Archived News from March 2010
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HOLDSWORTH, SPEIGHT AND HEATHCOTE REACTION
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Alty boss Heathcote casts aside criticisms of Mansfield counterpart David Holdsworth.
http://www.messengernewspapers.co.uk/sport/5080311.Heathcote_defends_the_Robins__tactics/ GRAHAM Heathcote launched an impassioned defence of Altrincham's approach on the road, after it came under fire from Mansfield counterpart David Holdsworth. After seeing his side scrape a 1-1 draw with an injury-time equaliser, Holdsworth complained that Alty had "shut up shop from the first minute." It was given short shrift by Heathcote, who saluted the way form team Alty made it seven League games without defeat, and said: "The lack of tactical nous some people display astonishes me at times. There are a lot of so-called up and coming managers around who think they know it all, but you soon realise they don't. "I'm 56 this year and not exactly naive, and going into an away game with the philosophy that it's up to your opponents to try and break you down is one that has caused an awful lot of problems for a lot of sides. It doesn't just happen in the Conference, either. "Some of the top sides in the country take the same approach into European games, and when it comes off, it is a triumph for tactical thinking. There are many ways to play a game of football, and you work out which is best for your side. It is called tactics, and while a lot of people think they understand that, it is clear many don't." Heathcote was particularly scathing about Holdsworth's claim that Alty were arguing among themselves at half-time. "I can tell you 100 per cent there were no arguments in our dressing room," he said. "All I told the players was: 'Well done, carry on the same way and they will get even more frustrated'. Mansfield need to understand they were the ones who nicked a draw in added time, not us. "We are a very thin, exhausted squad, and because of that, we haven't done a minute's training for the past three weeks. That gives all the full-time clubs an enormous advantage, yet we went to Mansfield and ensured the game was played exactly the way we wanted. "They were up against a bunch of kids at Histon on Saturday, but it was men last night - and they were found wanting." ------------------- HOLDSWORTH REACTION, AUDIO INTERVIEW BBC RADIO NOTTM ---> http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/eng_conf/8568007.stm --------------------- Stags boss defiant after Speight rescues late home point CHAD.co.uk, 23 March 2010, By John Lomas MANSFIELD Town have now slipped to six points off the play-off zone with just seven games left. http://www.chad.co.uk/stags/Stags-boss-defiant-after-Speight.6175129.jp But, even after it took a stoppage time goal from Jake Speight to earn a disappointing 1-1 home draw with Altrincham tonight, manager David Holdsworth refused to concede the play-off dream is over and had plenty of praise for his side's battling qualities. "It is never over until it is mathematically over and the boys are doing what they can to achieve as much as possible," he said. "The players have stuck together and I won't criticise them for the way they played tonight. It would have been an injustice if Altrincham had won – it would have been robbery. "They just shut up shop. It was a frustrating night the way they came here to just slow the game down. "Football is like that sometimes. We asked the players to play and they did that. We dominated possession in the first half and the ethics were right. "There were some good performances and I thought we were brave with the ball tonight. We passed it well and Altrincham didn't know what had hit them. You could hear them arguing at half-time. "They kept kicking it out and the ball was out more than it was in. "The other team came here to nick a point tonight and nearly got all three. "We didn't create the openings we did on Saturday. But the old saying is that it takes two teams to make a game of football and Altrincham got 11 behind the ball, sat off, made it deep, and it was not very nice to watch, let alone play in, and the pitch was cutting up too. Conditions were awful. "Fair play to them, for once they brought a bigger team than I did and you have to have the ability to break them down. But we didn't have the killer pass." He added: "Gary Silk's first half chance was a big moment, but it seemed to bobble up on the surface. "Not losing is a good habit but we have got to turn these draws into victories. They are telling moments and have cost us too many times this season. "Little things are costing us. But the spirit in that dressing room is still fabulous." The unambitious visitors snatched an unlikely 70th minute lead from a Greg Young header and Holdsworth said: "Altrincham competed in the box and Scott Garner got pulled around, but we will have to see if he was fouled on the video. "Then they took advantage of the loose ball. We switched off for a split second." But super sub Jake Speight was again the hero with his goal with 94 minutes elapsed on the watch. "Jake has a habit of doing that," added Holdsworth. "He has had this prolonged injury and we have had to try to manage it. "We didn't think he could play any longer than he did tonight though I know our fans would have wanted him to start the game. But the substitution certainly paid off. "The little fellow wants to play and we are getting advice from doctors and specialists. He is an infectious character and I would love to start him. "We have been without Jake for two months and if you took Constable out of Oxford or Sills out of Stevenage you would miss their goalscoring prowess too." --------------------- Speight: That was the least Stags deserved Evening Post SUBSTITUTE Jake Speight snatched a stoppage time leveller for Mansfield Town against Altrincham then insisted: "That was the least we deserved." http://www.thisismansfieldtown.co.uk/news/Speight-Stags-deserved/article-1938402-detail/article.html The Stags looked to be heading for as second home defeat on the spin when the visitors' Greg Young headed home midway through the second half. But Speight was introduced in the 74th minute and struck his 13th goal of the campaign in the dying seconds to salvage a deserved point for the Stags. "I was pleased with the goal and I thought the boys grafted well throughout the game," he said. "We are a little bit disappointed because we know we should have done better against a side like that but the conditions didn't help. They played a big part. "I can't remember them going forward many times in the second half apart from their goal. "They did defend well and kept us out, but sometimes you need that little bit of luck, for something to drop for you, and we didn't get it until right at the end. I think we deserved something. "It's going to be tough now to get in the play-offs but if you look at the fixtures, we have got all the teams around us still to play. "They are all six-pointers, no ifs or buts, starting with Kettering on Saturday." Speight also revealed he would have been unable to start the match even if Stags manager David Holdsworth had wanted him to. He said: "I had a little bit of a problem with my knee after the game against Histon and went to see the surgeon to have it checked out. "Everything is fine on the scans and x-rays but it still needs more strengthening work. "There was no way I was going to start. "Twenty minutes was about all I could manage. Thankfully, I got the goal in that time." ------------------------ Stags boss Holdsworth left frustrated Evening Post DAVID Holdsworth was left lamenting Mansfield Town's inability to post back-to-back victories following a frustrating home draw with Altrincham last night. http://www.thisisnottingham.co.uk/football/Stags-boss-Holdsworth-left-frustrated/article-1938461-detail/article.html? The Stags' play-off hopes were all but ended as the visitors claimed a 1-1 draw. In fact, Alty would have taken home all three points but for Jake Speight's stoppage time equaliser. It means Mansfield have still not won consecutive games since October, after Chester City's record has been expunged. "We spoke about it before the game. We have got a habit of not losing games and have lost only one of our last seven," said Holdsworth. "But we have to turn a point into three – and that is the most frustrating thing from my point of view. "We have to have the ability to break teams down but we haven't always had the killer pass, as in this game. "It would have been an injustice and robbery if we hadn't got something out of the game, but football is like that sometimes. "We dominated possession from the first minute. I asked the players to play the ball on the ground and they did. The ethics were right. "But they have come to put men behind the ball, slow the game down and get a point and they almost got three. "We switched off for a moment and they got a goal from a set piece but Jake came on and showed his goalscoring prowess." Holdsworth revealed it was 'unlikely' he would be bringing in any new players ahead of tomorrow's transfer deadline. "I don't think there will be anyone coming in. We don't need anyone else. "We have got an 18 or 19 man squad with a good balance and some versatile players." -------------- Holdsworth hurting over dropped points Mansfield Town boss David Holdsworth has lamented his team's inability to record back-to-back victories following Tuesday's 1-1 home draw with Altrincham. http://www.bluesqfootball.com/story/0,20970,13040_6051472,00.html? The Stags, who have not won consecutive games since October, appeared on course for victory but were denied by a last-gasp equaliser from Jake Speight - much to Holdsworth's obvious frustration. "We spoke about it before the game. We have got a habit of not losing games and have lost only one of our last seven," he said on nottingham.co.uk. "But we have to turn a point into three and that is the most frustrating thing from my point of view. "We have to have the ability to break teams down but we haven't always had the killer pass, as in this game. "It would have been an injustice and robbery if we hadn't got something out of the game, but football is like that sometimes. "We dominated possession from the first minute. I asked the players to play the ball on the ground and they did. The ethics were right. "But they have come to put men behind the ball, slow the game down and get a point and they almost got three. "We switched off for a moment and they got a goal from a set-piece but Jake came on and showed his goal-scoring prowess." ------------------- Mansfield Town boss Holdsworth will not add to squad http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/football/teams/m/mansfield_town/8584828.stm? Mansfield Town manager David Holdsworth says he does not expect to add to his squad before the end of the season. The Stags' push for a play-off spot in the Blue Square Premier has stuttered recently but Holdsworth is not likely to go into the transfer market. He told BBC Radio Nottingham: "I doubt it unless the chairman comes to me and says there's an opportunity. "I speak to the chairman all the time about finances and we must be prudent and we must be careful." He added: "I've got a great respect for this football club and I wouldn't ask it to get in a position where we're chasing things for the wrong reasons." -------------------- |
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