away.

However, on 39 minutes Salford rattled the home woodwork.

Rooney won a free kick almost 25 yards out and Conway saw his effort hit the left post with Logan clawing at fresh air.

Lifted by that, the Ammies then won a couple of corners, which were cleared as the half ended goalless.

But Stags were stung by a Salford goal within three minutes of the restart.

Rooney’s flick on the left sent Jervis on his way and he sped to the edge of the box before slotting a low finish across Logan and in off the far post.

Jones was booked for his foul on Bishop on 53 minutes.

Stags resumed the offensive and Bishop was over with a dipping shot to end a move started by a superb pass by Shaughnessy.

On 61 Stags came desperately close. Sweeney brought the ball forward and found Shaughnessy whose inch-perfect pass put Maynard into the box only for the striker to zip a finish across the face of goal and wide.

But it was 2-0 to Salford on 65 minutes as Sweeney failed to clear a Jervis cross from the left and Rooney met it with a sweet volley that dipped home over Logan.

Stags quickly sent on extra firepower with Afolayan on for MacDonald.

Neither Cook nor Benning could make use of a decent far post cross by Gordon as we entered the last 20 minutes.

Maynard finally gave Stags some hope on 76 minutes. Picked out by Shaughnessy’s pass, he turned a defender and was able to stab home from six yards.

Maynard headed a Benning cross wide on 81 minutes and on 86 Touray was booked for chopping down Gordon as the visitors held on to what they had.

A Benning free kick was flicked on by Maynard and Pearce touched it towards goal where the keeper’s save came agonisingly back off him and wide for a goalkick.

Four minutes were added in which Bishop had a vicious finish blocked by Jones then saw his goalwards header fail to reach Cook.

Cook went down under a challenge for a high ball but his penalty shout went unheard.

Bishop’s frustrated lunge on Jervis then earned him a booking as the night ended in defeat.

STAGS: Logan; Gordon, Pearce, Sweeney, Benning; MacDonald (Afolayan 67), Bishop, Shaughnessy, Khan; Cook, N. Maynard. Subs: Olejnik, Preston, Tomlinson, Hamilton, Knowles, Smith.

SALFORD: Howard, Wiseman, Touray, Armstrong (Threlkeld 75), L. Maynard, Rooney (Dieseruvwe 75), Burgess, Pond, Jones, Jervis, Conway (Hughes 81). Subs: Evans, Lloyd, Towell, Doyle.

REFEREE: Neil Hair of Cambridgeshire.

ATTENDANCE: 4,170 (108 away).

CHAD STAGS MAN OF THE MATCH: Conor Shaughnessy

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LOMAS ON MANSFIELD TOWN: Two steps forward and one step back, but Stags still impress in defeat
chad.co.uk, by JOHN LOMAS, Wednesday 23 October 2019

As several fans remarked to me last night, this season seems to be two steps forward and one step back for the Stags.

Just when the club had begun to gain a bit of momentum with four unbeaten games, three in League Two, it came to a disappointing end with last night’s 2-1 home defeat by Salford City.

But, the result aside - and I know the result is always, always the most important thing - this was far from the worst Mansfield have played this season.

If anything it was a continuation of the recent much improved form and saw Stags dominate it to a huge extent.

https://www.chad.co.uk/sport/football/lomas-on-mansfield-town-two-steps-forward-and-one-step-back-but-stags-still-impress-in-defeat-1-10065307

They had 69 per cent possession and 24 shots at goal, compared with Salford’s four. It really was that one-sided. Yet Salford took all three points home.

Striker Nicky Maynard netted once but should have at least repeated his hat-trick from the previous home game.

He is getting into the right positions and making the right runs, and last night wasn’t his night. But his past record suggests in games where he gets that many chances he will score them more often than not.

Also, Mansfield’s inspirational skipper Krystian Pearce will not have too many more nights when as much goes wrong for him.

He was beaten in the air for the flick that opened Mansfield up for the first goal and his flailing attempted clearance simply set up Adam Rooney for a volley for the second.

Pearce knew his luck was out when he tried to score from close range at the other end and saw the ball saved by the keeper, come back at him and then go past keeper and post for a goalkick instead of into the net.

I know it’s the done thing to boo your side off the field when they don’t win these days - and Stags could have few complaints after the Cambridge defeat - but for their generally entertaining performance and grandstand battling finish last night I felt it was harsh that some chose to boo. They deserved an ovation for that final push.

If they can play that more often than not, then they will soon edge up that table.

And sometimes you just have to take your hat off to the opposition who netted two excellent finishes on a night of few openings for them and then defended for their lives.

For me, the biggest shining light last night was the display of lanky Leeds United loanee Conor Shaughnessy in the centre of midfield.

He ran the show, spraying superb passes around the park and running at the Salford defence at every chance.

The current side is most definitely still a work in progress and fans’ (and chairmen’s) patience can be short.

But things are definitely improving and the 4-4-2 looks to work well with the current personnel to me.

We know Stags will not win every game, but there was enough on show last night to suggest they will win more than they lose as John Dempster continues to develop as a manager.

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