Archived News from October 2016
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MURRAY, HURST AND STEVE DAVIS REACTION
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Manager pleased with solidity away from home
mansfieldtown.net, 1st October 2016 Stags’ boss Adam Murray expressed his pleasure with his side’s consistent away form after they picked up a solid point at the Alexandra Stadium this afternoon, the home of Crewe. Striker Pat Hoban scored his first goal for the club to give Stags the lead just after half-time, but veteran Crewe forward Chris Dagnall equalised a few minutes later to ensure the home side secured a share of the spoils in Cheshire. And speaking post-match, Murray said he was pleased with how his side executed their game plan to secure their second consecutive 1-1 draw on their travels after the midweek stalemate against Accrington Stanley. “I’m very pleased because it’s a very tough place to go. I think their home record is very good so to come here and get a point, we’re pleased with,” Murray said. “[I’m] frustrated that we’ve taken the lead again and not managed to hold it out but I thought the performance again was really good. Read more at http://www.mansfieldtown.net/news/article/2016-17/manager-pleased-with-solidity-away-from-home-3340635.aspx#Gx3JAYmQVOfHD0am.99 “We put some building blocks in place from Tuesday at two very good teams [in] the league but we’ve said all along, the away form’s not the problem; we go away to a lot of places and don’t get beat. “It’s the home form we want to address and we want to nail because everybody knows, as a professional footballer, you pick points up away from home and you win your home games you get promoted - so we’ve just got to sort the home bit out now and we’ll be alright!” Irishman Pat Hoban gave Stags the lead in the 51st minute and Murray said the former Dundalk man gives his side a different option after selecting him ahead of Matt Green in the last two matches. “I think he’s added a different dimension to us hasn’t he. He’s allowing people to get involved; you look at the territorial advantage and the time we’re spending in the final third now is a lot longer and obviously common sense tells you the more time you spend in there, the more chance you’ve got of scoring. “He’s a different option to the other boys but I think he’s been fantastic considering he’s not played any competitive football and he’s had two games, Tuesday [and] Saturday, [and he’s put in] a really, really good shift and I’m over the moon for him to get his goal.” Stags now face a trip to Port Vale in the Checkatrade Trophy on Tuesday evening followed by a mouth-watering home match against Notts County next Saturday and Murray, who turned 35 yesterday, is cautious of the midweek match after suffering injury blows in the last EFL Trophy match against Doncaster Rovers. “We’ve had a consistent two games now so we’re going to be very careful. We’ll play certain people, we’ll rest certain people but I’m not going to hide the fact that I don’t like this game. “I think it, for teams like ourselves with ‘smallish’ squads and not much resources, our focus has to be the league so it’s a game of football that you obviously go in to and you want to win but we’ve got a massive ‘rock’n’roller’ next Saturday. “Grimsby’s like half a local derby to us - Notts County’s the local derby so we’re preparing, we’ll rest up and we’ll deal with the week as we have to.” Supporters will be able to view Adam Murray’s post-match interview on Stags PlayerHD later this evening. --------------- Boss Murray calls on Stags players to believe in themselves chad.co.uk Mansfield Town manager Adam Murray is hoping his players will start to believe in themselves after a second impressive away point in five days in today’s 1-1 draw at Crewe Alexandra. The Stags also drew 1-1 at Accrington in midweek, but both times allowed a lead to slip and have not won in eight games. “I think we need belief,” said Murray. “You look at what we’ve been doing, especially over this last week - this was us last season, this is how we rock and rolled last season, especially away from home. “What we had last season was that little bit more belief that when we were on top we were putting teams to bed. Read more at: http://www.hucknalldispatch.co.uk/sport/local-sport/boss-murray-calls-on-stags-players-to-believe-in-themselves-1-8158630? “Obviously with the run we went on without scoring a goal, it affects players - they are humans. “You saw it Tuesday, you’ve seen it again today, we score and you see the players physically kind of taking that step back as if to say ‘we’ve scored now, let’s hold on’ whereas we are trying to get them into the mindset of you’ve scored because you are a good team, go and finish these off now. “That comes with confidence and belief. Unfortunately we can’t inject that into people. That’s a time thing. But putting in performances like today, that will come quickly.” Murray said the lack of a win since August wasn’t a big problem. “If we were playing bad and we looked a million miles off it, it would probably be an issue,” he said. “But we are three points off the play-offs and our performances are very high. “It’s just about the rub of the green, and not getting it hit confidence. Now it’s just building that back up. As soon as the players start believing in their ability to affect this league I have no worries at all. “It’s perspective isn’t it? You can look at it in two ways - we haven’t won since August, but we have only lost three in 11. “I read an article about Keith Curle beating the Carlisle record as they’ve not lost in 10, but they drew seven of them. It depends what eye you are looking out of.” Crewe have made a powerful start to the season, but Stags’ game plan to prevent the Railwaymen play their natural passing game worked a treat today. “It is a very tricky place to come,” admitted Murray. “Apart from their result on Tuesday, they have been in a very good vein of form. I don’t think they’ve been beaten at home yet. “So we knew it would be a tough one. I thought for large parts of the game, the game plan worked superbly. “The history and the infrastructure of Crewe means they play a certain way - and they are very good at it. So we had to come and disturb that. We had to make it ugly. We had to make it scrappy. For the first 45 minutes we dominated by doing that. “We got the goal and I think if we were a little more confident as a team and the players had a little bit more belief in themselves that they could go on and get another one, we should have put the game to bed in that first half. “But they’ve had one opportunity and we got punished for it. Apart from a few low crosses, I don’t think Scott Shearer has had any saves to make. “It is a really good point but a little bit frustrating that we’ve led at two tough places this week by a goal to nil and ended up drawing. “But in the space of a week they are massive building blocks.” With Murray going with an unchanged side, star striker Matt Green had to sit it out again as Pat Hoban and Danny Rose continued to forge the promising partnership they began on Tuesday. “I think they’ve been superb. Their link-up play has been very good,” said Murray. “The way they both play, especially Pat, they are territorial. So the time we are spending in the final third is now a lot longer. “Common sense tells you that if that happens you are going to get more opportunities. They are forming a little bond there and it’s good to see. “The reaction of the other centre forwards has been top drawer and you saw Matt Green bounce on there again today, he did the same on Tuesday. They’re all fighting for places now. “I think Matt understood it. He understood the decision on Tuesday. His attitude has been exactly what I expected from Matt Green - absolutely spot on. “He is a leader in the group, someone people look up to, and his reaction has been superb. He has come on and looks hungry. So now the boys in there know they have got to go tooth and nail to keep the shirt.” Murray added: “We are happy with the two points we’ve picked up on the road. “You look at the league now, we have a massive local derby where Notts are sitting in the play-offs and if we beat them we go above them next Saturday, and that’s how tight the league is. So we are content.” ------------- Stags’ wingman encouraged by away form mansfieldtown.net, 1st October 2016 Mansfield Town winger Kevan Hurst says the Stags’ game-plan ‘worked really well’ as our impressive away form continued with a 1-1 draw at Crewe today. The Stags have now drawn three games on their travels, winning twice and defeated only once, away at Plymouth. A solid point in mid-week at Accrington was today followed up with another point at the Alexandra Stadium, a ground at which Crewe remain undefeated. Stags’ took the lead through Pat Hoban’s second-half header, after a pin point cross by Hurst. And whilst the ex-Southend United player was content with the draw, he believes the Stags could have claimed all three. “The lads are disappointed that we didn’t hold on to the lead but you take a point,” said Hurst. Read more at http://www.mansfieldtown.net/news/article/2016-17/stags-wingman-encouraged-by-away-form-3340844.aspx#G3ZMVshrzSlrUkVY.99 “They’re a good side who try and play football and we came here to try and eradicate that. I thought our game plan went really well." Stags can take encouragement from their away form so far this season and will endeavour to replicate it at home, Hurst says. “As a unit, we’re very solid and I think that plays a massive part in how we set up away from home. If we can transfer that into wins at home then we’ll move up the league. “Our away form is really good. We will try and keep that momentum going and try and improve the home form.” When asked about how he rated his own performance, Hurst added: “I thought I did alright. Obviously I was happy with the assist. It’s not about individuals [though], it’s about the team. We’re all in it together and are working towards the goal of being a successful team. “We just need a little bit of a rub of the green, by turning these draws into wins," he said. You can view Kevan Hurst’s post match interview in full shortly on Stags Player HD. --------------- Hurst hoping Notts derby can kickstart Stags’ home form chad.co.uk Mansfield Town midfielder Kevan Hurst admits the excitement is building for Saturday’s derby visit of Notts County with the Checkatrade EFL Trophy game at Port Vale tomorrow a bit of a distraction. “Saturday is a massive game,” he said. “It’s a game that could kickstart our home form and definitely get us up the league. “I know they’re in good form. Talking about that game brings great excitement to me and I am sure the lads are very much up for it.” Read more at: http://www.chad.co.uk/sport/football/mansfield-town/video-hurst-hoping-notts-derby-can-kickstart-stags-home-form-1-8160558? In the meantime, Stags travel to Port Vale tomorrow in the much-derided EFL Trophy, but Hurst refused to join the chorus of dissent against it. “I am not really going to comment on that - it’s not my place,” he said. “I think as a footballer you’ve got to take every game professionally and approach it the same way. That’s as far as we look at it.” Hurst provided the cross for Stags’ goal in Saturday’s impressive 1-1 draw at Crewe Alexandra and said: “They’ve not been beaten at home and they’ve taken some good teams to the cleaners really, so the game plan we came with worked really well. “I thought I did all right and was happy with the assist. But we are all in it together and we’re all working towards that goal of being successful. “The lads are disappointed we didn’t hold on to the victory, but you take a point. The away form is really good. “You keep that momentum going and try to improve the home form. If we can do that we’ve got a good chance.” Stags’ away form is much better than their home form which Hurst puts down to the way the side line up away from One Call Stadium. “I just think our shape is really resolute,” he said. “We all know our individual jobs and as a unit we are very solid. That plays a massive part in how we set up away from home. “If we can start winning at home we can quickly start moving up the league. “We now need to add the goals to our armoury and we will move up the league as we don’t concede many. We are all staying positive and we will get there definitely.” Hurst laid on Pat Hoban’s first goal for the club, but with Matt Green, Darius Henderson and Danny Rose all hungry for first team striker’s shirts, Hurst is convinced there are plenty of goals to come if he can help keep the supply line going. “Paddy’s hold-up play is his main asset and he’s very good at that,” he said. “And he’s got himself a goal which I’m really pleased with. The other lads, Greeny, Hendo, Rosey, they are all capable of getting in the box and scoring goals. “It’s our job to provide for them and provide quality, which we work on every day in training. It’s just a case of being patient and keep putting it in there and keeping the chances coming for them.” ------------- Steve Davis told BBC Radio Stoke that it was a fair result. -------------- Steve: "It Was Tough Against A Stubbon Mansfield" crewealex.net, 1st October 2016 Steve Davis gives his post match reaction following 1-1 draw with Stags. Crewe Alexanda boss Steve Davis says his side found it difficult to break down a well drilled Mansfield Town team this afternoon but he was pleased that his side showed character to level things up after Pat Hoban had headed the visitors ahead. Chris Dagnall poached home his 100th career goal to earn Crewe a point after Zoumana Bakayogo had done superbly to deliver a cross from the by-line. Crewe remain unbeaten at the Alexandra Stadium this season but Davis was left a little deflated that his side didn't create a glut of chances to really test our former goalkeeper Scott Shearer. Following the 1-1 draw, Steve told the club's official web-site : "It was important that we didn't lose the game today after drawing against Blackpool and then losing heavily at Wycombe on Tuesday night. When you are losing, we have fought back again and made sure we got a point. It was important we didn't lose today after going behind. "They showed great character again to come back because it was a tough game. Mansfield set up to make things difficult and stop us playing and they did that well. We responded well and it was a great cross from Zooms ad Daggers got in there and got his reward today. The work he does doesn't get its reward sometimes but it did today. He has been brilliant for us since he came here. He has a tremendous work ethic and determination. That is four goals for him now and is one of the top assist players in the league with about five, so you can see how valuable he is for us. It is good when those types of players get their rewards. Read more at http://www.crewealex.net/news/article/2016-17/steve-3339823.aspx#7IxDGIhTos9Hltf4.99 "We had the edge in the first half and created the better of the chances and although we didn't have as many in the second half, we did have the best chance to win when Daniel (Udoh) got through. I said to him that if he wants to have an impact and have people talking about him then he has to put those in net and win us the game. "He is a young lad, who came from Ilkeston and he is still learning his trade but maybe he should have gone down because there was certainly contact there. We were screaming on the touchline for him to go down because he was impeded. I think if there is contact then you should go down. Maybe a clever, more experienced player would have gone down there. We will speak to him because he is still learning and he was a bit naive there because it was a penalty if he had gone down. "We found it difficult to get the ball into those pockets today and it was a tough afternoon for us. It wasn't easy and Mansfield didn't make it easy for us." -------------------- Jamie Mcguire 2 tough away trips never lost and building blocks! Great following from the fans today safe journey home ! On to Saturday now for Derby get are home form up and running and get the one call bouncing like last time #stags -------------------- |
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