Archived News from March 2021
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STAGS BEAT MORECAMBE TO GET BACK ON WINNING TRAIL
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English Football League - Sky Bet League Two
Mansfield Town 1 - 0 Morecambe Bowery 41 Attendance: behind closed doors Date: 27 February 2021 Martin Shaw at the One Call Stadium, Field Mill Mansfield Town beat Morecambe 1-0 this afternoon to get back on the winning trail after 5 games without a win. Morecambe arrived in 4th place and just 3 points off top spot but the Stags were much the better side today and deserved the win. Mansfield were very tight defensively allowing the visitors hardly any chances at all in the 90 minutes, and the clean sheet was vital having conceded three in each of the last two home games. The only goal of the game came after 41 minutes. Stephen Quinn rose above John O’Sullivan on the edge of the area to head the ball down to Jamie Reid. Reid laid the ball off to Quinn. And Quinn showed a lovely piece of skill on the left to get past O’Sullivan before crossing into the middle where Jordan Bowery got nearside of his marker Harry Davis to knock the ball first time past the keeper into the left corner of the net from 6 yards. It was high quality play from Quinn and a good finish from Bowery. The Stags had other good chances in the first half. They should have been in front after 3 minutes. Good play outside the area from Quinn, Reid and Jason Law set up a shot from Bowery from 20 yards which was struck well and parried by keeper Kyle Letheren straight to Reid 8 yards from goal with an open goal in front of him, but Reid headed over the bar. He should have scored though it came at him quickly. The returning Kellan Gordon, who had a good game, won a free kick 25 yards out after 11 minutes. Mal Benning, also back in the starting XI, took the free kick which deflected off the wall but keeper Letheren was able to save on his line. And then three minutes after the goal, Quinn fed the ball forward for Law to retrieve on the byline, Law pulled the ball back perfectly into the path of Quinn to shoot over the bar from the edge of the area. Morecambe had only one real chance in the first half as a long throw from Kelvin Mellor after 18 minutes was cleared to Toumani Diagouraga who volleyed over the bar via a deflection. The second half saw fewer chances for the Stags. A shot from George Maris after 55 minutes gave Letheren an easy save, Reid cut inside from the right and his shot was blocked after 83 minutes, and Bowery headed straight at the keeper from a Law corner after 88 minutes. Mansfield were very solid, but a minute into stoppage time Morecambe had their only chance of the second half. Carlos Mendes-Gomes lifted a superb ball over the Stags defence for Morecambe substitute AJ Leitch-Smith to run on to but from 9 yards out with the ball having come over his shoulder, he missed his kick and the chance was gone. It was a rare moment on the afternoon where Ryan Sweeney and Farrend Rawson were just caught on their heels for a split second as Leitch-Smith ran into space but they got away with it. Sweeney and Rawson both had fine games after being below par in the last couple of games. So a thoroughly deserved victory for Mansfield who were so tight and solid and there many good performances through the side. George Maris was outstanding in a defensive midfield role winning numerous tackles and headers. Stephen Quinn and Ollie Clarke also played well in midfield, with Quinn providing that all-important moment of quality for the goal. Jason Law had another good game, this time on the right, setting up shooting chances for Bowery and Quinn and taking some good corners, as did Maris. Bowery took his goal well, his 8th of the season, he also had a good shot that the keeper could only parry out to Reid, and one great run down the left. Sweeney and Rawson played well in central defence as mentioned, and the returning full backs, Gordon and Benning, both played well. Keeper Aidan Stone did not have a single shot to save but his handling was good and his kicking was good after being below par in the last 2 games. Mansfield’s good run of form against Morecambe continues, it is now 9 games without defeat. The Stags move 11 points above the all-important relegation zone, and are 10 points below the play-offs. The games continue to come thick and fast, with a visit to in-form Bradford City on Tuesday night (7pm kick-off, join us from 6.50pm on iFollow Stags). Bradford will be without Andy Cook, on loan from Mansfield, who is not allowed to play according to the terms of the loan deal. He scored again today in Bradford’s win at Walsall. It was a sunny day in Mansfield with no wind. The best weather conditions on a matchday for months. Mansfield made three changes from the side that lost at Harrogate. Gordon replaced Perch at right back, Perch dropped to the bench. Benning replaced the injured McLaughlin at left back. And Quinn replaced Charsley, who was rested. Law moved to the right of the front three in the position Charsley has been playing lately. Jake Wright, experienced central defender who was signed as a free agent yesterday, took his place on the bench. No Oli Sarkic on the bench though with Nigel Clough explaining that he felt his thigh during the warm-up at Harrogate on Tuesday, but it’s “just a slight niggle” and he should be available for the Bradford game, or failing that, next Saturday at Barrow. Morecambe made one change from the their remarkable 2-1 win over Salford, with both goals coming deep in stoppage time, as Harry Davis replaced former Histon centre half Nathaniel Knight-Percival. DETAILED REPORT IN THE MATCH CENTRE ------------------------ SAT 27 FEB 2021, LEAGUE TWO Mansfield Town 1-0 Morecambe Bowery (41'minutes) Assists Quinn (41'minutes) Match report supplied by PA Media, by John Lomas. https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/56134942 Jordan Bowery's first-half goal earned Mansfield a valuable home win and prevented high-flying Morecambe from closing the gap on the automatic promotion places in League Two. The result also ended a run of three successive defeats and a five-match winless run for Nigel Clough's men. Jamie Reid wasted a golden chance to give the Stags a third-minute lead as Morecambe goalkeeper Kyle Letheren parried a powerful Bowery shot and, following up, Reid headed over unchallenged from six yards. Stags dominated and Mal Benning's deflected free-kick was saved while Ollie Clarke and Reid missed the target. The breakthrough finally came after 41 minutes as Stephen Quinn sent in a low cross from the left by-line and Bowery turned it home first time at the near post. Quinn blazed over from a Jason Law pass soon after as Mansfield looked to build on their lead. The closest Morecambe came was when Toumani Diagouraga's shot deflected over for a corner after 18 minutes. A poor second half saw few chances as the visitors, who came into the match chasing a third successive win, failed to force a single save out of home keeper Aidan Stone all afternoon. Substitute AJ Leitch-Smith could have levelled two minutes into added time but completely missed his kick in front of goal from Carlos Mendes Gomes' lofted pass. Match Stats Home Team Mansfield Away Team Morecambe Possession Home 55% Away 45% Shots Home 16 Away 5 Shots on Target Home 4 Away 1 Corners Home 11 Away 2 ------------------------ Mansfield Town 1 Morecambe 0: First-half goal sees off below-par Shrimps Morecambe Visitor, By Derek Quinn, Saturday 27th February 2021 Morecambe’s hopes of adding to their thrilling victory over Salford City in midweek were dashed by defeat at Mansfield Town. The Shrimps produced one of their poorest performances for some time as they went down to a Jordan Bowery goal just before half-time. Morecambe boss Derek Adams was forced into one change from the side that beat Salford with Harry Davis recalled at centre-half in place of the injured Nathaniel Knight-Percival. It was Mansfield who started the better with Bowery forcing Kyle Letheren into a good save with a shot from the edge of the area, though Kellan Gordon would have been disappointed at failing to head home the rebound. https://www.thevisitor.co.uk/sport/football/mansfield-town-1-morecambe-0-first-half-goal-sees-off-below-par-shrimps-3149306 The Stags’ pressure continued with Mal Benning’s free-kick taking a deflection off the Morecambe wall, forcing Letheren into another decent save. Ryan Sweeney headed a corner off target before the Shrimps finally threatened with Toumani Diagouraga’s volley deflected wide by a good Mansfield block. Yann Songo’o saw a header gathered by Mansfield keeper Aiden Stone and Carlos Mendes Gomes had an effort blocked before the home side took the lead five minutes from the break. The experienced Stephen Quinn beat John O’Sullivan down the left and put in a dangerous cross, which Bowery turned into the bottom corner from close range. The Shrimps were better in possession after the break but, again, struggled to break down a solid Mansfield defence. With the home side happy to sit back on their lead, Mendes Gomes almost broke free after a nice bit of skill but the only real pressure came in the final few moments. Three minutes from time, substitute Stephen Hendrie delivered a dangerous cross that no Morecambe player looked to get on the end of before the Shrimps created their only chance of the game in injury time. Mendes Gomes’ smart ball over the top of the Mansfield defence presented A-Jay Leitch-Smith with a great chance, but the Shrimps’ striker totally missed his kick and the ball ran through to keeper Stone. Mansfield Town: Stone, Gordon, Rawson, Sweeney, Benning, Quinn, Maris, O Clarke, Law (Charsley 90), Reid, Bowery. Subs not used: Stech, Perch, Sinclair, Wright, O’Keefe, J Clarke. Morecambe: Letheren, Mellor, Lavelle, Davis, Gibson (Gibson 56), Diagouraga (Lyons 65), Songo’o (Leitch-Smith 81), O’Sullivan (McAlinden 81), Wildig, Mendes-Gomes, Stockton. Subs not used: Halstead, Cooney, Slew. Referee: Anthony Backhouse. -------------------- MATCH REPORT: Mansfield Town 1-0 Morecambe Bad result - Even Worse Game at Mansfield words Roger Fitton, D3D4 Morecambe correspondent http://d3d4football.com/match-report-mansfield-town-1-0-morecambe/ Morecambe travelled to Nottinghamshire today to face one of the teams perennially tipped by the so-called 'experts’ for promotion, Mansfield Town. As usual, the same people advised all and sundry to bet on the fact that the Shrimps would be relegated this season. Yet before the game - and with over half the season played - the Stags were nineteenth in League Two whereas Morecambe were fourth. In recent years, Town have had a very chequered history. It seemed that a corner had been turned when current owner John Radford bought the club nine years ago. Before then - following a period in the non-league wilderness - financial problems at Mansfield Town were such that they had been locked out of their own ground for non-payment of rent. Stags’ fans still celebrate the day Mr Radford transformed the ownership issue - March 1st 2012 - as 'Amber Day’. Amber was expected to change to Green for Go as a brighter future for the club was seemingly dawning with the appointment of ex-Bury and actual Swindon Manager David Flitcroft during 2018. The following year, he took Town to the League Two Play-Offs. But having fallen at the first hurdle after a penalty shoot-out to Newport County, David Flitcroft was unceremoniously sacked. More fool Mansfield - since then, the club has gone backwards. Nigel Clough was brought-in last November to stop the rot. The impact was immediate: they were unbeaten in his first six games and started winning straight away. In his first game in charge, Mansfield were victorious at promotion-chasing Forest Green and two games later, they beat sleeping giants Sunderland in the FA Cup away from home. When The Son of Brian arrived, the Stags were third from the bottom of the league. But by the end of January, they had risen to the heady heights of lucky thirteenth in the table. Since then, though, the wheels have well and truly fallen off: Mansfield started today’s match on the back of three straight defeats and no wins in their last five league games. In previous contests with Morecambe, Town have won half of the eighteen games and lost six of them. Morecambe went into the game, on the other hand, on the back of two wins and two draws in the last five league games. They overcame Salford City in spectacular fashion last Tuesday back in Lancashire, coming from behind to win the game with two goals in injury time at the end of the match. Mansfield, meanwhile, were losing for the second time this season to new-boys Harrogate Town in Yorkshire. Their Manager said after the game: “When we won the first five games, I said that confidence in football is unbelievably fragile. You only have to look at the top level for that. Liverpool were on an incredible record-breaking run last season; now they’re on the worst home run for a hundred years. That’s what it is like in football.” Mr Clough was unable to select George Lapslie or Joe Riley today due to injury. With the FA yet to set a date for a disciplinary hearing, Derek Adams was able to select Yann Songo’o again today. He thus had less need to shuffle his pack from Tuesday night’s line-up: Nathaniel Knight-Percival, who was hurt during the game, was replaced by Harry Davis Prior to the game, the Morecambe Manager said: “Mansfield had a very good run. I watched them a couple of games back when they lost at home to Bolton and I thought they played really well on the night. Nigel Clough has gone in there back in November but I thought they were always a good side under Graham Coughlan. I thought Graham was hard done by to lose his job, but Nigel has come in and changed things about and they have been able to pick up some good results.” Would they get back to winning ways today? It was dry and actually sunny when the game kicked-off in Nottinghamshire. The Stags - who are a physically big team - went onto the front foot right from the start. This didn’t look like a side short of confidence and they would have taken the lead after just two minutes except that Jordan Bowery’s powerful shot from the Mansfield left was brilliantly stopped high to his left by Kyle Letheren only for Jamie Reid to head the rebound away from the target when it seemed easier to bury it. Although were no clear chances for the home side for a while after that, they were definitely the livelier team for the opening ten minutes or so. Morecambe seemed content to break-up the play and hoof hopeful balls forward which they generally soon found being funnelled back towards them. But after seventeen minutes, Cole Stockton was set free following an interception, carried the ball forward and passed to Carlos Mendes-Gomes, whose effort was blocked. Then Toumani Diagouraga also fluffed his lines when the ball was headed back to him in the Stags’ penalty area: his shot was cleared for a corner. Aiden Stone then gathered a looping header from a free-kick easily enough after 22 minutes. Mansfield still were enjoying most of the possession though and Letheren was the next goalkeeper to make a save: gathering a cross from a corner which was initially played low and short from the Town left after just over half an hour. But the key moment of the half arrived after thirty-eight minutes. After Harry Davis had blocked an attempt from another Mansfield corner, the ball was fed back to Stephen Quinn on the Stags’ left. He threw Sully a peach of a dummy, turned inside him and whipped a cross over which Bowery was the first to reach. With a flick of his leg, he turned the ball in at the near post to give the home side the lead. It was a poor goal to concede but the visitors never looked like they were going to pull the goal back by the time the end of the half arrived. It had been a game of very few chances and little skill from either side so far. But the second half was even worse. Kick & Rush was the order of the day; there were virtually no chances and precious little skill. Forty- nine minutes of football - and virtually no action to report. After 55 minutes, a weak shot came in from the Mansfield left which Letheren caught easily enough. It was half an hour before he had to make another save. This time, it was another weak attempt: a header straight into his arms following a corner. In the meantime, seventy-eight minutes had been played when Carlos headed the ball into the Town penalty are and chased after it before Stone ambled from his goal and collected it without any undue fuss. In injury time, the same Shrimps’ player cleverly found A-Jay Leitch-Smith with a beautifully-judged lob but the ring-rusty substitute was unable to connect with it properly. And that was the sum total of Morecambe’s attempts today. Collectively, they just didn’t turn up: apart from Kyle Letheren, nobody played well. And Mansfield were little better, particularly in the second half when they also looked like a really poor side. The very disappointing result meant that Mansfield shot up to sixteenth in the table at the very welcome end of this utter bore. Morecambe meanwhile slipped to fifth. Mansfield Town: 31 Aidan Stone; 12 Kellan Gordon (Y); 6 Farrend Rawson; 5 Ryan Sweeney (Y); 3 Malvind Benning; 10 George Maris; 8 Ollie Clarke (C); 16 Stephen Quinn; 29 Jason Law (7 Henry Charsley 91’); 19 Jamie Reid; 9 Jordan Bowery. Subs not used: 1 Marek Stech; 2 Corey O’Keeffe; 14 James Perch; 21 James Clarke; 23 Jake Wright; 27 Tyrese Sinclair. Morecambe: 1 Kyle Letheren; 2 Kelvin Mellor; 6 Harry Davis; 5 Sam Lavelle (C) (Y); 8 Toumani Diagouraga (15 Brad Lyons 65’); 9 Cole Stockton; 10 Aaron Wildig; 11 Carlos Mendes-Gomes (Y); 16 John O’Sullivan (19 Liam McAlinden 80’); 22 Liam Gibson (3 Stephen Hendrie 53’); 24 Yann Songo’o (17 A-Jay Leitch-Smith 80’). Subs not used: 12 Mark Halstead; 7 Jordan Slew; 21 Ryan Cooney. Ref: Anthony Backhouse. ------------------------ |
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