Archived News from September 2020
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COUGHLAN AND MATT TAYLOR REACTION
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Boss reviews ‘disappointing’ loss
mansfieldtown.net, Saturday, 26th September 2020 After watching his side ‘start like a house on fire’ in today’s loss to Exeter City, manager Graham Coughlan has reflected on what turned out to be a ‘poor day at the office.’ Stags took the lead on 20 minutes through defender Rollin Menayese, but eventually fell to their first league defeat of the new campaign following an own goal from Farrend Rawson and a Josh Key header. The boss says that his side ‘didn’t do enough’ to win today’s match at One Call Stadium. “It was very disappointing to be honest,” he told iFollow Stags. “We haven’t coached them all week, Monday to Friday to just kick the ball and smash it forward. “That’s not what I wanted to see and I don’t know why we fell into that. I need to sit down with the players on Monday because that was a bitty, lacklustre performance that we can’t have. “We coached them to get the ball down and play, and I just didn’t see any of that from my team today. We just weren’t at the races. https://www.mansfieldtown.net/news/2020/september/boss-reviews-disappointing-loss/ “When you go 1-0 up, and you’re not having a good day, you use your head, make better decisions and make sure your [opposite] man doesn’t have a good day either. “It was a poor day at the office, to be quite honest. We started like a house on fire, but then all of a sudden, we go on the back foot. “Their goal was a pivotal moment in the game. It seemed to sap the energy, the confidence and the belief out of us. “All-in-all, we didn’t play well today and we didn’t do enough to win the game. To lose by two goals from set pieces is bitterly disappointing with the size that we have.” The manager also looked back on the two Exeter goals, which both came from corners. “We didn’t mark our men and didn’t make the first or second contact in the box,” he added. “I have a goalkeeper who is six-foot-two and defenders that our six-foot-one. “So I’m expecting them to win headers in our own six-yard box - I shouldn’t be having worries when teams are putting balls in our box. “We conceded two goals from two corners - it does happen - but those boys better realise that it can’t happen too often.” Graham Coughlan says that he wants to see his players ‘step up’ in the weeks ahead. “Let’s not make excuses. We were poor today and didn’t play well. When we go 1-0 up, I expect us to make better decisions. “We looked tense and nervy, and we are far better than that. We played well against Tranmere and in the second-half against Leyton Orient. “I’m most aggrieved with the softness with which we conceded today. I’m calling for the leaders in the dressing room to stand up and the boys to be brave. “I’m calling on the lads to dust themselves down and react exactly the way Exeter reacted today. “We better not have too many days like that - I want men to step up. I want bravery, I want people to get on the ball and I want people to start producing on a Saturday what they produce Monday to Friday.” ------------------- "We're not doing our job at set pieces!" Graham Coughlan frustrated by 'sloppy' goals as Mansfield Town are beaten by Exeter City chad.co.uk, Saturday, 26th September 2020 Graham Coughlan conceded that 'sloppy' goals and poor defending at set pieces cost Mansfield Town today. The Stags were beaten 2-1 as Exeter City fought back to take the spoils. But Coughlan felt his side played their part in their own downfall as they failed to deal with balls into the box for both goals. "It was bitterly disappointing," Coughlan told BBC Radio Nottingham following today’s 2-1 defeat at One Call Stadium. https://www.chad.co.uk/sport/football/were-not-doing-our-job-set-pieces-graham-coughlan-frustrated-sloppy-goals-mansfield-town-are-beaten-exeter-city-2984627 "I'm not going to make excuses for the lads, we gave away and gifted Exeter two goals. "We're not doing our jobs at set pieces and the size we have in our team, the size we have in our changing room, the men we have, the nouse we have, the experience we have - we shouldn't be giving goals away like that. "To say we got beat on two set pieces is a cardinal sin to be honest. "I think I'm well within my rights to ask a 6'2" goalkeeper and centre halves to start commanding their box. I dont think we commanded any part of the pitch today or any part of the game." While the contest was played out in difficult conditions, Coughlan remained frustrated his side couldn't hold on to Rollin Menayese's opener to claim three points. "Having gone 1-0 up it wasn't going to be a spectacle with the conditions, but we've got to use our heads, nullify the opposition and get through a bad day with three points," Coughlan added. "The longer that goes on the more uptight and nervy the fans and people around will get. "Look, it was a bad day at the office. It was rather naive and poor defending for their two goals. "There's a lot to be worked on, to be done. If you're not going to play well, don't concede sloppy goals." ------------------- rmenayese instagram Bittersweet feeling today. Buzzing to get my first professional goal but gutted about the result. We will learn from it and go again ----------------------- Matt Taylor: "It was a big response in terms of the performance." exetercityfc.co.uk City boss Matt Taylor has emphasised how pleased he was with his players’ response to last weekend’s result against Port Vale, in today’s 2-1 victory over Mansfield Town. The Grecians came from a goal down to beat the Stags at the One Call Stadium thanks to an own goal from Ferrend Rawson and a match winner from Josh Key. “It was a big response in terms of the performance. I felt there was too many players who played below par last weekend; collectively how we were represented in certain areas of the pitch, I don’t think we can hold anything against that group of players today,” Taylor told the media. “It was not pretty at times, but that is League Two football. If we get 30 or 40 games like that a season, we need to be effective on those games. “We won the game, we got better as the game went on. We had to weather the storm as such in that first period, against the wind and against a team who were hungry and they started well on the front foot. “We had to hold on at times, not in terms of chances created but in terms of a bit of pressure. “When we started competing a little bit better in the middle of the pitch, we got a foot hold on the game. We started to move the ball into the wider areas, where the space was. “We probably didn’t create enough clear cut opportunities, but that makes those two goals even more valuable. “We have got to use that ball as best as we possibly can, but to use it, we have to win it first, and that is why I was so pleased with that spine of the team. Archie and Jake being more central made a big difference today,” he added. https://www.exetercityfc.co.uk/news/2020/september2/mt-mansfield/ Taylor was pleased with the manner in which the team set up to score the two 'scruffy' goals inside the Mansfield box from corners. “Two set pieces, two scruffy goals. Something I always ask for, is just putting your body on the line in the oppositions box. Rory (McArdle) did it for the first goal, I don’t know if it was an own goal. Then Josh Key has done it for the second goal. “The mentality, of make it happen in the oppositions box has to be there, and I am really pleased that we can score those goals. “We didn’t cut them open time and time again, but we had good positioning on that football pitch, I am really pleased with the spine of the team. The Grecian’s boss is pleased with the attitude of 20-year-old Josh Key, who won the match for his side with a header into the roof of the net. “We have got to keep him grounded, he is the nicest lad you will ever meet, he is a great example of what you want a young player to be like,” he said. “Playing in an unnatural position, and I have said time and time again that he bases his game on physicality. “He is winning his headers and nobody is beating him in a one-on-one race, and he can affect the game in attack as well. “Full credit to him. For giving himself the chance to play, which was dictated by Jake Caprice’s injury,” he added. ---------------------- Matt Taylor delighted with Exeter City's 'scruffy goals' in Mansfield Town win "It wasn’t always pretty but that’s League Two football. We have to be effective in these games." devonlive.com, 26 SEP 2020 Exeter City manager Matt Taylor said that the two scruffy goals his side scored in the 2-1 win at Mansfield Town were something he has been asking for a while. The Grecians fell behind to Rollin Menayese’s first goal for the Stags from a well worked corner midway through the first half, but levelled up just before the break when Rory McArdle’s header from a Matt Jay corner was diverted into his own net by Farrend Rawson. And City picked up their first league win of the season 15 minutes from time with another goal from a corner, with Josh Key rising highest to head home from six yards. https://www.devonlive.com/sport/football/football-news/matt-taylor-delighted-exeter-citys-4552399 Taylor, speaking after the game, said that while his side have the ability to score plenty of goals from open play, if they can net from set pieces as well it will give them the chance to once again be in the promotion picture. “We got better as the game went on and had to weather the storm in the first period against the wind and a team who were hungry,” Taylor said. “We had to hold on - not in terms of chances but pressure - and once we got a foothold in the game we then started to move the ball better into wider areas and got our ball players into the game. We probably didn’t create enough clear cut chances in terms of clean play, but that makes the two goals even more valuable “Two set pieces and two scruffy goals is something I’ve been asking for a long time. It’s about putting your body on the line and Rory did it for the first goal and Josh did it for the second goal. The mentality to make it happen in the opposition has to be there and I’m really pleased that we were able to score those goals as we are able to score the cleaner goals from the good passing moves. “We have to use the ball as well as we can, and to use it, we have to win it first, and I was so pleased with the spine of the team today. Archie, Jake, Tom and Rory were our foundation against a serious team to play against. It was a good response and I felt too many of our players were below par last weekend, but today they gave everything. It wasn’t always pretty but that’s League Two football. We have to be effective in these games.” Key, 20, made his first start for the club earlier this month, but has already netted twice - both winners - for the Grecians, and Taylor said that he had fully grabbed his chance. “He is the nicest lad you’ll ever meet,” Taylor said. “He is basing his game on physicality and he is winning his headers and no-one can beat him in a one on one, and while he is playing out of position, he is affecting the game in an attacking fashion as well, so full credit to him. He gave himself a chance to play, with the circumstances with Jake Caprice’s injury, but he has certainly taken it.” Caprice, who joined from Tranmere Rovers in the summer, made his City debut off the bench his 15 minutes to go, and he is one of a number of players who will get more minutes in their legs on Monday when Exeter take on Torquay United in a friendly. Taylor said that all of the players who did not feature against Mansfield would be involved, including centre back Alex Hartridge, who was the only injury doubt in what is an otherwise fully fit squad. The win keeps Exeter’s impressive recent record against Mansfield going - having not lost on the road in 11 against them and with six wins out of seven - and was only their third win in 14 in total and second in ten away from St James Park. But it could have been much more comfortable had referee Christopher Pollard awarded City a first half penalty for what happened to be a clear Farrend Rawson handball. “I don’t know why he didn’t give it,” Taylor said. “I’m sure he’ll have an excuse, but I don’t think there was one person in the stadium who didn’t think it was a penalty.” -------------------- |
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