Season 0910 Stagsnet Match Report
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Eastbourne Borough
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Mansfield Town
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Enver-Marum 68.
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Perry 5, Duffy 11.
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Attendance: 1207 (200 from Mansfield)
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Date: 17 October 2009
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SUPERB ATTACKING SPELL WINS IT FOR STAGS
Martin Shaw at Langney Sports Club, Priory Lane Mansfield Town picked up the fifth win in six games with a 2-1 victory at Eastbourne Borough. The Stags produced a superb attacking display in the opening 25 minutes that Eastbourne simply couldn't cope with. Goals from Perry on 5 minutes and Duffy on 11 minutes made it 2-0, then Speight hit the bar on 24 minutes. It was probably the Stags' best attacking spell of the season. Eastbourne came back into it in the last 15 minutes of the first half and Marriott made two superb saves from Jamie Taylor. In fact the first half was a wonderful advert for the Blue Square Premier. The second half turned out to be a scrappy affair. Liam Marum, the former Woking forward, scored an outrageous fluke on 68 minutes as his shot from virtually on the byeline flew over Marriott into the net, and the final minutes were nervy but the Stags held on for the deserved victory. Podcast of Radio Nottm commentary: First half, Second half. Apologies for some dropouts in the sound in the second half. Mansfield made two changes from the side that won at Altrincham. Luke Graham missed out with a sickness bug and Louis Briscoe missed out having slipped down his stairs at home. In came Luke Jones, forced into a quicker-than-expected return after his ankle injury, and Jake Speight. Craig Dobson, having signed on Friday and having joined the team at the seafront hotel on Friday evening, was on the bench, but there was no room on the bench for Ollie Hotchkiss in a late change of mind by Holdsworth. The game kicked off in windy conditions, though much less windy than the corresponding game last season. The pitch was a bit bobbly. The Stags started superbly and had a chance on just 26 seconds. Perry crossed from the left and Mills blasted a shot two yards wide of the right post from 20 yards. Eastbourne then had 3 half chances one of which came from a lack of control by Luke Jones, who started the game a little off the pace. But the Stags were ahead on 5 minutes. Mills sent a free kick forward into the box, Jones flicked it on, and Perry arrived at the far post to slide home a crisp left-foot finish. On 9 minutes, Dan Brown crossed from the right and Atkin fired wide from a tight angle. It was 2-0 on 11 minutes. Speight won the ball on the edge of the box and as a defender tried to clear it, it ricocheted off Speight into the path of Istead. Istead moved forward and crossed low from the right and Duffy met it with a first time right-footed shot into the left of the net. On 16 minutes, Speight collected the ball facing away from goal, and from 25 yards he turned and fired a super shot just over the crossbar. On 17 minutes, the Stags defence was asleep as Jamie Taylor was free in the box with only Marriott to beat. Taylor’s shot was brilliantly blocked by Marriott. On 21 minutes, Duffy played in Somner whose shot was blocked. On 24 minutes, it was so nearly 3-0. Heckingbottom’s free kick was headed across goal by Duffy into the path of Speight who thundered a header against the crossbar. It was so close. It had been a magnificent start by the Stags. Eastbourne simply couldn’t cope with the Stags attacking play. On 31 minutes, the tall Atkin turned in the box, held off Jones and forced Marriott into a good stop low down. Straight to the other end and Perry laid a ball back to Istead whose cross found Duffy but Duffy fired wide. On 32 minutes, a free kick by Mills was half-saved by the keeper away from the head of Perry. On 36 minutes, Jamie Taylor fired well wide, and then Andy Atkin headed just wide past Marriott’s despairing dive. On 39 minutes, an Eastbourne corner from the left was headed by Jamie Taylor towards the top corner before Marriott superbly tipped it over. It was a world-class save. Speight was booked during the half-time interval for a tussle right on the stroke of half-time, an incident spotted by the assistant ref but not the referee Marvin Thompson himself. Thompson had to be replaced due to injury, at the interval by one of his assistants Mr A. Neil. There was also a tannoy plea for any qualified person in the stadium to come forward and take over fourth official duties. Someone came forward and there was hilarity during the second half as he was completely unable to fathom how to work the board to signify substitutes. Half time 0-2 On 48 minutes, Borough claimed for a penalty as Heckingbottom clumsily bundled over Taylor but the replacement referee waived away the appeals. The superb entertainment of the first half was now replaced by a niggling game which got scrappier and scrappier. On 61 minutes, Matt Crabb's free kick from 20 yards was straight at Marriott. Eastbourne brought on Liam Enver-Marum on 64 minutes. He had played against the Stags for Woking last season when he was known simply as Liam Marum. On 68 minutes, it was 2-1 with an extraordinary fluke goal from the sub Marum. Atkin flicked the ball down the right for Marum who blasted a cross-cum-shot from an unbelievably tight angle that flew over Marriott and under the far angle of post and crossbar and into the net. Marum ran back to the halfway line as if he had done it 50 times in training during the week. The Stags were stunned. On 71 minutes, a Borough free kick was deflected for a corner. At the other end on 73, Istead’s cross was just too high for Perry. Craig Dobson came on for Perry on 76 minutes, for his debut, and then on 80 minutes, Williams replaced Istead. The Stags went to 4-4-2 with Dobson on the right and Williams on the left of midfield. The Stags were winding the clock down, and on 89 minutes Dobson went on a fine run, but as he cut in from the right, his left-footed shot was wide. In stoppage time, Marum burst forward and shot wide from 18 yards. There were no more chances as the substitute ref played six and a half minutes of stoppage time when only four had been signaled. But the Stags comfortably held on for another vital three points. Man of the match: Luke Jones |
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Report by: Martin Shaw at Langney Sports Club
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Line Up:
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Marriott 8 Two superb saves from Taylor in the first half. Assured throughout. Blameless for the goal.
Silk 7 Good game. Jones 8 Nice flick-on for Perry's goal. One early mistake, but did very well after that, despite not being 100% fit. Garner 7 Good game. Heckingbottom 7 Composed at left back, slightly lucky with clumsy challenge in penalty area that was waved away by the sub ref. Mills 8 Superb in the first half, too quiet in the second half. Somner 7 Got stuck in. One decent shot that was blocked. Istead 7 Decent box to box display. Good cross for Duffy's goal. Speight 7 Heavily involved in the first half. Probably should have scored when he hit the bar, and one fine shot just over. Duffy 7 Took his goal well, and a fine header across goal for Speight's header against the bar. Perry 7 Another goal. A threat in the air in the first half. |
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Sub Line Up:
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Dobson (for Perry, 76) - Looked sharp. Held the ball well, and one good run.
Williams (for Istead, 80) - Subs Not Used: Eley, Armstrong, Sturrock. |
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Opposition Line Up:
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Jordan, Baker (Elphick 46), Jenkins, Austin, Pullan, Smith, Armstrong, Atkin, Matt Crabb, Taylor (Enver-Marum 64), Brown. Subs Not Used: Knowles, Smart, Johnson.
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Referee:
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M Thompson (England) Had to go off at half time.
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