Archived News from November 2002
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REPORTS FROM VARIOUS SOURCES
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Christie is Stags' four-goal hero
CHAd website IYSEDEN Christie was the toast of Mansfield Town with all four goals in Stags' crucial 4-2 win over fellow strugglers Colchester United at Field Mill on Friday night. Christie only arrived at the stadium 15 minutes from kick-off after being held up in heavy traffic but still stole the show on an eventful and thrilling night. He poached a hat-trick inside 10 first half minutes. But it took his fourth goal on 63 minutes to finally kill off the dogged challenge of Colchester. Injury problems continue to mount with Scott Sellars limping out in the early minues to be followed by on-loan Tony Vaughan later in the first half. Christie got the deftest of headers on a powerful cross-cum-shot from Craig Disley on 19 minutes. But Joe Keith levelled from the spot on 24 minutes after Neil Moore had fouled Scott McGleish. Colchester keeper Simon Brown raced off his line towards a Neil MacKenzie forward ball a minute later only to see Christie get there first and head over him into the empty net. And it was a hat-trick on 29 minutes as Christie volleyed home at the near post from a Mackenzie corner. But Colchester wouldn't lie down and Kevin Pilkington saved superbly from Kevin Rapley before Rapley nipped through a hesitant defence on 31 minutes to lift the ball over Pilkington and make it 3-2. Pilkington then pushed a Kem Izzet header onto the bar and, in first half stoppage time, saw a Rapley 'equaliser' disallowed for offside. Mansfield stepped up a gear after the break and created chance after chance. They did have a let-off when Jamie Clarke cleared a Bobby Bowry effort off the line. Then they broke straight upfield with Christie racing clear and, after the keeper saved his initial shot, he put away the rebound. Colchester's misery was complete when Alan White was red-carded for his second bookable challenge on the lively Christie nine minutes from the end. Stags, at least until Saturday afternoon, were off the bottom of Division Two and showed there could still be light at the end of the tunnel to the 3,414 crowd. ---------- Report from footymad.net Four goals from Iyseden Christie hauled Mansfield off the bottom of the table and ended Colchester's four-match unbeaten run. Yet Christie almost missed the game after being held up in traffic and only arriving at the ground 15 minutes before the kick-off. Christie showed no ill effects from his mad dash however as he smashed a ten-minute hat- trick in a crazy spell of five goals in 13 first-half minutes. Then with the relegation battle in the balance he struck his killer fourth goal, racing clear onto Craig Disley's 63rd minute pass and slotting into an empty net moments after Stags defender Jamie Clarke had cleared Bobby Bowry's shot off the line at the other end. Any hopes of a Colchester recovery were finally ended nine minutes from time when defender Alan White was sent off for one of numerous fouls on Christie. Mansfield had waited 301 minutes for a home goal when Christie struck the first of his treble, glancing in Disley's 19th minute piledriver. Five minutes later the UÂ's were level when Joe Keith converted a penalty after Neil Moore had pushed Scott McGleish. Within 40 seconds however Christie restored Mansfield's lead with a looping header on the end of substitute Neil Mackenzie's long pass. Kevin Rapley's raking 25-yard drive was tipped onto the bar by the flying Kevin Pilkington as United pressed for a quick second equaliser. But just 20 seconds later Christie completed his treble turning in Mackenzie's corner. However Kem Izzet's incisive throughball handed the visitors a lifeline 13 minutes before the break as Rapley raced clear to score -------- Report from BBC.co.uk Striker Iyseden Christie scored four times for Mansfield as they hauled themselves off the bottom of Division Two with victory over Colchester. Christie headed Mansfield in front on 19 minutes before Joe Keith levelled on 24 minutes from the penalty spot. But Christie headed a second on 25 minutes and tucked away a near-post volley for his hat-trick four minutes later. However, the visitors would not lie down and home keeper Kevin Pilkington made two good saves before Kevin Rapley pulled another goal back on 31 minutes. But Mansfield dominated the second half, although Jamie Clarke did clear off the line from Bobby Bowry before Christie raced away to add his fourth on 63 minutes. Mansfield created a host of other chances and Colchester's misery was completed when Alan White was sent off for his second bookable offence with nine minutes to go after bringing down Christie. ------------ |
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