Season 04/05 Stagsnet Match Report
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Yeovil Town
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Mansfield Town
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Davies 4, Way 53, 81, Rose 71, Jevons 72.
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Rundle 32, Day pen 49. Barker missed pen 14.
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Attendance: 6471 (app 148 from Mansfield - our estimate, 130 on terrace, 18 in stand)
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Date: 9th April 2005
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TEN MINUTE SPELL BURIES STAGS
Martin Shaw and Jeff Barnes at Huish Park Mansfield were blitzed in a crazy 10 minute spell at Yeovil this afternoon after taking the lead early in the second half. It was 1-1 after an even first half in which Barker missed a penalty for the Stags, and the Stags looked good for a positive result after Day’s penalty put the Stags in front, but a quick equaliser levelled the game, before 3 goals between the 71st and 81st minute gave the scoreline a bizarre complexion. The Stags made three changes from the side that beat Grimsby: McNiven returned for Buxton in defence, while Coke replaced Neil in midfield and Lloyd came in for the departing Larkin, in a 4-5-1 formation. The Stags fell behind in just the 4th minute in Yeovil’s first attack. Baptiste won a great tackle just on the halfway line, but Yeovil immediately picked the ball and with Baptiste now out of position, the nippy Arran Davies carried the ball from his own half in a direct line to goal, easily outpacing Jelleyman along the way, before sliding a precision shot past Pilkington’s right hand into the bottom left hand corner of the net. It was an excellent finish. On 9 minutes McLachlan was booked for a clattering challenge, which meant he had to be careful for the rest of the game. But on 14 minutes McLachlan did really well to earn the Stags a penalty when he was brought down by Sodje on a charging run, trying to work himself some space for a shot in the area. No card was brandished against the former Huddersfield defender. With no obvious penalty taker on the pitch, Barker took responsibility but his weak shot to the keeper’s left was easily saved. It was a feeble effort from a player with normally an assured strike. On 19 minutes there was a nearly a carbon copy of Yeovil’s early goal. Davies again broke clear of the Stags defence only to be thwarted by a great save from Pilkington with his feet. A minute later superb work by Brown, winning the ball on the touchline, before cutting a cross back for Coke who fired straight at the keeper. On 23 minutes, Coke crossed and Barker sent a shot over the angle. On 26 minutes, Jelleyman was exposed yet again when another through ball was behind him, and eventually left-back Rose blasted a shot over the bar. A minute later, it was more end to end stuff, as Brown crossed for Barker to loop a header over. But the Stags were deservedly level on 32 minutes in great style. Barker won a terrific tackle, putting Rundle in space just outside the box and the Stags young winger crashed a great left foot shot across the keeper into the net to add £500 a week to his wage demands! On 38 minutes, there was an extraordinary moment in the Stags area. A cross into the box was not dealt with, and the ball was heading for the net until Day incredibly cleared off the line with a back-heel! A minute later, the ball dropped to Rundle but his volley was wide of the right post. On 43 minutes, Day made the cardinal sin of not playing to the whistle when he may have been fouled and instead of playing on, looked to the referee, but fortunately a cross came to nothing as it was cleared by Jelleyman. On 45 minutes, Yeovil again played a ball behind Jelleyman but the cross came to nothing. The Stags midfield had allowed the Yeovil to put a ball into a dangerous area yet again. Half time 1-1 So the teams were level in a very even first half. Yeovil looked nervy following their recent poor run of results. Mansfield looked good down the flanks but weak in central midfield, where Yeovil kept knocking through balls behind the Stags square back line. The Stags were ahead early in the second half thanks to their second penalty of the game. A powerful shot from Rundle was well saved a and resulted in a scramble in the Yeovil box and the referee pointed to the spot signalling that there had been some shirt-pulling. Video evidence later proved that McLachlan was tugged down by his shirt. Rundle looked as though he wanted to take it as he strolled to the penalty spot, but it was Brown who got hold of the ball and headed towards the spot, before Day wrestled the ball off him and insisted he was taking it. He strode up and side footed a shot into the right hand corner of the net a couple of feet off the ground, even though the keeper got a touch to it. The key difference to Barker’s kick was the height. But the lead lasted only a couple of minutes. On 53 minutes, Baptiste made a great block to give away a corner. The corner was cleared by Day, but the second cross was thumped towards goal by Darren Way from close range; Baptiste tried to clear the ball, but smacked it against his own bar and out to safety, but the goal was given. Video evidence suggests the ball did not cross the line and the Stags were very unlucky. On 57 minutes Jevons got behind the Stags defence but was flagged offside before he lobbed Pilkington and into the net. Mansfield missed a gilt-edged chance to edge ahead on 62 minutes. Day won a header from a corner straight into the path of the unmarked McLachlan who headed straight at the keeper when it seemed easier to score. Moments later Brown worked himself into a position in the box on the right, but shot wide of the left post. The game turned on a crucial bad decision by the referee on 71 minutes. Baptiste made a clean tackle on the edge of the box but the referee awarded a free kick, much to the Stags disgust. Left back Rose stepped up and hammered a low shot through the wall and past Pilkington for a crucial 3-2 lead. This was undoubtedly the turning point of the game. Just a minute later the game was over as Yeovil unbelievably made it 4-2. A cross from the right by Gall was flicked home by Jevons at the far post. The Stags had a spell of pressure shortly afterwards as first Brown got through but put in an awful cross, and then Jelleyman put in a poor cross. Yeovil broke to the other end as Davies was through again and Pilkington tipped the ball over. On 80 minutes, Rundle headed a Yeovil corner off the line, but it was bizarrely 5-2 just a minute later. A corner from the right was headed home at the near post from close range by Way. On 85 minutes, Brown again failed to deliver a decent final ball from a good position. A minute later the Stags had a goalmouth scramble but the ball just wouldn’t fall for a Stags player. Three minutes from time, Pilkington was laid out by a foul and after a long delay he played on, but Baptiste was booked for something he said to the referee. As the final whistle went, Baptiste carried on protesting to the referee, presumably through frustration at the crucial decision which led to the third goal, as well as the late foul on Pilkington. So the Stags fell to a heavy defeat but the game was much closer than the scoreline suggests, and on a different day the Stags could have won. After Yeovil scored their third goal, their confidence flooded back as quickly as it flooded out of the Stags team. Man of the match: Adam Rundle |
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Report by: Martin Shaw and Jeff Barnes at Huish Park
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Line Up:
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Pilkington 6 One great save in the first half. No obvious errors for any of the goals.
McNiven 7 Defended well. Baptiste 6 Defended ok. Furious after a foul on Pilkington and booked for protesting. Unlucky to have a part in two of Yeovil goals. Day 6 Strong in the air, but lacked pace at times. Looked a danger up front. Jelleyman 4 Off the pace throughout, and especially outpaced for the first goal. We lost count of the number of crosses from the right in the second half. Brown 6 Industrious and showed good pace. Some good crosses but too many bad ones as well. McLachlan 6 Didn’t win enough balls in midfield. Missed a sitter in the second half. Did win both penalties though. Coke 6 Flattered to deceive. Too many balls were played through or past him by Yeovil Rundle 7 Good going forward, and a cracking goal. Though didn’t help Jelleyman enough. Needs work on his defensive play. Lloyd 5 Anonymous. Barker 6 Battled strongly on his own. Great tackle for Rundle’s goal. Terrible penalty. |
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Sub Line Up:
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Subs not used: White, Dimech, Lonsdale, McIntosh, Heron.
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Opposition Line Up:
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Collis, Lockwood (Amankwaah 88), Skiverton, Sodje, Rose, Terry, Johnson, Way, Gall (Stolcers 82), Jevons (Brown 87), Davies.
Subs Not Used: Weale, Miles. |
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Referee:
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Trevor Kettle 6 Handled the game ok, but crucial decision for free-kick which led to Yeovil’s third goal was a bad one.
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