Archived News from January 2006
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TEAM NEWS: CHESTER KEEPER GILLET TO PLAY AFTER-ALL
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Chester Evening Leader:
Curle: "The fact that it's my first return to Mansfield since I left is not in my mind. "I had some good times during my spell in charge of Mansfield.There was obviously a negative element during my time at the club,but I don't carry that around with me. "As far as I'm concerned the players who were at Mansfield that I now have at Chester have nothing to prove to me." "I felt we caused Mansfield a lot of problems when we beat them 3-1 earlier in the season.Once we get the ball down and play we can show we have a goal threat." -------- Stephane Gillet to play tonight 24/01/2006 Official Chester website Gillet : Will play at Field Mill Stephane Gillet will be able to play after all in tonight's game at Field Mill versus Mansfield Town (7.45pm kick off). Stephane was sent off for allegedly denying a goal scoring opportunity to Bristol Rovers striker and ex Blues player, Junior Agogo. However, the reviewing body at the F.A. have overturned the red card. Keith Curle had been busy prior to the news from the F.A. to ensure that a replacement keeper was available as Ryan Brookfield is still having problems with a hamstring. ------------- BUXTON: IT'S TIME STAGS STARTED TO CLIMB EVENING POST, 24 January 2006 Jake Buxton is targeting a second home win in four days - so the Stags can start looking up rather than down the Division Two table. Until Saturday's 1-0 win over Rochdale, Mansfield had been entrenched in the bottom five since the early weeks of the campaign after a disastrous start under Carlton Palmer. But since Peter Shirtliff took over as boss, the Stags have started to climb away from danger and are 18th going into tonight's game with Chester (7.45pm). Buxton feels another victory - that would see Mansfield leapfrog City - will mean they can then start thinking about a mid-table finish. "When you get a good result people start taking about the play-offs, but I think we just need to finish the season strongly and continue to build for next season," said Buxton. "I think the players are looking up now in general because we are starting to progress as a team and look more confident." The Stags' Danny Reet scored the only goal of the game against Rochdale on Saturday when they had barely created a chance. Yet when they were well on the top in the second period, Mansfield were unable to convert any of a succession of chances they fashioned. But Buxton feels if the Stags can continue to pose an attacking threat, the goals will come. He said: "You can't criticise our strikers because they are producing shots on target but they just aren't going in. "We did make it hard for ourselves against Rochdale by not taking the two or three chances we had to kill them off. But I think we are having more shots on goal now than we were when he had the spell of scoring lots of goals. "We just have to keep doing what we are and I'm sure our luck in front of goal will change." Under ex-Stags boss Keith Curle, Chester made a cracking start to their League Two campaign, losing just once in their first 12 matches. But they have lost their last seven league matches on the bounce and now sit just one point and one place above the Stags in League Two. The latest of those losses on Saturday was 2-1 at Bristol Rovers when keeper Stephane Gillet was sent off. Mansfield are keen to rub things in against a City squad who feature no fewer than seven ex-Stags - Luke Dimech, Dave Artell, Scott McNiven, Tom Curtis, Tom Curle, Wayne Corden and Derek Asamoah. Mansfield boss Peter Shirtliff said: "It's a long season, as Chester have found out. "But we are going in the other direction. We are starting to come good now. We are looking forward to the game and hopefully we can put on a good performance. "We are going to have to work very hard to get a result and we will have to be up for it. "There are no easy games and I'm sure they'll have a point to prove with their ex-manager and a lot of their ex-players coming back." Shirtliff, like Buxton, is also looking for the Stags to kill sides off when they have the chance - starting against Chester. I just think we could be a bit more clinical and make better decisions in the final third," he said. "That's something where I'm hoping we will see an improvement over the next few games." There is good news for the Stags on the injury front, with striker Simon Brown fit enough to come back into the first-team squad following his hamstring trouble. Midfielder Callum Lloyd has also made a recovery from a knock to his ankle and will be available for selection. But Rhys Day may have to have an operation to sort out his injury - diagnosed as a hernia. He was due to see a specialist yesterday. CHESTER IN KEEPER TROUBLE EVENING POST, 24 January 2006 Chester face a goalkeeping crisis. New signing Stephane Gillet was sent off in the 2-1 defeat at Bristol Rovers on Saturday for bringing down striker Junior Agogo, and first choice keeper Chris McKenzie has broken a thumb. That leaves youngster Ryan Brookfield, who has only made one senior appearance, as the only cover. Manager Keith Curle, making his first return to Field Mill, is appealing against Gillet's suspension. His team have had a run of seven straight losses in the league, but Curle does not feel his job is under threat. He said: "I don't feel pressure, but I can handle pressure." --------------- Stags present take on Stags past! CHAD website, 23 January 2006 KEITH Curle is back at Field Mill tomorrow night with his legion of former Stags as he bids to halt Chester City's current slide against his former club (7.45pm). This one looks more like a soap opera than a football fixture. Curle is still pursuing legal action against Mansfield Town for his dismissal 14 months ago and his squad includes seven former Stags players who have followed him up to the Deva Stadium. When Chester beat Stags 3-1 early in September, Curle had made a good start to the season with Stags stuck at the wrong end of League Two under Carlton Palmer. But times have changed drastically and seven successive League defeats for Chester and nine games without victory have seen them slide to 17th - only a place and a point above the Stags who will gleefully leapfrog them with a win tomorrow. Wayne Corden, Derek Asamoah, Dave Artell, Luke Dimech, Scott McNiven, Tom Curtis and Tom Curle all plied their trade with Mansfield last season but could be on the opposing side tomorrow. All but Curle were in their starting XI on Saturday. However, Stags boss Peter Shirtliff said: "Of couse it has added spice for the fans with the people involved and I think it will be a good occasion. "But, on a personal level, it doesn't affect me and it won't affect many of our players who were not here when Keith Curle was manager or these players were playing for Mansfield. "Anyone who thinks it will be easy pickings with their recent record is very wrong, though. Like Rochdale on Saturday, Chester will come here and scrap for everything. "And with their former Mansfield connections I am sure they will be right up for it. "But, hopefully we can turn in a good performance and get a good result." Simon Brown, who has been struggling with a hamstring injury since late last year, is much improved and Shirtliff intends having a chat with him tomorrow about a possible return. If Brown has no reaction to today's training session and feels happy with his leg, then he could be among the substitutes tomorrow. Callum Lloyd is also back in training and rejoins the squad after his ankle injury. However, central defender Rhys Day is today visiting a specialist over a hernia problem. If an operation is required he will probably have it straight away with Stags waiting to see how long he may be out before deciding on cover. Shirtliff is awaiting another call back from Manchester City as he tries again to bring midfielder Jonathan D'Laryea to the club for the rest of the season. D'Laryea's three month loan spell is over and he was a spectator at Stags' 1-0 win over Rochdale on Saturday as he nursed a calf strain picked up last week at Shrewsbury. Chester will be without keeper Stephane Gillet after he was red-careded in Saturday's 2-1 defeat at Bristol Rovers. --------- Chester Evening Leader http://www.chesternow.co.uk Keeper crisis for Curle? KEITH CURLE today confirmed he was hoping to name Stephane Gillet as his goalkeeper for tomorrow night's league match at Mansfield Town. The Chester City boss insisted he was going to appeal after seeing his Luxembourg international shot-stopper red-carded in Blues' 2-1 loss at Bristol Rovers on Saturday – City's seventh straight league defeat. Curle was angered by Hertfordshire referee, Mick Russell's decision to brandish a straight red card at Gillet who was involved in a collision with ex-Chester striker Junior Agogo just outside the penalty area. Curle said: “Because I'm appealing against Stephane's red card I'm hoping he will receive a stay of execution. WRONG DECISION “I won't know whether I can name Stephane as our goalkeeper until I hear the result of our appeal which is due at lunchtime tomorrow. “I have been on the phone to another goalkeeper just in case our appeal fails, but I won't be bringing John Ruddy back from Everton. “I'm not going to appeal for the sake of appealing – I am appealing because I thought a wrong decision was made. “The referee told me after the game that he sent Stephane off because the keeper denied the striker a goalscoring opportunity. “The referee also said that by law from the FA he is not allowed to rescind a decision. That has to be done by the FA. “I don't see how Stephane was denying the player a goalscoring opportunity when the player was going away from goal. Two players have challenged honestly for the ball and their player went down rather easily. “I thought Stephane made a genuine attempt to play the ball and Luke Dimech was still in a covering position, so I didn't think it was an obvious scoring position. “Stephane has played very well since he has joined us. He has adjusted to the way the team plays.” Curle admitted he had been disappointed to see his side give Bristol Rovers a two-goal start, and said: “It was very disappointing to see us concede a two-goal start. The first goal was down to poor marking at a set-play, and their second arrived as somebody just waltzed into the box with the ball and got their shot off. “Our spirited fightback in the second half was obviously marred by the sending off, but our heads didn't drop because we were determined to get something out of the game. “We managed to get a goal back and we still had a feeling we could score another with seven minutes left. It was pleasing to see the lads digging in despite going down to 10 men and everything going against them. “With the strikeforce I had available I thought we were always going to create chances. “Derek Asamoah had a great chance in the first half when the ball went through their keeper's hands, but it hit the keeper's chest, and Derek's other good chance was parried by the keeper, but a yard the other side and the ball would have fallen for Michael Branch. “I thought Ben Davies, Derek Asamoah, Michael Branch, and Ryan Lowe all looked lively. “We know it's another defeat but the most important thing now is to make sure we don't fragment in the changing room because there were a lot of positives to take out of the game. “I thought our second half performance was reminiscent of our performances earlier in the season.” ------------- Shirtliff set for same side http://www.sportinglife.com Mansfield boss Peter Shirtliff is expected to keep faith with a settled side ahead of the Field Mill clash with Chester. Simon Brown's on-going hamstring problems mean he is likely to miss out again while Chris Beardsley has yet to regain full fitness after sustaining a broken leg. Callum Lloyd is still recovering from an ankle knock. ------------- http://www.chestercity-mad.co.uk/ Story by Footymad 23 January 2006 The game between Mansfield Town and Chester City in the League Two on Tuesday 24th January 2006 at 19:45 takes centre stage for FootyMad's preview analysis. History of the Mansfield Town v Chester City fixture Chester City face a trip to Mansfield Town at Field Mill on Tuesday evening, and have come away with little in previous meetings, having been beaten a depressing 30 out of 46 times. The most recent encounter between these two sides was less than a year ago, in March 2005, when they played out a goalless draw in a League Two match. For a detailed analysis of the head-to-head between the two sides, click here Recent encounters between the teams: 2005/2006 Fri 02 Sep Chester City 3 - 1 Mansfield Town LGE2 2004/2005 Fri 25 Mar Mansfield Town 0 - 0 Chester City LGE2 2004/2005 Sat 14 Aug Chester City 0 - 3 Mansfield Town LGE2 1999/2000 Sat 25 Mar Chester City 5 - 0 Mansfield Town LGE2 1999/2000 Sun 26 Dec Mansfield Town 2 - 1 Chester City LGE2 1998/1999 Sat 30 Jan Mansfield Town 3 - 0 Chester City LGE2 1998/1999 Mon 28 Dec Chester City 1 - 1 Mansfield Town LGE2 Recent respective form guides Mansfield Town are unbeaten in their last six home games, but have drawn three of them. A total of 9 goals have been scored by the Stags in those games, with 4 conceded. The away form of Chester City is pretty dire, accumulating just 1 victory and 1 draw from their last six played. While the Blues have hit 5 goals, 9 have hit the back of the wrong net. Mansfield Town find themselves struggling down in 18th position in the league having picked up 32 points from their 28 matches. Chester City find themselves struggling down in 17th position in the league having picked up 33 points from their 27 matches. For a detailed analysis of team form guides throughout the leagues, click here Current form guides: P W D L F A P Mansfield Town 6 2 2 2 4 4 8 Chester City 6 0 1 5 3 8 1 FootyMad's prediction ... FootyMad see this game edging towards a narrow win for the Stags, as the Blues have been none too clever on the road in recent matches. Home win |
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