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Archived News from September 2007

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8th September 2007 16:26


Jelleyman is dreaming of a Posh upset...
Evening Post, 08 Sep 07
While the rest of the Mansfield squad are boarding the team bus bound for Peterborough tomorrow, Gareth Jelleyman is likely to be getting some extra beauty sleep.
The left-back lives just minutes away from United's London Road home, having opted to retain his house in the city after moving to the Stags.

So rather than making a needless journey to Field Mill, the 26-year-old has been given permission to meet up with his team-mates for their pre-match meal.

And Jelleyman is keen to take full advantage of that.

"It doesn't take me very long at all to drive to London Road, but I will probably meet up with them for the pre-match," he said.

"That is only a few miles as well, so I will probably get a bit more of a lie-in than normal.

"It is usually me who has to travel further, especially when games are up north, but this time it is me who has it easy because of living in the area.

"When the fixtures come out, the games with Peterborough are always the first ones I look for. I was there for a long time from the age of 12 to 24, so they are a club close to my heart.

"But it makes me want to do well every time I play against them and tomorrow is no different, especially with the money they have spent."

Mansfield have not beaten the Posh in any of their last nine meetings, so it follows that Jelleyman has yet to taste victory against his former employers.

The Stags' task looks even more difficult than usual this season with Peterborough having splashed the cash over the last few months thanks to investment from Darragh MacAnthony.

Jelleyman said: "With the new chairman bringing all his money in, it's a totally different club to when I was there.

"At the time I left they were a little bit unstable, but they seem to have things going in the right direction now.

"They should be doing well with the amount of money they have been throwing around, but it could be a poisoned chalice.

"The expectation is for them to go up and sometimes it is hard to deal with that. With that added bit of pressure hopefully they will falter against us tomorrow."

Welshman Jelleyman joined Mansfield on a free transfer in the 2004-2005 campaign and his allegiance is firmly with the Stags.

But he knows some of his friends will not see it the same way.

"It doesn't seem that long since I was there and it has gone really quickly at Mansfield because I have enjoyed my time," said Jelleyman.

"I have played over 100 games for Mansfield now and I am one of the longest-serving players, but it doesn't seem like that.

"There will be a few of my mates from Peterborough there watching the game so I will be hoping to play well in front of them.

"They are Posh fans though, so they will be definitely wanting them to win rather than for me to do well."

Jelleyman recognises Peterborough have a very talented squad but hopes the Stags can capitalise on any complacency.

He said: "They have lost to Rotherham and Chesterfield which came as a bit of a shock to them.

"A couple of their lads who I know had been really confident and reckoned they could even go through the season without losing a game."

But if Mansfield are to end their sorry run against Peterborough, they will first have to tighten up their defence.

In four League Two matches so far, the Stags have conceded a disappointing nine goals


Contest against promotion contenders the Posh could be tough
Evening Post, 08 Sep 07
Billy Dearden reckons Peterborough will be promotion contenders this season because Darren Ferguson has the same appetite to succeed as his famous father.
Ferguson junior has been playing in the lower leagues of English football for much of the time dad Sir Alex has been conquering Europe with Manchester United.

But the Stags boss believes he has inherited the same steely determination since becoming a manager - and that should stand the Posh in good stead.

"Darren is a winner, there is no two ways about that. He takes after his dad in that respect," said Dearden.

"He has had some money to spend with the help of his chairman and has got a good team together with it.

"I saw Peterborough lose 3-1 to Rotherham and they are a strong team, even though they lost to a side who played well on the day. They have brought in the two players Boyd and McLean from non-league up front and they are a handful.

"McLean has one of the best springs in the game to head the ball and got an eye for goal."

Although Stephen Dawson has been ruled out of tomorrow's clash, Dearden hopes the midfielder will be fit for next week's big derby.

He said: "It is not as bad as he thought. He's a lot happier now than when he first did it."


Mullins ready to face the big spenders
CHAD website, 07 Sep 07
STAGS defender John Mullins can't wait to take on promotion hopefuls Peterborough at London Road on Sunday (2pm).
"We can take last Saturday's confidence into this game and I am confident we can get a result," he said.

"If we play the way we played Saturday we can give the big spenders a little lesson!

"Peterborough away is a tough test for any team. We are getting the game early doors which might not be a bad thing."

Versatile Mullins has played at right back and centre half so far this season with equal aplomb.

"It's nice to be back in the side," he said. "It was hard work getting in and will now be even harder work staying there. But I don't think competition hinders anyone.

"We just bring out the best in each other - that can only help the team.

"I don't mind which position I play in. Being versatile usually means you play more games than not though it can go against you in keeping one certain position."


White will get over it, says Muggleton
EVENING POST, 07 SEP 07
When Carl Muggleton took on extra coaching responsibilities at Mansfield this season after signing a new deal in the summer, he probably expected to be winding down his playing career.
But a crisis in confidence from boss Billy Dearden's first choice goalkeeper, Jason White, has seen the veteran quickly thrust back into first-team action.

Muggleton has watched on with sympathy as his friend and training partner has suffered in the early weeks of 2007-2008.

His feelings are drawn from having been in a similar situation several times in his own career that has spanned more than 20 years.

The 38-year-old remains confident that White has the ability and strength of character to come back strongly.

In the meantime, though, Muggleton is happy to be playing at a senior level once again and is set to make his third start of the season at Peterborough on Sunday.

"All keepers have been through the same thing Jason is going through now," he said.

"Even though I am 30-odd and have been in the game for a long time, the same thing could still happen to me.

"But you do get through those patches and probably the more experience you get and the more games you play, the easier it is to put mistakes to the back of your mind.

""I think it was the right time for Billy to take Jason out of the side when he did.

"After the Lincoln game what he needed was to get through the next game at Morecambe without much incident to boost his confidence back up again.

"But then he made the mistake for their first goal which makes it even harder and the crowd started getting on his back.

"Jason is a good keeper and you don't lose that overnight. He just has to get back to it in training and then in the reserves and take it from there.

"It is good to get a game for the first team and I enjoy it when I do, but really it's all about the development of Jason in the long term."

Peterborough will start as overwhelming favourites to beat the Stags, particularly with home advantage and on the back of a midweek Johnstone's Paint Trophy victory over Forest at the City Ground.

But Muggleton says Mansfield showed their potential with last week's first victory of the season in beating a strong Stockport team 4-2 at Field Mill.

He said: "That result helped to lift sprits within the team and I think we have a bit more belief now.

"I think the fact we went a goal in front rather than a goal behind, as we have in other games, made a difference.

"Some of the football we played was really good - and we put the pressure on them to make mistakes.

"If we can take that into the games to come then we are going to be a lot harder to beat."

One player who has particularly impressed Muggleton early in the new season is Michael Boulding - and with the striker having scored four League goals in as many games, that hardly comes as a surprise.

But Muggleton reckons there is no one more deserving of success than the former Grimsby and Barnsley hitman.

"Mickey has been on fire. He's looked sharp in training in the summer and in pre-season and he's taken that into the League games.

"But he's been working really hard and with the new training facilities we have now he has the chance to do that.

"He is always one of the last to come back in and that's paying off in matches. I think he's enjoying himself now and that is being reflected in his performances."


Dearden swoops to solve the crisis
EVENING POST, 07 SEP 07
Sean McAllister has the right credentials to solve Mansfield's central midfield crisis, insists Billy Dearden.
The Stags boss has agreed to bring in the 20-year-old from Sheffield Wednesday for a month once the window for loan signings reopens tomorrow.

At 5ft 8ins, McAllister is not the biggest, but Dearden reckons the Bolton-born player has plenty of other attributes.

"I have watched him a few times in the last 12 months and Brian Laws wants to get him out on loan," said Dearden. "This fits in with him getting experience at another club.

"And with us having lost two midfield players over the last five of six days it fits in with what we are looking for.

"He is a very similar player to Daws. His work rate is tremendous and he has an eye for goal - he will be a good addition to the squad."

Although Danny Sleath and Dan Martin played well in Tuesday's Johnstone's Paints defeat, Dearden felt it was essential to bring in a new face ahead of Sunday's trip to Peterborough.

He talked to several clubs before he secured a deal for McAllister. Lee Bullock (thigh) and Martin McIntosh (eye) are back in training and are likely to play at London Road.

 

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