Archived News from March 2013
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TELFORD PREVIEWS / HOWELL INJURY NEWS
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Friday morning update:
twitter.com/FootieNick (Nick Southall) BREAKING NEWS: Mark Cooper confirmed as assistant manager at Swindon @BBCShropshire @nonleagueshow I'm told Graham Hyde will be placed in charge for remainder of games with support from John Psaras @BBCShropshire @nonleagueshow #telford --------------- as a result, Mansfield will play the third consecutive game against a side with no manager. Although there is no easy way of checking, this has to be a record - Martin --------------- Fri Mar 01 Anthony Howell þ@Howellsy13 Good News from the Doc 2day The injury is not as bad as first thought & will be back playing this season! #promotion @mansfieldtownfc Mansfield103.2 Sport þ Anthony Howell knee injury latest: Aiming to be back for Forest Green game on 15th March so 4 missed games. @mansfieldtownfc ----------------- Cox awaiting Howell scan results http://www.mansfieldtown.net/news/article/cox-awaiting-howell-scan-results-685686.aspx?pageView=full#anchored video interview: Paul Cox is speaking to Jason Harrison of Mansfield 103.2 mansfieldtown.net 28th February 2013 Manager Paul Cox has revealed that midfielder Anthony Howell is set to undergo a scan, which will determine the extent of his current knee problem. The 26-year-old missed our clash at Luton Town last weekend and could be ruled out for a lengthy spell if scan results, expected in the next 48 hours, reveal serious damage. Cox said: “I think he's got a slight tear in his right knee and he needs to have a scan. We'll get the results in the next 48 hours or so, but hopefully he'll be okay. “His performances of late have been outstanding and he's been one of our best players this season. “He openly admitted that he thought he would have let the team down if he'd played at Luton last weekend, which is credit to him and testament to his character. “But if scan results do reveal the worst, we've got Chris Clements and Jamie Tolley, who did exceptionally well yesterday [in a friendly versus Notts County], who can both come in.” Our boss, speaking at his pre-match press conference ahead of Saturday's game with AFC Telford United, also revealed that defender Lee Beevers cracked a rib a few weeks ago. It completes a gruesome few weeks for the Welsh full-back, who dislocated his shoulder in the victory at Luton and was again in the wars during our midweek victory at Lincoln City. “At half-time [against Lincoln], he had a loose tooth and a cracked nose. He's also been playing with a broken rib lately, so credit has to go to him,” continued Cox. “He's got stuck in and rolled his sleeves up when some players may have chucked the towel in. It's a testament to his qualities as a footballer.” In other injury news, striker Jake Speight is expected to resume training next week, whilst Ross Dyer is around a month away from a return --------------------- Mansfield Town begin their 'Massive March' with potential banana skin home clash with bottom club AFC Telford CHAD.co.uk Thursday 28 February 2013 MANSFIELD Town begin their 'Massive March' with a potential banana skin home game against bottom club AFC Telford on Saturday (3pm). http://www.chad.co.uk/sport/football/mansfield-town-fc/mansfield-town-begin-their-massive-march-with-potential-banana-skin-home-clash-with-bottom-club-afc-telford-1-5456995 The Stags, who are on a superb run of eight wins in nine matches, face a strength-sapping nine games in March which may well decide their chances of winning the BSBP title and include a mouthwatering run of successive games against Grimsby, Forest Green, Wrexham and Macclesfield inside 12 days. “Some people may be worrying about March, but it is exciting,” said manager Paul Cox. “I am enjoying it and I hope the players are enjoying it. “We must make sure we finish the season well. We are chasing top spot and enjoying the thrill of the chase. “Top spot is in our sights and we have to be hungry to be where Wrexham are. It is achievable. Any club in the top five or six would give themselves a chance of top spot at the minute. “We all know this is a league in which anyone can beat anyone on the day and there is a lot still to play for in our last 14 games. It is going to be fine lines. “We are in a healthy position and I can see things building. There is a bit of energy about the club. These 14 games are going to go at the click of a finger. “The supporters have been magnificent and if there is a slip-up, we want them to really pull us through like they did last year.” Stags are expected to beat Telford, who have failed to win in 21 league games since a 4-1 away win at Dartford on Tuesday, 9th October and not tasted victory since an FA Trophy win over Nuneaton on 24th November. But Cox knows they are not going to roll over for anyone. “Telford are fighting for their lives, they have 'Coops' (Mark Cooper) back in there as manager and have been a bit unlucky with some of their recent results. “We will have to be on our mettle to achieve a positive result. We have to keep our feet on the ground and be level-headed. Confidence I love. But I won't tolerate arrogance – that will be quickly stamped on.” ------------------ Stags midfielder Stevenson calls on the missing fans to make the difference CHAD.co.uk, Thursday 28 February 2013 Lee Stevenson called on the stayaway Mansfield Town supporters to get back down to the One Call Stadium for the club's run-in to the title battle, starting this afternoon against bottom side AFC Telford (3pm). http://www.hucknalldispatch.co.uk/sport/mansfield-town/stags-midfielder-stevenson-calls-on-the-missing-fans-to-make-the-difference-1-5457600 After a poor start to the season, crowds dwindled below the 2,000 mark, but the recent winning run has seen them starting to come back, with the club taking huge followings away to three away games in eight days this last week, and the Stags midfield goal ace said: “We need them as the extra man for us like last season. “They have been absolutely magnificent and they can make the difference. “The crowd is picking up now we are on a good run and hopefully there will be a few more there on Saturday. “As long as we keep performing I think they will start coming back. And if we are doing well near the end of the season, maybe we can get more season ticket holders for next season.” Stags are back at home today after three successive away wins on the bounce took their run to eight wins in nine games. “I enjoyed the Luton game, they are a different breed down there,” smiled Stevenson. “You should be up for every game, but especially Luton away. They are the games you want to play in at this level. “Lincoln on Tuesday wasn't the best performance in the world. But at the end of the day we came away with the three points and they are a massive club at this level and it was a local derby. “That's two last minute winners in two games as well. You always need a bit of luck to win a championship, so who knows?” ------------------ Battered Stags defender Lee Beevers goes through the pain barrier to face Telford chad.co.uk Friday 1 March 2013 Lee Beevers has suffered one of the most painful weeks of his football career – but the Mansfield Town full back has no intention of surrendering his shirt to the pain as Stags prepare to face bottom side AFC Telford at home tomorrow (3pm). http://www.chad.co.uk/sport/football/mansfield-town-fc/battered-stags-defender-lee-beevers-goes-through-the-pain-barrier-to-face-telford-1-5457565 Beevers was already nursing a broken rib when he suffered a dislocated shoulder at Luton last weekend. Then on Tuesday at Lincoln, a boot in the face saw him suffer a broken nose and loosened tooth. But Beevers knows that, after eight wins in nine games, and with a wealth of talented players on the sidelines, this is no time to be out injured. “I've had a few knocks and bruises this week but hopefully that's the end of it,” he smiled. “The run we are on at the moment, everyone wants to be a part of it. With having a settled back four it makes you a lot more solid and you build up an almost telepathic understanding of each other. “I cracked my rib about three or four weeks ago, then I had the dislocated shoulder at Luton. On Tuesday I broke my nose at Lincoln. “I actually had an operation on my shoulder after dislocating it about two and a half years ago. They put it back in and tightened it up. But the pitch at Luton was hard, and as soon as I hit the floor I knew it had come out again and had to try to relax to get it put back in. “Then at Lincoln, one of their lads caught me in the face with the back of his foot as we rolled over and broke my nose. That wasn't nice on a cold night, laying on the floor and feeling blood running out my mouth and my nose.” Stags are back at home tomorrow after three away games on the bounce from which they produced maximum points. “To some away with nine points from the last three games has been brilliant, especially as all of them were away games,” added Beevers. “But we have got to take every game now as the start of a fresh run. Telford may be bottom but the game will be no different as we are fighting to go up and they are fighting to stay up. So both teams will be really up for it and it will be a tough game.” -------------------- Beevers recalls injury nightmare http://www.mansfieldtown.net/news/article/beevers-recalls-injury-nightmare-686271.aspx?pageView=full#anchored 28th February 2013 Defender Lee Beevers has epitomised our fighting spirit in recent weeks. The full-back, who netted his only goal to date against Saturday's opponents AFC Telford United, has gone way beyond the call of duty in our last two league fixtures. After dislocating his shoulder in our stunning victory at Luton Town last weekend, the 29-year-old was again in the wars during our midweek success at Sincil Bank. Beevers sustained a bloodied nose during an innocuous collision with Imps winger Jake Jones, and was also left with a wobbly tooth by the half-time interval. But despite being bruised and battered, Beevers insists it's all just part and parcel of football. “There have been a few knocks and bruises,” he laughed. “I actually cracked a rib about three or four weeks ago as well, but hopefully I'll have no more injuries between now and the end of the season. “I had my shoulder operated on around two-and-a-half years ago, so when I fell awkwardly, I knew what I had done pretty much straight away. “It wasn't a nice feeling to have blood pouring out of my nose [at Lincoln] either, especially on a cold night like it was, then I had a loose tooth at half-time.” Beevers has consolidated a place in our side at right-back in recent weeks, having initially featured at left-back earlier in the season for us. “I've played at either right or left-back throughout my career, [so the switch] hasn't really been a problem,” he continued. “We've formed a telepathic understanding at the back, but we've got to put the last few games behind us now and take every game as the start of a new run.” The Welsh full-back has made almost 400 professional appearances during his career, which began at Boston United in May 2003 ------------------- March a crucial month if Mansfield Town are to march on to promotion Nottingham Post Mar 1st, 2013 IF Mansfield Town are to march on to promotion, then the month of March is going to prove pivotal. http://m.thisisnottingham.co.uk/story.html?aid=18286879&category=sport The Stags ended February with a last-gasp victory at Lincoln City, Matt Green's strike finally lifting them into the play-offs. After eight wins in their last nine games, Paul Cox's men were finally in the top-five after jumping up to fourth. But this month will now see the Stags play NINE of their remaining 14 matches and it will prove to be a make-or-break month. Mansfield are just five points off the top with a game in hand on leaders Wrexham, and they still have the Welsh outfit to play twice. They kick off a busy month by hosting bottom side Telford tomorrow, a side without a league win since early October. Games at Woking and then at home to Stockport follow before a hat-trick of matches against promotion rivals, taking on Grimsby, Forest Green and Wrexham. But centre half John Dempster says they have to make sure they pick up maximum points in the upcoming games to ensure they are in a strong position to capitalise on the matches with those pushing for a spot in the Football League. The 29-year-old said: "We do have those big games to look forward to but we have to keep doing the business before that so that makes Telford a big game tomorrow. "They are really out of form at the moment but we can only concentrate on ourselves and we are playing really well and picking up the right results. "We cannot afford to be complacent because the other night we did not start as well as we should have done. "If you don't do that it can be tricky and if we don't start well against Telford, it will be tricky again. "They are bottom but the gaffer will not allow us to be complacent. He will have us up and at them and ready preparation wise. "If we start well, there is no reason why we can't collect another three points." Mansfield return to the One Call Stadium after three games on the road. And Dempster said it can't be underestimated how well they performed to win all three – at Hyde, Luton and Lincoln – to finally arrive in those play-off places. "We deserve a lot of credit for that because we have been to some tough places and to win all of them is great," he said. "It is a big thing getting into those play-off places. "We have been doing really well of late and had some good results but the form of other teams has kept us out of the play-offs. "It's a position we have earned over the last couple of months and hopefully we can keep pushing up the league now. "It is a difficult test going Tuesday, Saturday, Tuesday all the time and we just have to keep that going for the rest of the season." Stags did not perform well at Sincil Bank the other night but still managed to grab the points at the death thanks to Green's 16th goal of the season, when he fired home from six yards out. Dempster added: "It was huge to win in that way. We were disappointed with the way we performed but it is the result that counts and we would have been more disappointed had we gone there, played well but lost. "But credit to the lads. We kept a clean sheet and then Greeny has gone and popped up at the end to get all three points. "Sometimes when you go away from home it can be really difficult and that proved the case the other night. "But for us to come away with three points says it all about how we are playing at the moment." ----------------------- By Steven Humbles | 28th February 2013 Telford official site Match Preview: Mansfield Town v Bucks AFC Telford United travel to face Mansfield Town on Saturday as the club's bid to secure its Blue Square Bet Premier status reaches fever-pitch. The Stags' manager Paul Cox needs little introduction to Bucks' fans having frequently come up against Telford during his time at Eastwood Town. Cox guided Eastwood to two successive promotions and, in his final season at Coronation Park, a 19-game unbeaten run saw his side clinch fourth spot in Blue Square Bet North only for ground problems to make the Badgers ineligible for the play-offs. Cox enjoyed an excellent first season at Field Mill as the Stags finished third before losing to York in the play-off semi-finals. After spending big in the summer Mansfield were widely-fancied to push for promotion and, after a surprisingly mixed start to the season, they have since found form and are only outside the play-off zone on goal-difference with games in hand. The Nottinghamshire club have also had their moment in the limelight this season thanks to their televised FA Cup third-round tie with Liverpool. The Stags pushed the Premier League giants all the way before losing 2-1 and Cox told BBC Radio Nottingham that he wants his players to use that experience as a springboard for league success. "We have laid some strong foundations at the football club over the last 18 months,” Cox said. "We want some big games here and want to be competing with the best. It will take time and we have to be patient but the fan-base at this club can make such a massive difference. Our shape, work ethic and mindset were unbelievable and if we take that into the rest of the season then we can be successful." The Stags have suffered a recent blow with the news that striker Jake Speight is expected to miss the rest of the season with a knee injury. The 27-year-old has had surgery on a cartilage tear and is set to be out for around 10 weeks. However, Cox has snapped up left-back James Jennings on a free transfer from Cambridge United. The 22-year-old joins on an 18-month deal. Despite the loss of Speight, Mansfield still boast significant attacking options, including two former Eastwood players in attacking midfielder Lee Stevenson and striker Lindon Meikle. Stevenson – who notched 96 goals in three seasons at Eastwood - scored twice against the Bucks for Eastwood during the 2010/11 campaign whilst the diminutive Meikle is always a livewire in attack. Indeed Meikle was the hero for Mansfield with a dramatic late winner in the 3-2 victory at Luton last Saturday and Mansfield will fancy their chances of making the play-offs for a second consecutive season. Their recent home form certainly makes daunting reading for the Bucks, with 8-1 and 5-0 thrashings of Barrow and Dartford respectively followed by a 3-1 win over Cambridge. Telford boss Mark Cooper, meanwhile, has again reiterated the need for his players to cut out the basic errors as they head to Field Mill in search of that elusive, crucial victory. “The players need to give themselves a chance in a game because I can't do it for them. There's not too much I can say because it's all been said before,” Cooper added. “It's time for the talking to stop. We can't keep making the same mistakes.” Mansfield Town Fact-File: Address: Field Mill, Quarry Lane, Mansfield, Nottinghamshire, NG18 5DA. Directions: Take the A5 to Cannock and then the A38 to Mansfield. At traffic signals turn right onto Sheepbridge Lane (signposted Nottingham A60) and then turn left onto Quarry Lane. Admission Prices: £15 adults, £12 concessions, £8 under-16s and £4 under-10s. Concessions are students and senior citizens (gentlemen aged 65 or above and ladies aged 60 or above). Parking: Car Parking is severely restricted and is first come first served. Matchday parking is £5 per car and the car park shuts 30 minutes prior to kick-off. Please note that the retail park behind the ground does not permit football parking and supporters parking here risk being clamped. Disabled Access: Please contact club on (01623) 482482 for information. Facilities: There is a bar at the ground called the Sandy Pate (formerly called the X-Bar) which welcomes away fans and is free to enter -------------- Telford Take Ford on Loan 28th February 2013 http://www.footballconference.co.uk/news/details.php?news_id=9156 AFC Telford United have announced the signing of defender Simon Ford on a month's loan from Blue Square Bet Premier rivals Grimsby Town. Ford joined the Mariners on a one-year deal during the summer of 2012 after impressing during a short trial with the club. The former Charlton Athletic scholar was first brought to Blundell Park by Lennie Lawrence in 2001, shortly after being released from The Valley. He went on to make over 70 appearances during his time with Town, but eventually fell out contention and left in the summer of 2004. The Jamaican international then had spells with Bristol Rovers, Kilmarnock in Scotland and Chesterfield, before being released from the Derbyshire outfit at the end of last season. ----------------- |
Latest | March 2013