Season 12/13 Stagsnet Match Report
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Mansfield Town
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Hyde FC
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Green 6.
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Attendance: 2203 (64 from Hyde)
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Date: 25 August 2012
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GREEN GOAL ENOUGH FOR STAGS TO BEAT HYDE
Martin Shaw at the One Call Stadium An early goal from Matt Green was enough for Mansfield Town to overcome new boys Hyde FC at Field Mill on Saturday. The Stags created a lot of chances in the first half and should have been further ahead than 1-0, but the second half was a different matter as Hyde worked their way back into the game and had chances to equalise but were unable to take them. This wasn’t the best game of football, but it was important that the Stags did enough to earn the victory. Heavy rain around 1pm made the pitch very wet, and it was to continue raining during the first half. As players slid in for challenges, there was lots of spray. But at no stage did the ball stop rolling. Had the rain continued in the second half, the game could certainly have been in doubt about finishing. Actually the rain that I drove through to get to Lincolnshire about 6.30 pm was truly torrential. Had that arrived at Field Mill in the second half, the game would surely have been abandoned. With sun out at times in the second half, we witnessed probably the best rainbow I have ever seen during a game in Mansfield. Mansfield made just one change from the side that won at Kidderminster, with Briscoe in for Todd. Todd had played solidly at Kidderminster, but in theory Briscoe would offer more attacking options. Jamie Hand returned from suspension for his for first appearance in a Mansfield squad. Again no sub keeper, but Paul Cox did announce before the game that Lee Beevers would play in goal should Marriott get injured. Hyde were managed by former Stag Scott McNiven, who was treated pretty badly by Carlton Palmer after McNiven’s illness with testicular cancer. Stags first chance came on 5 minutes when Roberts’ free kick was headed back by Dempster. It ricocheted off Howell and just wide of the post. The Stags were ahead on six minutes. Green ran on to a ball from Briscoe on the right, cut inside on to his left foot and fired low and hard just inside the right post. It was a fine finish. On 8 minutes, Roberts’ corner was headed down by Jones and Rhead stabbed an effort over the bar. Hyde had a chance on 9 minutes as Scott Spencer found himself in space on the right but his weak low shot was straight at Marriott. On 18 minutes Briscoe crossed from the right and Green rose but could only head wide of the left post. In truth the cross was fractionally too high for him. A rare chance for Hyde on 22 minutes with a free kick for Jevons which was easily saved by Marriott. Lindon Meikle should have scored on 27 minutes. Dempster’s ball forward was headed down by Rhead, and Meikle had an open goal but the ball was bouncing awkwardly and he couldn’t keep it down, firing over the bar. A comedy moment on the half hour as for the second time during the half, a Hyde player, in attempting a throw-in dropped the ball right in front of him. This time it was Brizell, earlier it was Jevons. Superb defending by Daniel on 37 minutes. Scott Spencer was through on goal but as he was about to shoot Daniel slid in with a great challenge. On 38 minutes, Roberts did well to win a 50:50 ball, and a great effort by Green as his shot from 22 yards was curling into the bottom right corner of the net but the keeper tipped it round for a corner. On the stroke of 45 minutes, a Roberts’ corner from the left was met with a free header from Dempster but it was over the bar. Half time 1-0 On 47 minutes, the Hyde keeper mis-kicked the ball out to Briscoe 35 yards from goal. Briscoe took a first time shot but sent his effort miles wide. Rhead went down in the penalty area on 54 minutes from Roberts’ free kick into the box but the referee waved away the half-hearted penalty appeals. Hyde’s danger man Scott Spencer broke into the box on the left hand side with a couple of lucky ricochets but fired well wide from a tight angle. On 59 minutes, Marriott’s ball forward was headed on by Rhead but Green or Meikle or both were flagged offside with Green seemingly through on goal. Speight replaced Rhead on 63 minutes and went up front alongside Green. On 64 minutes, Hyde had their best chance of the game when former York midfielder Blinkhorn shot inches wide of the right post after a good break forward. Mansfield thought they’d extended the lead on 73 minutes. Meikle did well down the left, crossed into the middle, the keeper flapped at it, allowing Speight to have a couple of bites at trying to force the ball over the line from close range but didn’t the referee decided the ball had not crossed the line. Hyde had gone 3 up front by now, sensing a chance to get back into the game and, on 76 minutes, Spencer crossed from the left and Blinkhorn acrobatically flicked an effort well wide. Jamie Hand made his first appearance for the Stags on 78 minutes replacing Briscoe with Meikle moving to the right side of midfield. Luke Jones had a lucky escape on 83 minutes when he dallied at the back but Hyde were not able to capitalise. On 89 minutes, Spencer fired a free-kick well over the bar. With Mansfield failing to hold on to the ball in the final minutes, Meikle, noticeably guilty of giving the ball away twice. Two minutes into stoppage time, Hyde substitute Tomsett had a shot from distance just over the bar. Wright replaced Green on 90 + 3 minutes and, seconds later, the referee blew the final whistle to signal the first home win of the season. Man of the Match: Junior Daniel |
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Report by: Martin Shaw at the One Call Stadium
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Line Up:
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Marriott 7 Very quiet game but did what he had to do efficiently.
Sutton 7 Defended well. Jones 6 Did ok, but got lucky when he dallied at the back and Hyde were not able to capitalise. Dempster 7 Decent game. Daniel 8 Very good game, including one outstanding sliding tackle. Briscoe 5 Played the ball forward for Green’s goal, but wasn’t at his best. Roberts 7 Some good set-pieces. Won some good challenges. Howell 5 Looked so good last season, but has played poorly in all four of the games this season. Meikle 7 Full of effort as always. Missed one great chance, but always a livewire causing the Hyde defence problems. Rhead 5 Not as effective as at Kidderminster. Green 7 Took his goal superbly. |
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Sub Line Up:
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Speight (for Rhead, 63) - Unlucky with one double effort.
Hand (for Briscoe, 78) - Some really good touches. Wright (for Green, 90+3) - Subs not used: Beevers, Clements. |
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Opposition Line Up:
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Frith, Brizell, Ashworth, Williams, Griffin, Blinkhorn, Cassidy, Byrne, Jevons, Brown, Spencer. Subs (used) Tomsett, Spencer, Douglas-Pringle. Subs not used: Lomas, David McNiven.
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Referee:
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Charles Brakespear (Walton-on-Thames) 8 Handled the game very well. One puzzling moment when he awarded Hyde a free kick fully 20 yards from where the foul took place.
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