Archived News from February 2006
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STAGS RECOVER TO DRAW 2-2 WITH WREXHAM
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Mansfield Town 2 - 2 Wrexham
Barker 64 (pen), 67. Derbyshire 51, 62 Attendance: 3139 (362 from Wrexham) ----------- Audio highlights from Stagsworld (file is 0.7Mb): listen here Remember Stagsworld is the only place to hear commentary on all Stags game - home and away. To sign up, please visit http://www.mansfieldtown.net ----------- BBC.co.uk: Mansfield 2-2 Wrexham Richard Barker's two strikes cancelled out Matt Derbyshire's brace for Wrexham in a busy second half at Field Mill. On-loan Blackburn striker Derbyshire pounced on Jake Buxton's poor back pass for the opener, then showed great pace to outstrip the defence for his second. That was Derbyshire's second double in a week, but a foul by Danny Williams on Simon Brown gave Mansfield a penalty, calmly converted by Barker. With 67 minutes gone Barker powered in a header to complete the comeback. -------- Barker to the rescue as Stags draw 2-2 with Wrexham CHAD website STAGS skipper Richie Barker struck twice in three minutes to earn a precious home point after they had slumped 2-0 behind against Wrexham at Field Mill this afternoon. A mistake by Jake Buxton had set red hot on-loan Blackburn striker Matt Derbyshire on his way to two goals in 11 minutes early in the second half, following up his sparkling debut brace in midweek. But the introduction of Simon Brown, bravely carrying a stomach injury, saw the sub win a spot kick and Barker netted the first of two replies in three minutes. That made it four games unbeaten for the Stags. Mansfield boss Peter Shirtliff said: "I am not happy with that at all. We conceded two hopelessly ridiculous goals and gave ourselves a mountain to climb. "To be fair to the boys - congratulations to them, they've done it. "Their effort has never been in question. It's their concentration at times and their application, trying to do the right things at the right times. "I was disappointed with both goals we conceded. That's why we are where we are. "We were not on the front foot. If we had stepped up a gear we could have gone on and won the game. "Simon Brown came on with a sportsman's hernia and showed us a bit of spark. The lads seemed to be waiting for someone to spark them off instead of doing it themselves. "I was in two minds before the game whether or not to match them for formation. Then I decided if we got the ball wide we would caused them some problems. But it didn't quite happen. "We had about six players aged under 20 out there which makes a difference." With Gareth Jelleyman starting a two-game ban, on-loan Evertonian Wilson was pulled back into the left back slot and Rundle returned to the left wing. The home side also welcomed Brown back onto the bench. Pressman was the first keeper in action as the game entered its third minute. But he was always comfortably behind Holt's powerful 30 yards free kick. Reet almost ran clear onto a huge Pressman clearance. However, Pejic stayed with him and did enough to put him off. Pressman had a couple of worrying lapses on six minutes. His poor kick out went straight to Jones whose return shot was deflected wide for a corner. Pressman then spilled the flag kick but was lucky no one was there to punish him. On 10 minutes Dawson supplied the overlapping John-Baptiste whose curling cross was met with a good header from Barker to force a save from Ingham. Jones showed a neat turn on the edge of the Stags box only to see his shot blocked. Stags came close again on 16 as Danny Williams could only clear a John-Baptiste cross as far as Reet who, from 18 yards, fizzed his finish just over the top. The visitors enjoyed a spell of pressure and John-Baptiste had to block a Pejic shot before Hjelde's last ditch intervention prevented Derbyshire getting a shot on goal. A loose pass across his own box by Hjelde gave possession to Holt who stepped inside one challenge before forcing Pressman to get down to save his low shot. But it was Mansfield creating the better chances. Reet was too high at the other end as, back to goal, he hooked a shot over the bar from Coke's nod-on. Reet set up a swift counter attack with a pass to Dawson who raced on goal from halfway only to run out of steam as he got into the box where Spender was able to make the tackle. A Dawson cross cannoned off a defender towards Barker who was over the bar with his first time shot. However Wrexham came desperately close on 39 as Holt's long cross from the left reached Spender off the head of Hjelde Spender's low angled shot came back off the foot of the far post. D'Laryea was wide with a quickly taken free kick from long range for the home side as an even first half ended goalless. Rundle had a 20 yard shot deflect over for a corner in the opening minute of the second half. But disaster struck on 51 minutes as, instead of kicking clear in the box, Buxton laid a poor backpass that was never going to reach Pressman, Derbyshire nipping in gleefully to round the keeper and his the net. Within seconds of the restart Reet forced Ingham to save his low 15 yard drive. It had been a disappointing afternoon for Reet and it was little surprise when he was replaced by Brown on 58 minutes. Jones was well off target when Holt's long throw was cleared to him just outside the box. Wrexham won a corner which saw Whitley's shot deflect for another corner. Then Jones cut in from the right past two opponents before hitting his finish too high. But Derbyshire grabbed his fourth goal of the week and second of the afternoon on 62 minutes. Pejic knocked the ball forward, Sam Williams' flick caught the home defence square and Derbyshire raced away before sending a finish under the dive of Pressman. But Stags, with Uhlenbeek now on for Rundle, were offered a lifeline two minutes later when Danny Williams tripped Brown in the box. Barker confidently sent Ingham the wrong way from the spot for his 18th goal of the season. His 19th was not long in coming as the home crowd celebrated a 67th minute equaliser. Uhlenbeek crossed from the right by-line and Barker steamed in at the far post to power home a close range header. Mark Jones curled one just wide of the far post three minutes later as the stunned Welshmen looked to regain their lead. Derbyshire blasted another half-chance over soon after. Stags worked a free kick from 25 yards to Barker who was wide of goal from the edge of the box. Lawrence almost headed an Uhlenbeek cross into his own net as the home side stepped up the hunt for a winner. They won two successive corners, Wilson curling a shot straight at Ingham from the second. On 85 Buxton was narrowly wide with an unexpected blast from 30 yards. Jones was booked for an over-the-top tackle on Wilson three minutes from time. Pressman was firmly behind a hopeful Jones punt from 25 yards. In the final minute Buxton headed Lloyd's corner straight at Ingham before Stags were cheered from the field by the relieved home fans. -------------- footymad: Mansfield captain Richie Barker struck two goals in four minutes to rescue a vital point for the relegation-threatened Stags in a 2-2 draw with Wrexham at Field Mill. Play-off hopefuls Wrexham looked to have clinched only their third away win of the season through Blackburn Rovers' loan striker Matt Derbyshire. Derbyshire grabbed his second two-goal haul in five days as a lacklustre game suddenly sprung to life with four goals in 16 minutes at the start of the second half. The Stags were given a lifeline in the 64th minute, three minutes after Derbyshire's second goal. Danny Williams tripped substitute Simon Brown on the edge of the area and Barker rifled in from the penalty spot. Remarkably the home side then levelled within three more minutes, the towering Barker powerfully heading in a deep cross from substitute Gus Uhlenbeek for his 19th goal of the season. And in a thrilling finish the Stags went close to a winner on five occasions, the best chance falling to defender Jake Buxton whose injury time header was saved under the bar by Michael Ingham. Wrexham had gone close a goal in the opening minute when Andy Holt's 30-yard free kick was well held by keeper Kevin Pressman. The veteran then twice almost gifted the visitors the lead. First his poor clearance fell straight to Mark Jones, but with an empty net gaping Jones' first time shot was deflected for a corner. From that flag-kick Pressman spilled the cross, but Dennis Lawrence failed to punish the error. Barker's divine header from an Alex John Baptiste cross was well held by Ingham as the Stags hit back and then Danny Reet's first time drive shaved the bar. The best chance of a poor half fell to Wrexham's Simon Spender whose 39th minute shot rebounded to safety off the foot of the post from a Holt cross. But there was no let off for the Stags. Six minutes into the second half Buxton's woeful back pass inside the penalty area gifted Derbyshire the easiest of chances to round the keeper and score. Less than 60 seconds later Mansfield should have levelled, but Reet's 15-yard shot lacked power and Ingham comfortably saved. That miss appeared to be vital when Derbyshire doubled the Dragons lead in the 61st minute, racing clear onto a clever flick on from Sam Williams and firing under Pressman. But then the Stags came storming back to snatch a point. ----------- http://www.wrexhamafc.premiumtv.co.uk Denis Smith will not be happy that his side surrendered a two-goal lead after Matt Derbyshire hit his second double of his short Wrexham career, but in the end the visiting supporters might not be too disappointed as Mansfield surged back into the game to draw level within five minutes and might well have gone on to claim all three points. The first chance of the game went Wrexham's way after just two minutes, when Sam Williams had his shirt tugged 35-yards out and from the free kick Andy Holt hit a first time effort that was heading for the top corner by the experienced Kevin Pressman was easily across his goal to collect. Soon afterwards a poor back pass to Pressman was only hit away along the ground and while Mark Jones was teeing up to fire at an empty net from the edge of the box, Jonathan D'Laryea managed to get a boot in and concede the corner. Mansfield showed their attacking intentions when Alex John Baptiste's cross from the right flank was met by the head of Ritchie Barker and he forced Michael Ingham was forced to save low to his right. There was a let off for the Reds on 16 minutes, when a quick throw in by Mansfield saw a cross into the penalty area, where Danny Williams' clearing header fell straight to the feet of Danny Reet, but the Stags' striker snatched at his chance and from a good position he fired well over the target. A quick break by Matt Derbyshire saw his marker Jon Olav Hjelde give the ball away to Holt on the left and he stepped inside of Baptiste to hit a low shot that Pressman saved. From a Wrexham throw in that Holt threw into the Mansfield box, the home side broke into the Welshmen's half with Stephen Dawson being chased by Simon Spender, who managed to force him wide before making the tackle. A ball from Holt to Williams was then aimed at Derbyshire but was cleared only as far as Spender, who took his time before hitting the ball fiercely back across Pressman but it came back off the inside of the far post and was hooked away! Just before the interval Lawrence stepped forward to intercept a pass over balancing as he did, but the ball went straight to Reet and he advanced to the edge of the box before Danny Williams produced a stunning tackle to rob the forward. Wrexham took the lead on 51 minutes courtesy of a poor back pass from Jake Buxton when Williams had put the ball into the box. Matt Derbyshire nipped in between defender and keeper to get a clear sight of goal and he rolled it into an empty net. The striker showed his delight at hitting his third in two games by celebrating with the travelling fans at that end of the pitch. Straight from the restart Lawrence's clearance hit Barker and his partner Reet picked up the loose ball, but clear through on Ingham he shot early and the Irish keeper made the save to his right. As he had done at the Racecourse, manager Peter Shirtliff brought on the nippy Simon Brown just before the hour mark. Two minutes later, Pejic won a header from Pressman's goal kick, knocked up to Sam Williams, who laid itthrough to Matt Derbyshire who held off his marker, ran 20-yards before burying his low shot under the advancing Pressman. Brown then forced a penalty when he turned Danny Williams on the side of the box and referee Lewis had no option but to award the penalty. Ritchie Barker grabbed the ball and sent Ingham the wrong way from 12-yards. The Stags were level on 67 minutes when Brown tormented the Wrexham defence and from his deep cross Ritchie Barker powered over Pejic to head home at the back post. A Mansfield free kick with 10 minutes left, ended with Lawrence heading back across the face of his own goal and only inches wide for a corner, as the visitors' defence were suffering a shaky spell. Mark Jones received a yellow card in the 88th minute and it could well have been a red for an over the ball challenge on Laurence Wilson! An added three minutes could not produce a winner so the points were shared after a very entertaining afternoon. Mansfield Town: Kevin Pressman, Jon Olav Hjelde, Alex John Baptiste, Laurence Wilson, Jake Buxton, Adam Rundle (Gus Uhlenbeek 63), Giles Coke (Callum Lloyd 80), Stephen Dawson, Jonathan D'Laryea, Ritchie Barker, Danny Reet (Simon Brown 58). Subs: Jason White, Kyle Jacobs. Wrexham: Michael Ingham, Shaun Pejic, Danny Williams, Dennis Lawrence, Simon Spender, Andy Holt, Matt Crowell, Jim Whitley, Mark Jones, Sam Williams, Matt Derbyshire. Subs: Michael Jones, Mike Williams, Levi Mackin, Matty Done, Marc Williams. Referee: Gary Lewis (Cambs) Attendance: 3,139 Away: 362 Bookings - Wrexham: Jones (87, foul) |
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