Season 20/21 Stagsnet Match Report
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Mansfield Town
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Carlisle United
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McLaughlin 80.
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Zanzala 66
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Attendance: behind closed doors
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Date: 16 March 2021
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STAGS COME FROM BEHIND TO DRAW WITH CARLISLE
Martin Shaw at the One Call Stadium, Field Mill Mansfield Town came from behind to earn a point in a 1-1 draw with Carlisle United last night. In a tight game, the Stags had the better of the chances overall, but fell behind after 66 minutes when a deflection fell favourably for the visitors. The move started as Jordan Bowery tried to dribble towards his own goal and lost the ball 40 yards out. Jon Mellish pushed forward and his shot from 23 yards deflected off Farrend Rawson perfectly into the path of Ozzy Zanzala who only had Aidan Stone to beat from 7 yards and he blasted into the roof of the net. A good finish from Zanzala but a bit of luck in its making. Poor play from Bowery. The Stags equalised after 80 minutes. Kellan Gordon lifted a high ball into the area. Carlisle keeper Magnus Norman, on his first league appearance for the club, came out to collect but spilled it. Harry Charsley got to the loose ball first and was brought down by Callum Guy inside the D. Referee Trevor Kettle was perfectly positioned and gave the free kick. After the game Carlisle boss Chris Beech questioned the decision but in real time from the West Stand and from the video from the Bishop Street side it looked the correct decision to me. Stephen McLaughlin stepped up and slotted the free kick from 19 yards into the bottom left corner of the net. A fine goal. After the game, Stags boss Nigel Clough explained that "[McLaughlin] said he saw the keeper take half a step to his left and he slotted it in the bottom corner. It's almost passing it into the net they used to call it.” Clough also noted that "We don't hit the target enough from free-kicks from that area.” That is certainly true. Indeed it was the first Stags goal from a free-kick from outside the box for over two years, since Jorge Grant against Tranmere, and before that only Lee Angol against Yeovil and Chris Clements against Accrington had done it in the past five years. The Stags came within a whisker of winning the game two minutes into stoppage time. Gordon crossed in from the right, Jamie Reid headed it across and Bowery met it crisply on the half volley but his effort was inches wide of the right post with the goalkeeper motionless. It was so close. The first half had been pretty even. Carlisle had the better of the early exchanges and had a good opportunity to open the scoring after 10 minutes. Following a corner, Jack Armer lifted the ball back into the box from 25 yards and found former Stag Rhys Bennett unmarked six yards from goal. Bennett chested it down but with just Stone to beat he swept his shot five yards wide. A minute later at the other end, Jamie Reid turned well on the edge of the area and fired straight at the keeper. After 17 minutes, Harry Charsley’s corner found Mal Benning unmarked just inside the area but Benning scuffed his shot wide. Jason Law was fouled 27 yards out after 25 minutes. McLaughlin fired the free kick over the bar. Five minutes later at the other end, McLaughlin conceded a free kick 23 yards out. Brennan Dickenson sent the free kick into the wall and Rhys Bennett fired the rebound wide. After 32 minutes, a great run down the left by Benning to the byline, he found Reid inside, and Reid pulled back perfectly to Jason Law 12 yards out. Law tried to place hit shot goalwards but it was blocked. It was a weak effort from Law who probably should have put his foot through it. A moment of controversy after 40 minutes as Benning was barged over by Guy right on the edge of the box. From the video, it certainly looks like a foul by Guy, and it was fractionally inside the area. Referee Kettle decided it was not a foul and ignored the Stags protests. Into the second half and Jason Law was close to putting the Stags in front after 52 minutes. Reid slid a nice ball forward into the area and Law’s low shot from 7 yards was very well saved one handed by keeper Norman. The ball was recycled by Quinn with a chipped cross into the middle which Charsley headed down straight at the keeper from 12 yards. A good chance for Charsley as well. After Carlisle took the lead on 66 minutes, Charsley had another good chance after 70 minutes following a great Stags move. Gordon’s long ball forward was headed down by Bowery to Reid. Reid pulled the ball back inside to Bowery and Bowery teed up Charsley who took a touch before lifting his left-footed shot over the bar from 9 yards. It was great set-up play by Bowery and Reid but a poor finish from Charsley. The Stags went so close after 74 minutes. McLaughlin lifted a high ball into the area. Keeper Norman came out, didn’t get much of a connection on it. The ball was cleared to James Perch 16 yards out. Perch chested it down and volleyed a tremendous shot towards the roof of the net, the keeper though made a magnificent save, getting his finger tips on it to turn it onto the underside of the bar. Unlucky for Perch but credit to the keeper for a great save. A minute later another good chance as Benning’s cross was headed back by Charsley and Reid volleyed over the bar from 16 yards. Then after the Stags equalised, Bowery nearly won it in stoppage time with that half-volley inches wide. So the Stags with much the better chances in the second half, but at least avoided defeat having been behind for 15 minutes. The Stags continue the run of three home games in a week as bottom-of-the-table Grimsby Town are the visitors on Saturday. The Stags are 15 points clear of Grimsby but the visitors have two games in hand including one on Wednesday evening. Mansfield will want to win the game on Saturday, but it will also be important not to lose it. DETAILED REPORT: Kick-off was delayed by 30 minutes. Four Carlisle players and the manager were stuck in traffic on the M62. They had not been travelling from Carlisle. The team bus, which had travelled from Carlisle didn’t come on the M62 of course, as you wouldn’t from Carlisle, they came on the A66, and they arrived in plenty of time. Stags boss Nigel Clough was annoyed that the EFL insisted that the kick-off was delayed with the team bus and the large majority of the players having arrived on time. It does set a dangerous precedent when a team bus arrives on time but the odd player here or there travelling separately arrives late. Mansfield made two changes from the side that lost at Crawley. Aidan Stone returned from injury and replaced Marek Stech. Nigel Clough had originally said that Stech would get a run in the side. However after the game last night he said "Aidan [Stone] was first choice before his injury at Barrow. I wasn't too happy with the way we conceded the goals against Cheltenham and at Crawley so Aidan came back in." In the other change, Ollie Clarke was rested, feeling the effects according to Clough of not having a pre-season. He was replaced by Harry Charsley. So with Lapslie and Maris also out through injury, the Stags were missing their three first choice midfielders. The formation reverted to 4-4-2 with a diamond in midfield, with McLaughlin in front of the back four, and Law behind the front two. Keeper Jamie Pardington dropped out of the 18 with Stone coming in, Stech was on the bench. No other changes in the 18, so still no place for Corey O’Keeffe who tweeted a photo of himself in a Stags shirt with an hourglass on Monday. Hard to know quite what this means, perhaps he is waiting for a move to the National League? Carlisle made one change from their side that beat in-form Bradford as goalkeeper Paul Farman was injured and Magnus Norman came in for his first league game for Carlisle. Former Stag Rhys Bennett was in central defence. Carlisle had been on a terrible run of form that had seen them slip into mid-table. Since the two sides met in December at Brunton Park in front of 2000 home fans, when Carlisle were second in the table, Carlisle had taken only 12 points from 13 games including that win over Bradford and before the game last night, while Mansfield had taken 24 points from 16 games. The pitch, with little rain on it in recent times, is playing much better than it was a few weeks ago. Contrasting views on it from the two managers though. Clough said it is playing as well as any in the league now. Beech said “it’s difficult to play football on the floor [on that pitch], and fair play to Mansfield for trying to do that … but it’s difficult to play in those conditions.” It was a pleasant evening. Carlisle had the better of the early exchanges. After 9 minutes a low cross-shot from Ozzy Zanzala was pushed wide by Stone. Then they had a good opportunity to open the scoring after 10 minutes. Following a corner, Jack Armer lifted the ball back into the box from 25 yards and found Rhys Bennett unmarked six yards from goal. Bennett chested it down but with just Stone to beat he swept his shot five yards wide. A minute later at the other end, Reid turned well on the edge of the area and fired straight at the keeper. After 17 minutes, Charsley’s corner found Benning unmarked just inside the area but Benning scuffed his shot wide. Law was fouled 27 yards out after 25 minutes. McLaughlin fired the free kick over the bar. Five minutes later at the other end, McLaughlin conceded a free kick 23 yards out. Brennan Dickenson sent the free kick into the wall and Rhys Bennett fired the rebound wide. After 32 minutes, a great run down the left by Benning to the byline, he found Reid inside, and Reid pulled back perfectly to Law 12 yards out. Law tried to place hit shot goalwards but it was blocked. It was a weak effort from Law who probably should have put his foot through it. A moment of controversy after 40 minutes as Benning was barged over by Guy right on the edge of the box. From the video, it certainly looks like a foul by Guy, and it was fractionally inside the area. Referee Kettle decided it was not a foul and ignored the Stags protests. Chances for both sides then in an even first half and a fair scoreline at the break. Half time 0-0 After 50 minutes, Benning gave the ball away, Dickenson pushed forward but Perch rescued his teammate putting the ball behind for a corner. Stone did well to catch the resulting corner. Jason Law was close to putting the Stags in front after 52 minutes. Reid slid a nice ball forward into the area and Law’s low shot from 7 yards was very well saved one handed by keeper Norman. The ball was recycled by Quinn with a chipped cross into the middle which Charsley headed down straight at the keeper from 12 yards. A good chance for Charsley as well. In a tight game, there was little goalmouth action for the next quarter of an hour. But the Stags fell behind after 66 minutes when a deflection fell favourably for the visitors. The move started as Bowery tried to dribble towards his own goal and lost the ball 40 yards out. Jon Mellish pushed forward and his shot from 23 yards deflected off Rawson perfectly into the path of Ozzy Zanzala who only had Aidan Stone to beat from 7 yards and he blasted into the roof of the net. A good finish from Zanzala but a bit of luck in its making. Poor play from Bowery. Charsley had another good chance after 70 minutes following a great Stags move. Gordon’s long ball forward was headed down by Bowery to Reid. Reid pulled the ball back inside to Bowery and Bowery teed up Charsley who took a touch before lifting his left-footed shot over the bar from 9 yards. It was great set-up play by Bowery and Reid but a poor finish from Charsley. The Stags went so close after 74 minutes. McLaughlin lifted a high ball into the area. Keeper Norman came out, didn’t get much of a connection on it. The ball was cleared to James Perch 16 yards out. Perch chested it down and volleyed a tremendous shot towards the roof of the net, the keeper though made a magnificent save, getting his finger tips on it to turn it onto the underside of the bar. Unlucky for Perch but credit to the keeper for a great save. A minute later another good chance as Benning’s cross was headed back by Charsley and Reid volleyed over the bar from 16 yards. Oli Sarkic replaced Quinn after 76 minutes. It was Sarkic’s first game after injury for nearly a month since coming on as substitute in the final minute against Cambridge. Sarkic slotted into the attacking midfield role as Law dropped further back in midfield. Dickenson fired well wide from 20 yards after 78 minutes. The Stags equalised after 80 minutes. Gordon lifted a high ball into the area. Carlisle keeper Norman came out to collect but spilled it. Charsley got to the loose ball first and was brought down by Callum Guy inside the D. Referee Trevor Kettle was perfectly positioned and gave the free kick. After the game Carlisle boss Chris Beech questioned the decision but in real time from the West Stand and from the video from the Bishop Street side it looked the correct decision to me. McLaughlin stepped up and slotted the free kick from 19 yards into the bottom left corner of the net. A fine goal. Joe Riley sent in a 20 yard shot that was always rising over the bar for Carlisle after 82 minutes. A minute later at the other end, Sarkic was high and wide from 30 yards. Ollie Clarke replaced Law after 89 minutes. The Stags came within a whisker of winning the game two minutes into stoppage time. Gordon crossed in from the right, Reid headed it across and Bowery met it crisply on the half volley but his effort was inches wide of the right post with the goalkeeper motionless. It was so close. A draw was the least the Stags deserved. The Stags had enough chances to win but couldn’t convert them. My man of the match was McLaughlin for a solid performance in a defensive midfield role, and of course the all-important equaliser. Man of the match: Stephen McLaughlin |
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Report by: Martin Shaw at the One Call Stadium, Field Mill
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Line Up:
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(4-4-2, diamond in midfield)
Stone 6.5 Quiet game. No chance with the goal, one good catch, one decent save. Gordon 7 Good game. Solid at the back and some good crosses. Rawson 7 Solid at the back. Unlucky deflection for the Carlisle goal. Perch 7 Good game. So unlucky with his shot tipped onto the underside of the bar by the keeper. Benning 7 Some good moves forward. Scuffed a decent chance wide. One mistake when he was rescued by Perch. McLaughlin 7.5 A solid performance in a defensive midfield role, and of course the all-important equaliser with a free kick from outside the box. Nigel Clough noted though that he didn’t hold his defensive midfield position in the build-up to the Carlisle goal and was instead making a run forward. Charsley 7 Won the free kick that led to the Stags goal. Missed a couple of good chances. Quinn 7 Good cross which gave Charsley a free header. Law 7 A couple of good chances, one well-saved and one he didn’t put his foot through. Reid 7 Good play to set up two chances for Law and one for Bowery. Great play to turn on the edge of the area but fired straight at the keeper Bowery 6 Poor play losing the ball in the build-up to Carlisle’s goal. Close to winning the game in stoppage time. Good play to set up Charsley for a chance. |
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Sub Line Up:
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Sarkic (for Quinn, 76 mins) -
O.Clarke (for Law, 89 mins) - Subs not used: Stech, Sweeney, Wright, Ward, Sinclair. |
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Opposition Line Up:
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(4-3-3): Norman; Tanner, Bennett, McDonald, Armer; Riley, Guy, Mellish; Zanzala, Alessandra (Walker 86), Dickenson. Subs not used: Breeze, Anderton, Hayden, Patrick, Charters, Toure.
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Referee:
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Trevor Kettle 6 Correctly awarded the free kick for the Stags goal. Could have given the Stags a penalty in the first half.
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