Archived News from December 2014
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STAGS OUT OF THE FA CUP
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The FA Cup - Round Two replay
Mansfield Town 0 - 1 Cambridge United Kaikai 10 Attendance: 1920 (305 from Cambridge) Date: 16 December 2014 Martin Shaw at the One Call Stadium, Field Mill Mansfield Town were knocked out of the FA Cup by Cambridge on Tuesday evening. The Stags were unfortunate to lose. Cambridge’s goal was a complete fluke, as Sullay Kaikai’s soft shot deflected first off Luke Waterfall and then off Ryan Tafazolli to wrong-foot the unfortunate Sascha Studer after 10 minutes. The Stags were unlucky not to equalise at the end of the first half when Chris Clements’ shot from the edge of the box was heading for the corner of the net before it hit a defender and went agonisingly the wrong side of the post. The second half was entertaining as Mansfield pushed Cambridge further and further back creating numerous chances but failing to take any of them. Youth team striker Dan Fletcher came on for his debut on 81 minutes and nearly scored with his first touch, a shot that was blocked. There was huge controversy on 89 minutes as Luke Waterfall hooked the ball into the net after Tafazolli headed on a Clements’ cross. The linesman flagged for offside. In real time it did not look offside. Review of the DVD is inconclusive because of the camera angle but it looks to me like Waterfall was level with the last defender as Tafazolli headed the ball on and the Stags can consider themselves unlucky. No doubt in my mind that the Stags deserved to take the game into extra-time at the very least, but the Stags weren’t sharp enough in front of goal, and at the crucial moments did not have the rub of the green. Some of the Stags defending was also a bit sloppy at times. The Stags can concentrate on the league now, and will have a free day on January 3rd as Cambridge will take on Luton in the FA Cup 3rd round. On to AFC Wimbledon on Saturday, and the Stags need to start pulling away from the lower reaches of the table. Adam Murray made five changes from the side that drew with Cheltenham, three of them enforced. Studer replaced Evtimov in goal, Studer was fit to return after being rested with his leg injury, Evtimov was not allowed to play in the FA Cup. Beevers replaced Freeman at left back, Freeman also was not allowed to play. Taylor came in for Brown, the third loan player not allowed to play. Finally Bingham and Palmer replaced Lambe and Bell. It was a 4-4-2 formation with Bingham in right midfield, and Oliver and Palmer up front. For Cambridge, Ian Miller was back from injury from the side that played ten days ago. Miller was the player who lifted the FA Trophy for Darlington against Mansfield at Wembley. Former Stags loanee Greg Taylor was again at left back. Tom Naylor was on the bench, and came on near the end. FULL REPORT ON WEDNESDAY Man of the match: Rob Taylor ------------------------- FA Cup agony for Stags as deflected goal wins the replay for Cambridge chad.co.uk report by John Lomas It was agony tonight for Mansfield Town as a hugely deflected 10th minute goal by Sullay Kaikai knocked them out of this season’s FA Cup as Cambridge United won the second round replay 1-0 at One Call Stadium. http://www.chad.co.uk/sport/mansfield-town/fa-cup-agony-for-stags-as-deflected-goal-wins-the-replay-for-cambridge-1-7008145 Lady Luck also smiled on Cambridge a second time a minute from the end as a Luke Waterfall equaliser was ruled out for offside. Cambridge now go on to face Luton Town at home in round three with new Stags boss Adam Murray left to reflect on what might have been or should have been, given the number of times a lively Stags managed to get the ball into the United box. After the thrills of the 2-2 draw at the Abbey Stadium, the excitement continued with an end-to-end game that could have ended up 6-6. There was little quality on show but lots of opportunities were wasted as both teams made mistakes. Mansfield’s defending was very nervous and could have proved more costly in the end. But, going forward, with Chris Clements pulling the central midfield strings and Rob Taylor showing how easily he can go past players, Stags always looked a threat at the other end on a horrible, cold, wet night that drew less than 2,000 fans. This is the second year in a row that Stags have drawn an FA Cup second round away tie only to lose the home replay. Murray is still searching for his first win since being appointed manager full time and was angry over his side’s first 45 minutes display. Had Vadaine Oliver taken a great chance after just 35 seconds, Stags might have enjoyed a very different evening. But it wasn’t to be with maybe the highlight for the home side the cameo display of 17-year-old full debutant Dan Fletcher for the final nine minutes. It was all-change again as Murray went 3-4-3, his third different formation since taking over. He was forced into three changes with loanees Keiron Freeman, Junior Brown and Dimitar Evtimov not permitted to play. Also left out were Reggie Lambe and Fergus Bell, both dropped to the bench. In came Sascha Studer, Rakish Bingham, Lee Beevers, Rob Taylor and Ollie Palmer, Bingham and Palmer flanking Oliver up front with Beevers and Taylor wide in a midfield four. Oliver might have given Stags a dream start when Bingham curled in a great cross from the left after just 35 seconds. But Oliver rose from just five yards out to plant his header straight at Dunn. On four minutes Chadwick beat Studer to the ball in the box but had to take it wide to the by-line and Tafazolli headed away his eventual cross with the keeper back in position. That forced the first of two away corners, but Studer was untroubled by either, Champion having a shot blocked from the first. A great through ball from Heslop was only just too hard for the chasing Bingham as Dunn got there first. But disaster struck for Mansfield on 10 minutes as United took the lead through a stroke of fortune. Kaikai’s shot from the edge of the home box took a massive deflection off Waterfall as he tried to close him down and that left Studer wrong-footed and unable to re-adjust himself, the ball trickling over the line with the keeper helpless to get to it. Two minutes later Oliver almost levelled matters, Palmer headed a long Taylor cross back across goal where Oliver then tried to head the ball inside the far post but saw it drift the wrong side of the upright. On 18 minutes Taylor fed the ball to his Bingham to his right, but his low shot lacked venom and was easily held by Dunn. Beevers completely missed a ball he should have cut out which saw Appiah race forwards, the Stags man happy to see Appiah’s low cross miss both team mates who had ran up with him in support, Tafazolli had to go off the field for treatment to a head injury and came back wearing a bandage. Stags withstood another flurry of Cambridge pressure then Bingham wanted too long at the other end when a shooting chance presented itself and Taylor was able to block for a corner. Oliver was then wide with a low, hopeful shot from 25 yards as home frustration grew. Sutton was booked for a foul on Blair on 29 minutes once play had stopped, the referee playing advantage as Blair leapt over Sutton’s lunge. Rob Taylor drew jeers from the away fans for a poor finish well wide as we reached the half-hour mark. Clements’ cutting pass put Palmer into the box only for Miller to slide in and superbly block. Then a mistake by Greg Taylor allowed Palmer to speed away into the box, but his low cross was cut out. Heslop was caught in possession on 38 minutes after holding onto the ball far too long, suddenly United had a man over in the box and worked a series of passes to set up Blair for a low shot that Studer blocked with his legs. On 42 minutes Palmer headed on a long Beevers free kick, but Oliver just couldn’t make contact in the box. Studer had to palm away a corner, then fist away Blair’s ball back into the six yard box. Clements almost levelled in stoppage time as a long Beevers ball in was cleared to him just outside the box. He kept his first time blast down and on target, but it took a deflection and went for a corner. The cold weather took a turn for the worst at the break as rain began to fall to greet the returning sides. Mansfield threatened first as Palmer headed over from a great Taylor cross from the left. Waterfall allowed Kaikai to dispossess him and then get goalside on 51 minutes, his subsequent holding of the Cambridge man earning him a booking. Mores sloppy defending by Stags saw Tafazolli give the ball to Appiah in the box, but then he redeemed himself with a block to concede a corner. Lambe took over from Palmer down the right on 55 minutes. Dunn punched away a Clements corner two minutes later, then Lambe had to get back well as Cambridge threatened a breakaway. A loose pass from Waterfall allowed sub Bird to run forward and let fly from 20 yards on the hour, Studer beating the shot away. On 67 minutes Lambe was narrowly wide of the post after controlling a Clements pass and getting a difficult shot away. Two minutes later Rhead came on to replace Oliver in the home attack. On 78 minutes Beevers became the third home player booked after a foul. Teenager Fletcher came on for his debut with nine minutes to go, replacing Beevers, and caused problems with his first touch in the box as his attempted shot was quickly closed down. Bingham had a shot deflect wide of the post from a Fletcher cross as Stags won their fifth corner of the half. Rhead was too high with a far post header from a long Sutton cross as the home side threw everything at Cambridge. With one minutes to go a Mansfield corner was cleared, but when it was put back into the box, a scramble ensued from which Waterfall found the net with an overhead kick, his joy short-lived as an offside flag ruled his effort out. Fletcher forced another corner in the four minutes of stoppage time from which Waterfall headed over as time finally ran out on Mansfield’s hopes of a cup run. MANSFIELD TOWN: Studer; Sutton, Tafazolli, Waterfall; Beevers, Heslop, Clements, R. Taylor; Bingham, Oliver (Rhead 69), Palmer (Lambe 55). Subs not used: Riley, Bell, McGuire, Bishop. CAMBRIDGE: Dunn, Tait, G. Taylor, Coulson, Miller, Champion, Hughes, Appiah, Chadwick (Naylor 74), Blair (Bird 58), Kaikai (B.J. Taylor 67). Subs not used: Norris, Simpson, Nelson, Atkinson. REFEREE: Carl Boyeson of East Yorkshire. ATTENDANCE: 1,920 (305 away). CHAD STAGS MAN OF THE MATCH: Chris Clements. ---------------- FA Cup: Mansfield Town 0 Cambridge United 1 - match report By CambridgeNews, By Michael Vaughton The Cambridge United bus driver was asked to return to his vehicle over the loudspeaker in added time at the end of last night's game at the One Call Stadium. Read more: http://www.cambridge-news.co.uk/FA-Cup-Mansfield-Town-0-Cambridge-United-1-8211/story-25723302-detail/story.html?#ixzz3MB26afCu But his services will not be required in the third round of the FA Cup as the visitors sealed a home tie against Luton thanks to a 1-0 success in their second round replay against Mansfield. It was a deserved win for the U's, although extra time would have beckoned had a Stags goal at the death not been disallowed. United head coach Richard Money made three changes to his starting line-up following Saturday's 0-0 draw at home to Shrewsbury in Sky Bet League Two. Luke Chadwick, Sullay Kaikai and Matty Blair all came into the side, with Tom Naylor, Robbie Simpson and Ryan Bird moving to the bench. For the Stags, player-manager Adam Murray made a couple of alterations to the team which started the original tie at the R Costings Abbey and ended in a 2-2 draw, with Ollie Palmer and Luke Waterfall both making the 11. The Christmas songs and walk-on music had barely finished when the U's were put under pressure, with the Stags making a lightning start and threatening twice inside the first 35 seconds. Palmer almost burst through the heart of the United defence straight from the kick-off, before Vadaine Oliver got his head on a hanging cross from the left and drew a save from Chris Dunn. Far from being concerned, the visitors got themselves into the contest thanks to a series of nice passing moves, and Chadwick almost found a team-mate with a teasing centre after a defensive mix-up, while Tom Champion had a shot from distance blocked. And, moments after Dunn produced a fine piece of goalkeeping to thwart the onrushing Rakish Bingham from Simon Helsop's delicious pass. United's fluid formation allowed Chadwick to drop deep and pick out Kwesi Appiah with a lofted ball. The striker, whose injury-time goal made it all square in when the sides met at the Abbey, headed it down to the edge of the box and his fellow Crystal Palace loanee Kaikai saw his shot wrong foot goalkeeper Sascha Studer thanks to a wicked deflection off Waterfall to give United a 10th-minute lead. Both sides continued to look threatening going forward, although a better final pass from players on both teams would have carved out decent opportunities for team-mates. Oliver headed a good chance wide for the Stags, but their decisions to send high balls into the box regularly backfired as the commanding Dunn dealt well with them. The U's were playing with a front four at times as they pressed high up the pitch, with Blair, Chadwick, Kaikai and Appiah all forcing the Mansfield defenders to make errors. And Money's men should have doubled their lead six minutes before half time, but Blair's effort was well blocked by a defender after the other three forwards all elected to pass rather than shoot inside the penalty area. Mansfield will have been disappointed not to have netted when the half-time whistle blew and they may well have done had their end product been better, and the U's breathed a sigh of relief just before the interval when Chris Clements' 20-yard shot was deflected inches wide. The home fans began the second half in good voice, but there were soon grumbles as United continued to hound and harry the home defenders and force mistakes. Former Cambridge City centre-back Ryan Tafazolli was guilty of one such howler on the right flank and Appiah almost capitalised, before Champion had a header hacked off the line. Money freshened up his attack on the hour with Bird replacing Blair, and the substitute nearly made an instant impact as Studer was forced into a smart save from his fizzing drive. At the other end, Reggie Lambe, who was also introduced from the bench, had his team's supporters cheering the equaliser, only for them to realise his left-footed shot had hit the side-netting. Not to be outdone, Dan Fletcher also came off the bench and could have been an instant hero for the Stags, but some brilliant defending from U's captain Ian Miller, who was rock solid alongside Josh Coulson, denied him in the area. Even Bird was back putting his body on the line as the U's defended for their lives in the closing stages, although another sigh of relief was breathed two minutes from time when Waterfall's acrobatic goal from close range was ruled out for offside. Mansfield: Studer, Sutton, Tafazolli, Waterfall, Beevers (Fletcher, 81min), Heslop, Clements, Bingham, Taylor, Palmer (Lambe, 55), Oliver (Rhead, 69). Not used: Riley, Bell, McGuire, Bishop. Cambridge United: Dunn 8, Tait 7, Coulson 8, Miller 8, G Taylor 6, Hughes 6, Champion 8, Chadwick 8 (Naylor, 74), Kaikai 8* (B-J Taylor, 67), Blair 7 (Bird, 59), Appiah 8. Not used: Norris, Simpson, Nelson, Atkinson. Booked: Mansfield - Sutton (foul, 30), Waterfall (foul, 51), Beevers (foul, 77); Cambridge United - . Referee: Carl Boyeson. Attendance: 1,920 (away 305). ---------- |
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