Archived News from October 2006
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BEARDSLEY EAGER FOR A COME-BACK STRIKE
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BEARDSLEY EAGER FOR A COME-BACK STRIKE
Evening Post, 04 October 2006 MATT HALFPENNY Chris Beardsley wants to bury the bad memories of his last game against Notts County - by helping the Stags to a derby victory on Saturday. The striker missed almost the whole of last season after breaking a leg in Stags' 3-2 defeat when the teams met at Field Mill in August last year. It has been a long road back for Beardsley after suffering the horrific injury in a 50-50 clash with former Stags team-mate Kevin Pilkington. Now he hopes he can prove he is back to his best and feeling no ill-effects from the long lay-off with a first senior goal for more than a season-and-a-half. "It would be nice to play some part in the game because it is a massive one for both sides and the fans," said Beardsley. "The last goal I scored at this level was against Notts County when I was with Kidderminster at Meadow Lane, which was quite a while ago. "So it would be nice to get another goal against them this weekend, especially after what happened the last time I played against them. "We were disappointing at Walsall on Saturday but now we have to show that we can bounce back and give the supporters something to cheer about. "No-one should need any help in getting up for it, that is for sure, but we can be confident because the majority of our wins tend to come at home." Beardsley still recalls vividly the moment that put the brakes on his promising career. He said: "I remember chasing a ball into the channel and thinking I could get there first and then realising it was a 50-50 ball. "I then collided with Pilks and I knew there was something wrong because I had pins and needles straight away. "I tried to stand up but I was in a lot of pain and had to go back down again. "Pilks was the first number on my phone when they gave it to me in hospital. I spoke to him that day and he often rang me after that to see how I was getting on. "If I do play at some point, I'll be making sure I stay out of his way!" While the Stags have struggled playing away, County have picked up a regular supply of points at Meadow Lane and on their travels. "They are doing really well and their manager has done the right thing in how he has gone about rebuilding things," Beardsley said. "He has gone for experienced lads that know what they are doing at this level. I have played with Tom Curtis at Mansfield and know he is a good player. "Jason Lee is always a handful (although he is suspended for Saturday's game), Alan White and Austin McCann are experienced campaigners and Junior Mendes is quick and lively and always likely to pop up with a goal." |
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