Archived News from November 2012
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COX, LUKE JONES, STEVE KING REACTION
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audio interviews with Paul Cox and Luke Jones http://soundcloud.com/mansfield-103-2-sport/ -------------- Mansfield Town manager Paul Cox told BBC Radio Nottingham: audio ---> http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/football/20308142 "I thought we worked extremely hard. We've come away to a really tough place. "I think a team that had a really good home record and we've come away with a great result, but more importantly it was a good performance as well. "I think the squad's been called into play tonight - we had two or three missing. "The boys that have come in have done excellently, given me food for thought now for Saturday. The spirit amongst the lads at the minute is excellent." ------------------- Stags boss Cox happy to see away hoodoo end at Macclesfield chad.co.uk PAUL Cox was a happy man to see Stags' end their three-month away league hoodoo with last night's comprehensive 3-0 win at Macclesfield Town. http://www.chad.co.uk/sport/football/mansfield-town-fc/stags-boss-cox-happy-to-see-away-hoodoo-end-at-macclesfield-1-5151738 And was also delighted to see out-in-the-cold centre half Luke Jones come in and prove a point with a solid display and bonus goal to stake his claim for a shirt for Saturday's FA Trophy clash with Matlock Town. Mansfield boss Cox was running out of patience with his side's displays away from the One Call Stadium, where they have the best home record in the league, and said: “Our away performances have been questioned – and rightly so. “So this was a very good performance by the lads and a great result, especially in the second half when we were very patient and took our chances clinically when they came. “Our away record has been absolutely abysmal and we have had some stick for it. Our home form is the best is the division, but the away form has been our Achilles heel due to a bit of anxiety and expectation. “Tonight we looked more like we were last season. We soaked up pressure, kept our shape and broke quickly. “The spirit is now getting strong in the dressing room and, with that, you can move mountains. We are not getting carried away as it is only one win and we have got to do it consistently. “But I am just over the moon tonight with our performance and the desire we showed to try to win. Our desire to compete was immense. “Some of them were treading water for the last 15 minutes as we've barely had 24 hours rest since we had to play Luton on Sunday, which I still think was a disgrace by the league. The lads showed true grit and desire tonight and played some great football.” Matt Green bagged his second goal in as many games to put Stags on their way, then Stags' goal of the season, a top class series of passing and moving topped off by Lindon Meikle's finish, made it 2-0 before Jones headed the third near the end. “Matt got his goal again and the second goal was just excellent,” said Cox. “Some of the football leading up to it was out of this world. “And I was pleased for Jonah to get on the scoresheet. He has not been training with the main group of late but I thought his professionalism tonight was immense. He didn't put a foot wrong. “I have had to trim the squad down and work with a smaller group of players. But I have always said the door was not closed on anybody and tonight he was one hell of a man. “He could have sulked and moped but he's come in and done what I love players to do. He has now earned the right to keep his shirt. “We had two or three missing tonight and the squad is coming into play. Now they have given me food for thought for Saturday.” ------------------------------------ Mansfield Town striking duo set for Trophy outing Nottingham Post MANSFIELD Town boss Paul Cox could unleash strike duo Matt Green and Jake Speight on Matlock Town in the FA Trophy on Saturday. http://www.thisisnottingham.co.uk/story-17380768-detail/story.html Green bagged 30 goals for the Stags last season while Speight scored 21 league goals for Wrexham before his switch to the One Call Stadium. But, despite Speight scoring eight times this season, he has had to settle for the bench in recent weeks, just like Green. Green came off the bench to score his first goal in ten weeks – his fifth of the season – on Sunday in the draw with Luton and his reward was a starting berth at Macclesfield last night, where he scored the opener in a 3-0 win. Cox said: "It is a scenario where I have two centre forwards in Speight and Green who, if I am honest, I would love to play together. "But we have had a system that has been working and Ben Hutchinson playing out of his skin. I just thought, away from home, Hutch is picking up that hole superbly. "It was tempting to go with Speight and Green but the lads have been doing well who are in the team. But Speight and Green is something I am considering for Saturday." Midfielder Anthony Howell missed the game last night due to a knee injury but is expected to be fit for Matlock ----------------- Jones makes his point after getting recall from Stags Thursday, November 22, 2012 Nottingham Post CAST into the Mansfield Town wilderness, Luke Jones had been told he was free to join another club. http://www.thisisnottingham.co.uk/story-17390120-detail/story.html As boss Paul Cox trimmed down his first-team squad, the central defender was one of the victims of the cull. Despite coming on to play against Workington in a 2-1 FA Cup fourth round qualifying victory last month, he had not featured in a league game since September 8, when Mansfield lost 3-1 at Ebbsfleet. But suspensions to John Dempster and Exodus Geohaghon suddenly left an opening and the 25-year-old, who signed from Kidderminster in the summer, was the man to get the nod at Macclesfield on Tuesday. And he responded with a solid performance, helping the Stags keep a clean sheet and then he scored the final goal in a 3-0 victory to give his manager plenty of food for thought. Geohaghon is back on Saturday to face Matlock Town in the FA Trophy but Cox admits the professionalism and performance from a man who has not been training with the first-team squad had put Jones back into the reckoning. Jones, in his second spell with Mansfield, did not hide his disappointment at what had taken place in the last few weeks. And he said he would love to still have a future at the One Call Stadium, although he is also keeping a realistic take on his position. Jones said: "It has been a very frustrating time so it was nice to get out on the pitch and cap it with a goal. In all honesty it has been difficult. "I came to the club expecting to be a big part of what the manager was trying to do here. "I started off playing, captaining the side and then after the FA Cup I have not been in the squad. "The gaffer talked to me about cutting his squad and I was in a position where I am available for other teams. "But when I go out, I want to do well so it was never an issue to come in and play. And if that performance gives the manager something to think about, then that is another plus. "You never know when a chance will come and then you have to take it. It is not down to me what happens next, but I want to stay here and I am happy it went well." ----------------- VIDEO INTERVIEW WITH STEVE KING (StagsPlayer and Macclesfield Player subscribers only) http://www.mtfc.co.uk//news/article/mansfield-reaction-211112-499342.aspx?pageView=full ------------------- Steve King on Mansfield defeat http://www.mtfc.co.uk//news/article/steve-king-on-mansfield-defeat-211112-500792.aspx?pageView=full#anchored Manager on the 3-0 loss at the Moss Rose. The Silkmen were beaten 3-0 by Mansfield at the Moss Rose on Tuesday and we spoke to Steve King after the game. A disappointing night, frustrating to lose to three mistakes? "Very. We'd started the game brightly and were causing them problems and created a number of chances, but didn't take those chances. They seemed to take confidence from that and punished us for three mistakes. It's very frustrating because we felt that we had ironed those out in the last month. We'd had a run of clean sheets, but it feels like the Achilles heel has come back again and we're making those mistakes again. "It deflates you when you think you are doing well in a game and then concede to a set piece. And we conceded two from corners and the other from a mistake where they capitalised to get in and score. "We feel we gifted them the game really." At the other end the goals aren't flowing. "All strikers will go through a patch of games when they don't score, and we need some of the other players to step up to the plate to come in with a few goals. We've relied heavily on Barnes this season and he has got us a lot of goals, but he's hit a bit of a lean spell in the last few games, as every striker does from time to time, and we need others to step up and do the job. " "We were creating chances, but not taking them, and it's not falling for us at the moment." There were a lot of long range shots, some giving their 'keeper a few problems, was that part of the plan to get goals from elsewhere? "It's all part of the team effort. We want more players to be getting on the scoresheet, and we've been telling them to have a go if they see the target. We know that we do over play it at times when there might be a better option, and they don't need to do that, but we need a bit of the rub of the green at the moment, and we are getting punished for every single mistake. "I'm not going to sit here and claim that we're playing brilliantly at the moment, but we've been playing OK. At Cambridge we know we were well off form, but against Ebbsfleet we restricted them to just two shots on goal and they managed to win the game despite our chances, and again tonight we've created chances. "If we had won those three games then we'd have been in the top two in the division right now, so we're not far away still. We're having a blip, but so will other teams. Newport have just had a couple of defeats for example to teams you'd expect them to beat. "We will try and bounce back like we did after the last blip. We're a new side and still gelling, and we need to pull together now on and off the pitch. A bit of a break now for a couple of cup games, are you pleased for the distraction? "We want to do well in those games, obviously. We know that Gateshead is a tough place to go, and they have hit a bit of form recently and just gone above us, and then we've got Barrow. Although they are second from bottom at the moment they have been the form side in the League not too long ago and Dave Bayliss got manager of the month for October. "We're desperate to get through that because the third Round is such a big reward for the club and for the fans, but it will be a tough game." With only 48 hours between games again are you going to make a few changes? "I'm going to have to make one because Kieran Murtagh is suspended now for a match and we're hoping that we might be able to see Nat Brown back in, although Friday might be a bit soon. So we will look at freshening it up a bit, which might mean changing the shape a little to for the players who come in." ----------------- twitter.com/lindonmeikle About time we fucking spanked some1! Train has left the station!!!! ---------------- |
Latest | November 2012