Archived News from January 2021
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4 WINS ON THE TROT AS STAGS WIN AT OLDHAM
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English Football League - Sky Bet League Two
Oldham Athletic 2 - 3 Mansfield Town McCalmont 6, McAleny 84. Charsley 36, Sweeney 38, Reid 49. Bowery missed pen 45+4 Attendance: behind closed doors Date: 13 January 2021 Martin Shaw at Boundary Park Mansfield Town made it four league wins on the trot, for the first time in 4 years, with a 3-2 victory at Oldham Athletic last night. In an eventful and thoroughly enjoyable game, the Stags put in a fine performance and should have won by a more comfortable margin, but it didn’t matter in the end. The game didn’t start well for Mansfield who were shell-shocked after 6 minutes, as Aidan Stone, one of three changes from Sunday to freshen things up, allowed a soft shot from Alfie McCalmont from 10 yards to go straight through him and into the net. A calamitous return for Stone, but he was to make up for it later on. Stone saved with his legs from another McCalmont effort after 11 minutes, but the Stags took over after that and could have had 5 goals by half time. After 19 minutes, Stephen McLaughlin put in a great cross from the left, which was perfect for the returning Andy Cook and the sort of chance he normally thrives on, but Cook headed wide. Then on 23 minutes, Kellan Gordon put in an equally fine cross from the right, Jordan Bowery got up well, but headed over the bar. The Stags levelled on 36 minutes. McLaughlin’s free kick from the left was cleared to George Maris who lifted a high ball back into the area. Oldham keeper Ian Lawlor came well out of his six-yard area to try to punch clear but hardly got anything on it, only clearing as far as Harry Charsley 17 yards from goal, and Charsley smashed the ball into the net with the keeper still on the ground. A fine finish from Charsley for his 5th goal of the season. And just over 60 seconds later, the Stags were in front. George Maris’s free kick from 45 yards out was headed across the area by Cook to Bowery who headed back to the far post where Ryan Sweeney was unmarked to slide the ball into the net from 5 yards. Sweeney’s 3rd goal of the season. It was so nearly 3-1 after 40 minutes as Gordon put in another great cross from the right, Cook headed towards the roof of the net and the keeper pushed it over the bar. Then on 45+4 minutes, the Stags missed a penalty. Maris surged into the area from 35 yards out and was blocked off by Raphael Diarra who made no attempt to play the ball. The referee was well-positioned and immediately pointed to the spot. Daft defending by Diarra. Jordan Bowery, who had converted both his spot kicks this season, stepped up and fired wide, the ball just clipping the outside of the right post. A fantastic 35 minutes of football from Mansfield, who could have been 5-1 up at the break, or 5-0 up without Stone’s error. The Stags were nearly made to pay after 47 minutes when half time substitute Cameron Borthwick-Jackson, who made 10 first team appearances for Manchester United, crossed from the left and it flicked off Farrend Rawson and rolled inches wide of the far post. That was so close to an own goal. Two minutes later, the Stags made it 3-1. Bowery’s long diagonal ball forward from inside his own half saw Reid battle for the ball with Borthwick-Jackson. Reid headed the ball forward, muscled his way past the defender, and gave himself a one-on-one with the keeper, sliding the ball into the bottom left corner of the net from just inside the area. A super and composed finish from Reid, and just about the first time he has had such an opportunity this season that I can recall. It was the sort of goal he has scored plenty of in the Conference and Conference South. It was nearly 4-1 after 67 minutes as Cook chested down to George Lapslie who fired against the top of the bar from 23 yards. Kellan Gordon also went close after 76 minutes when his deflected shot was well saved by the keeper at his near post. The Stags should have been out of sight, but from nowhere Oldham were back in it at 2-3 after 84 minutes. Substitute Danny Rowe’s shot from 24 yards was blocked by Rawson and ricocheted kindly to Conor McAleny, who fired past Stone from 16 yards with just the keeper to beat. The Stags appealed for offside, but from the video, as Rowe shot, McAleny was played onside by Gordon. Oldham could have equalised and committed daylight robbery after 88 minutes but Stone turned from villain to hero with a tremendous save to preserve the points. Dylan Bahamboula crossed from the right and Rowe headed down from 7 yards towards the bottom left corner but Stone got down quickly to turn it wide. The Stags hung for the 3 points and made it harder than it should have been but this was a very good performance, against an Oldham side who were made to look poor. It was great to see both full-backs Gordon and McLaughlin putting in some excellent crosses, the midfield was tremendous despite missing the influential Ollie Clarke, with Lapslie, Maris and Charsley all having fine games. Up front, Cook won some important headers, though should have scored from one, while Reid took his goal in great style. Bowery, who missed the penalty, did provide an assist for Sweeney’s goal with a header across goal. And Stone of course atoned for his bad error for Oldham’s first goal with that excellent late save from Danny Rowe’s header. So, no wins in the opening 11 games of the season before Nigel Clough took over, but now 6 wins in the 12 games since he took over is a remarkable turnaround, and indeed since he took over, the Stags have picked up more points (22 points) than any other team in League Two. The Stags have moved 9 points clear of the relegation zone, into the top half of the table, and can now look up the table with genuine optimism, albeit having played more games than most teams in the league. Mansfield made three changes from the side that lost in the FA Cup at Cheltenham on Sunday after extra time, in order to freshen things up. In came Stone, Gordon and Cook. Stech, O’Keeffe and Benning moved to the bench. Nigel Clough explained afterwards that Benning was shattered after Sunday and had a dead calf as well, while O’Keeffe had played 120 minutes having not played for a while. McLaughlin slotted in at left back. Up front, Reid was on the right and Bowery on the left, either side of Cook. As well as Ollie Clarke still missing, Perch was also still missing having not recovered from illness. But Nicky Maynard returned from his hamstring injury to the bench and was to come on as substitute late on. Also on the bench was Jason Law, who would have been on the bench at Cheltenham but was cup-tied. Oldham have got the best away record in League Two but had struggled at home with just two wins, one draw and eight defeats in the league at home prior to this game. I spoke to Mickey Moore at Cheltenham on Sunday, he’s the director of football at Cheltenham. He watches a lot of other League Two games in a sort of scouting role and he told me that Oldham are like two different teams, at home and away. It had rained all day in Manchester. But there was no problem with the pitch. Oldham’s iFollow commentator Roy Butterworth, a real character in the media in League Two who is now 80 but still going strong having volunteered for Oldham for 60 years, told me that the Boundary Park pitch drains very well and can take any amount of rain. As a complete aside, Roy had dashed back from Bournemouth on Saturday after Oldham’s FA Cup game, to get his vaccine in a pre-arranged appointment on Saturday night that he didn’t want to miss! DETAILED REPORT IN THE MATCH CENTRE ------------------------ WED 13 JAN 2021, LEAGUE TWO Oldham Athletic 2-3 Mansfield Town McCalmont (6'minutes), McAleny (84'minutes) Charsley (36'minutes), Sweeney (38'minutes), Reid (49'minutes) Assists Bowery (38'minutes, 49'minutes) Report supplied by PA Media. https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/55555359 In-form Mansfield recovered from an early deficit to win at Oldham. Nigel Clough's Stags secured a fourth straight League Two win to move into the top half of the table. Oldham went in front after six minutes when Alfie McCalmont beat keeper Aidan Stone too easily from 12 yards after Conor McAleny's cross was only partially cleared. Stone redeemed himself soon after when he saved another McCalmont strike well with his legs. Jordan Bowery somehow missed the target from inside the six-yard box, before Harry Charsley equalised when he lashed home from 15 yards after Oldham keeper Ian Lawlor failed to punch clear a hopeful ball forward from Stephen McLaughlin. Two minutes later Stags skipper Ryan Sweeney met Bowery's header down before beating Lawlor from close range. Bowery missed from the penalty spot seconds before the interval after Raphael Diarra had felled George Maris. Jamie Reid made it 3-1 when he easily robbed Oldham substitute Cameron Borthwick-Jackson before side-footing past Lawlor. Mansfield's George Lapslie fired a 25-yard strike against the crossbar before Oldham striker McAleny made it 3-2 when he pounced after substitute Danny Rowe's strike was blocked. Match Stats Possession Home 57% Away 43% Shots Home 10 Away 16 Shots on Target Home 5 Away 5 Corners Home 6 Away 4 --------------------- Mansfield Town make it four league wins in a row with victory at Oldham Athletic chad.co.uk, Wednesday 13th January 2021 In-form Mansfield fired themselves into the top half of the League Two table thanks to a thoroughly-deserved win at Harry Kewell’s Oldham. A fourth straight league success was sealed as the Stags rallied superbly after going behind early on. The visitors were excellent value for the three points as they also missed a penalty late in the opening half. https://www.chad.co.uk/sport/football/mansfield-town-make-it-four-league-wins-row-victory-oldham-athletic-3098573 Ahead of the game at a misty old Boundary Park, Stags boss Nigel Clough made three changes to his starting XI following the weekend’s disappointing cup exit at Cheltenham. There was a switch between the sticks, with Aidan Stone replacing Marek Stech, while right-back Corey O’Keeffe was replaced by Kellan Gordon. Further forward, Mal Benning was replaced by Andy Cook. The Stags started encouragingly, and went close inside the opening three minutes when an unmarked Jamie Reid rose high to meet Harry Charsley’s right-wing cross, only to then nod off target. However, the visitors then conceded poorly in the sixth minute. Conor McAleny’s cross wasn’t sufficiently cleared, and as the ball fell into Alfie McCalmont’s path, his routine strike from 12 yards somehow beat Stone far too easily at his near post. Stone partially redeemed himself soon after when he got down well to beat away another McCalmont strike after the Leeds loanee had robbed Stags skipper Ryan Sweeney. The Stags responded well to their early disappointment, with Reid going close again as he headed Stephen McLaughlin’s cross just over the top. Clough’s men then struck twice shortly before the break. Charsley lashed home from 15 yards after Oldham ‘keeper Ian Lawlor failed to punch a hopeful ball forward from McLaughlin clear. Two minutes later Sweeney met Bowery’s header down before beating Lawlor from close range. It could have been 3-1 in first-half stoppage-time, only for Bowery to divert his penalty kick wide after George Maris had been felled in the box by Raphael Diarra. The Stags did get a third in the 50th minute when Reid easily beat interval sub Cameron Borthwick-Jackson before slotting confidently past Lawlor. As Clough’s men continued to dominate, George Lapslie also smashed a 25-yard strike against the crossbar. However, Oldham grabbed a second late on when McAleny pounced after sub Danny Rowe’s strike was blocked. Oldham: Lawlor, Clarke, Piergianni, Diarra (Fage, 46), Barnett (Borthwick-Jackson, 46), McCalmont, Garrity, Whelan (Dearnley, 46 (Badan, 69)), Keillor-Dunn (Rowe, 56), Bahamboula, McAleny. Subs not used: Bilboe, Hamer. Mansfield: Stone, Gordon, Sweeney, Rawson, McLaughlin, Charsley, Maris, Lapslie, Cook (Maynard, 90), Bowery (Benning, 80), Reid. Subs not used: Stech, O’Keeffe, Menayese, O’Driscoll, Law. Referee: Richard Bartlett. --------------------- Latics 2-3 Mansfield Town https://www.oldhamathletic.co.uk/news/2021/january/13012021-latics-vs-mansfield-match-report/ On a freezing cold and foggy night in the North-West, Latics surrended their lead as Mansfield pick up all three points at Boundary Park for the first time since April 1978. Following Latics’ departure from the FA Cup at the weekend, Harry Kewell named two changes to his starting XI with top goalscorer Conor McAleny and Callum Whelan returning to the side replacing Brice Ntambwe, struggling with fitness, and Tom Hamer. To add to this, ahead of kick-off the referee, Scott Oldham, was replaced by the Fourth Official, Richard Bartlett, after he sustained an injury in his warm-up. The Stags started the early stages on the front foot, but we dealt a hammer blow in the sixth minutes as McAleny produced great work before cutting inside and delivering to the far post. The cross found Alfie McCalmont and the Leeds United loanee managed to get a shot underway, straight at the goalkeeper, the effort went through the hands of Aidan Stone to give the hosts the lead. McCalmont looked in the mood and, just minutes later, he pressed Ryan Sweeney and managed to intercept their captain before racing clean through, but his low strike was denied by the legs of the shot-stopper. The Yellows should’ve been level when Stephen McLaughlin’s corner managed to evade everybody and find the onrushing Sweeney, but the former Bristol Rovers man couldn’t keep his effort down from close range with the goal at his mercy. Nigel Clough’s side turned the first-half on its head by scoring two in two minutes, the first came in the 36th minute as Ian Lawlor raced out and punched a cross straight into the path of Harry Charsley and he smashed a volley first-time into an empty net. Straight after kick-off, Mansfield won a free-kick inside the Latics half and the deliver was met by Sweeney and the back post and he managed to flick into the back of the net. Momentum in full-swing, the visitors searched for more and had the chance to extend their lead from 12-yards. The attacker dribbled into the box and encouraged Raphael Diarra into making a foul and the referee had no hesitation in pointing to the spot. Jordan Bowery, who’s scored six in his last four games, stepped up but blasted his penalty wide of the post. The gaffer didn’t mess around at half-time, making three changes with the introduction of Zak Dearnley, Cameron Borthwick-Jackson and Dylan Fage. However, only five minutes into the second-half and the Stags extended their lead as Jamie Reid found himself in behind the backline and kept his cool whilst running through to slot into the far bottom corner past Lawlor. Town nearly sealed all three points when Charlton Athletic loanee, George Lapslie, found space around 25-yards out and smashed an effort goalwards before cannoning off the bar and, fortunately, out for a goal kick. The boys in blue attempted to stage a comeback when McAleny netted his 13th of the campaign as substitute Danny Rowe’s deflected strike fell perfectly to the dangerous attacker and he raced in and curled around Stone and into the net. Harry Kewell’s men pushed for an equaliser and came so close to finding a leveller when a cross from the right found Rowe at the back stick and his header looked destined for the bottom corner, but the goalkeeper produced a fine stop to deny him with Mansfield managing to hold onto the win. Oldham Athletic XI - Lawlor (GK), Clarke, Piergianni ©, Garrity, Whelan, Keillor-Dunn, Barnett, McAleny, Diarra, Bahamboula, McCalmont. Subs - Biboe (GK), Borthwick-Jackson, Rowe, Fage, Dearnley, Badan, Hamer. Goals: McCalmont 6’, McAleny 84’ Mansfield Town XI - Stone (GK), Sweeney ©, Rawson, Charsley, Bowery, Maris, Cook, Gordon, Reid, McLaughlin, Lapslie. Subs - Stech (GK), O’Keeffe, Benning, Menayese, O’Driscoll, Maynard, Law. Goals: Charsley 36’, Sweeney 38, Reid 49’ Referee - Scott Oldham replaced by Richard Bartlett. ----------------------- Oldham Athletic 2-3 Mansfield: Latics' home woes continue The Oldham Times, By Suzanne Geldard TWO goals in less than two minutes proved to be Latics’ undoing as the new year at Boundary Park started how 2020 had ended here. With defeat. Oldham had succumbed to Harrogate Town on Boxing Day, meaning they had only managed to register two home wins this season from 11 attempts in the league. And that was a bad habit head coach Harry Kewell was looking to break as they 'brought in' the new year against in-form Mansfield Town. Alfie McCalmont got them off to the perfect start, capitalising on a dreadful fumble by goalkeeper Aidan Stone to give Latics a sixth-minute lead. https://www.theoldhamtimes.co.uk/news/19009346.oldham-athletic-2-3-mansfield-latics-home-woes-continue/ And they could - and should - have built on it. There were opportunities, and there were decent spells of pressure. But two quick-fire Stags goals really knocked them off their stride. A missed penalty by Jordan Bowery gave them a reprieve on the stroke of half-time but early in the second half Jamie Reid took advantage of a defensive lapse and finished the job before Conor McAleny’s late second for the hosts. Kewell had been wary of Mansfield's momentum. After a 14-game winless start Nigel Clough has really turned things around and the Stags arrived at Boundary Park having won three on the spin in League Two to push them a point behind Latics. It was intriguing to see how an FA Cup third round defeat to league rivals Cheltenham would affect them. Stone's lack of conviction in goal suggested it might have. The stopper looked to have McCalmont's shot covered but it spilled hopelessly out of his grasp and into the back of the net. Kewell has craved luck, and Stone served up a huge slice. Mansfield had created a couple of early openings but nothing meaningful, and Latics really got their tails up after getting in front so quickly. And they were deserving of the breakthrough, having been patient in the build-up and keeping possession well despite being forced back by the opposition, before seizing their opportunity. McCalmont almost had a second within five minutes of scoring, after cleverly robbing Ryan Sweeney of possession in the Mansfield box, but this time Stone was a match for his finish. Dylan Bahamboula teased his marker with multiple stepovers, but the move looked less impressive when the ball ran out of play. But the forward worked another opening and this time brought a good save from Stone. Mansfield were growing into the game though, and would have taken heart from Latics' missed chances. Another goalkeeping error, this time from Ian Lawlor, let the Stags back in. Lawlor charged off his line to try to punch clear a ball in from the left, but when it landed with Harry Charsley and he drilled it into an empty net. It went from bad to worse for Latics as Mansfield were ahead just over a minute later, as Sweeney converted from close range. There was a let-off for Kewell's men when Raphael Diarra conceded a soft penalty against George Maris and Bowery put it wide. Latics rang the changes at the start of the second half with Zak Dearnley, Dylan Fage and Cameron Borthwick-Jackson brought on but the latter wasn't as switched on as he needed to be and Mansfield went 3-1 up instead through Reid. George Lapslie rattled the crossbar and Lawlor saved Gordon's deflected low strike as the Stags pushed for more. The goal came at the other end with McAleny finishing well after Rowe's deflected shot dropped invitingly for him but it was nothing more than a consolation. Latics: Ian Lawlor; Raphael Diarra (Dylan Fage 45), Harry Clarke, Carl Piergianni, Jordan Barnett (Borthwick-Jackson 45); Alfie McAlmont, Ben Garrity, Callum Whelan (Zak Dearnley 45) (Andrea Badan 69), Davis Keillor-Dunn (Danny Rowe 56); Dylan Bahamboula, Conor McAleny. Subs not used: Laurence Bilboe, Tom Hamer. --------------------- |
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