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Archived News from July 2003

TRIO JOIN STAGS FOR PRE-SEASON BUILD-UP
11th July 2003 23:50


CHAD website
STAGS boss Keith Curle has invited a handful of potential signings to join in with pre-season training at Field Mill.
They include his former Manchester City team mate Fitzroy Simpson, New Zealand captain Chris Zoricich (PICTURED) who has just returned from playing in the Federation Cup, and central defender Dave Artell who was with Rotherham United last season.
"I have spoken to one or two other players about joining us for pre-season training and I am now waiting to hear back from them or their agents," said Curle.
"I have given them a rough guideline of our pay structure and the ball is in their court.
"In fairness they have probably taken that figure and rung round to hawk themselves around which is understandable and I wouldn't condemn them for doing it.
"It is common practice and they will naturally want to best deal they can get for themselves.
"I have told them all the sort of commitment needed to play for this club. Neither party have anything to lose if they come and join in with training as we can have a look at them and they can have a look at us.
"The days of taking players on board who are just in it for a wage are over. We need the right level of desire and commitment. We want players committed to getting this club out of Division Three.
"There are a lot of clubs looking at a lot of players right now and trying to fit together the pieces of their team jigsaw puzzle."
One of the players Curle has spoken to is understood to be Tony Vaughan, who had four games on loan with Stags from Nottingham Forest last season, and grew in stature before suffering a serous knee injury - he ended last season at Motherwell.
Curle is still waiting to hear from Vaughan, but stressed that that door is not closed to him.
However, the Stags boss is not in as much of a panic for new faces as some.
"Some clubs have got rid of a lot of players and are perhaps down to eight or nine players in their squad.
"We already have 14 or 15 players I am very happy with - most of whom got this club promoted from Division Three two years ago. It is just a case of making the right additions to them.
"For starters, you won't find a much better keeper in Division Three than Kevin Pilkington.
"You've got Bobby Hassell, Adam Eaton and Jamie Clarke for full backs and then we need a new partner to play alongside Rhys Day as a central defender in conjunction with myself.
"Whoever I bring in will have to be the right person who can play alongside myself if Rhys is injured.
"In midfield there won't be many better wide players in the division than Liam Lawrence and Wayne Corden and in the middle we have the different qualities and attributes of Tom Curtis, Neil MacKenzie, Lee Williamson and Craig Disley.
"You could perm any two from those four but if we can bring in Fitzroy Simpson as well he has the potential to offer something different in there.
"He did a good job for Walsall last season and is now open to offers.
"I just want to find the right link for us in m idfield.
"Up front we already have Iyseden Christie, Colin Larkin, Andy White and Junior Mendes. If any two of them are on fire they will be a handful for any defence.
"Then we have our youthful back-up with players like Alex John-Baptiste, Jake Buxton, Mark Hurst, Dean Hankey, Craig Mitchell and Chris Beardsley who all came in and did well last season."
Curle is still in the market for a striker to complement his current options.
But he added: "Colin Larkin had a good goals return from the number of games he started and he knows it is an important payback year for him if he can stay free from injury this time around.
"We might not have a Chris Greenacre. But if we can get 18-20 goals each from Colin and Iyseden Christie I would be very happy.
"Also I want to see more from Andy White. He has all the physical attributes of Simon Haworth at Tranmere and he scored 23 goals as a target man.
"I think Andy White probably has more natural ability than Haworth. We want Andy to do his job as a target man as a minimum. If he can score the goals as well it would be an added bonus."
l Former Stags defender Alistair Asher, released by Halifax Town, has signed a year's contract with ambitious UniBond League Hucknall Town, who last week also signed Danny Bacon from Field Mill.
Meanwhile, Gainsborough Trinity are reported to be interested in another former Stags defender in Stuart Reddington, just releaed from Burton Albion.
l Mansfield Town's proposed pre-season friendly at Stockport County on Friday, 25th July is off. The Edgeley Park stadium will not be ready in time for the match to take place and Stags have no plans to rearrange it or add any further first team outings to their already full schedule.
They are sending a team of younger players with a likely sprinkling of experience to Central Midlands side Teversal on Saturday. Kick-off at Carnarvon Street is 3pm.
Teversal have announced admission prices of £2.50 with £1.50 concessions, and children free if accompanied by an adult.
Next Wednesday Stags will face Rotherham United behind closed doors.
l Ticket details for the televised Sunderland cup tie had still not been finalised as Chad went to print, but it was expected that it would be ticket only for away fans, but home supporters would be able to pay at the gate.
l Tickets for the FA Women's Community Shield match between Doncaster Belles and Fulham at Field Mill on Wednesday, 6th August (7.45pm) are set to go on sale next week - for further details chaeck out The.FA.com or http://www.mansfieldtown.net.

 

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