Archived News from January 2017
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GREEN WINNER AS STAGS WIN AT BLACKPOOL
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English Football League - Sky Bet League Two
Blackpool 0 - 1 Mansfield Town Green 29. Attendance: 2948 (471 from Mansfield) Date: 2 January 2017 Martin Shaw at Bloomfield Road New-look Mansfield Town deservedly won 1-0 at Blackpool this afternoon thanks a deflected shot from Matt Green after 29 minutes on his 30th birthday. Green powered forward after a ball forward from Yoann Arquin and his shot from just inside the area took a deflection helping it past the keeper. Mansfield handed debuts to all four new signings, Arquin, Ben Whiteman, Joel Byrom, and Jake Kean, freshening the team up from the draw with Doncaster just 48 hours earlier, and all played a part in this win. The Stags were close to a second goal when Arquin fired over the keeper and agonisingly wide of the right post after a great ball from Whiteman, on 73 minutes. Of the new signings, Byrom showed a lovely left foot with some good delivery from set pieces, and looked a calming influence in the centre of the park, while keeper Kean didn’t have a difficult save to make, but made some fine catches and punches from balls into the box, including one take somewhere near his penalty spot, and he generally looked commanding. Arquin impressed with an assist for the goal and going so close with his shot. He also showed pace and power going forward. Whiteman played on the right wing and after a slow start, showed some good quality. Blackpool rarely looked like equalising until 3 minutes into stoppage time when Mark Cullen fired just wide from inside the area. Plenty of other impressive performances throughout the Stags side too, in fact everyone played well, including Hamilton who made a number of good runs. The unchanged back four was mostly solid, and Lee Collins played well in midfield, helping the defence out when needed. Green’s goal was his 11th league and cup goal of the season and his 79th goal for Mansfield in league games (FL and Conference). He just has Harry Johnson, Ken Wagstaff, Chris Staniforth, Steve Wilkinson and Ted Harston in front of him. Harston and Wilkinson are within sight on 81 and 83 respectively (details http://stagsnet.net/vintage/records/records01.html ">here). I predict he’ll get at least 20 goals for the season with improved service that could be forthcoming from the likes of Byrom and Whiteman. The win leaves Mansfield 8 points behind the play-offs and 9 points above the relegation zone. After the game, boss Steve Evans revealed that he's made two cash offers for players and he's waiting to hear back from those clubs (he noted that the offers are not hundreds of thousands of pounds). He also confirmed that Mansfield had been interested in Northampton midfielder Lawson D'Ath but the deal has fallen through. FULL REPORT IN THE MATCH CENTRE -------------------------------------- Matt Green seals win for Mansfield Town at Blackpool chad.co.uk, by SPORTS REPORTER, Monday 02 January 2017 Mansfield Town made the perfect start to 2017 as they notched their first win in six games. Ironically, the Stags secured their first three-point haul since beating Blackpool back in November. Read more at: http://www.hucknalldispatch.co.uk/sport/football/matt-green-seals-win-for-mansfield-town-at-blackpool-1-8314082 The victory sees Mansfield rise to 16th in the Sky Bet League Two standings. The win was achieved thanks to Matt Green’s first half strike which was enough to see off the play-off chasing hosts. Steve Evans had been busy in the transfer window prior to this fixture and he duly handed debuts to four players. The quartet of Jake Kean, Ben Whiteman, Joel Byrom and Yoann Arquin all made their bows for the club and each one impressed against Gary Bowyer’s side. Byrom was impressing with his set-piece deliveries although he couldn’t quite direct any to get past home stopper Sam Slocombe. Whiteman, on loan from Sheffield United, was in the right place at the right time to clear Kelvin Mellor’s header off the line after 20 minutes. And that near-miss proved costly for the hosts when the Stags took the lead ten minutes later. Matt Green notched his 11th of the season after his shot from the edge of the box took a slight deflection. The goal followed Green’s strike just two days prior, when he scored during the draw against Doncaster. Stags failed to create any real chances until after the re-start. Defender Krystian Pearce nodded over for Town shortly afterwards and then the visitors had to withstand some pressure from Bowyer’s troops. However, when sub striker Jamille Matt did get any change out of the Town back four, retreating defender Kyle Howkins did well to foil his opponent before he could get a shot out of his feet. Mark Cullen almost snatched a share of the spoils late on but after the forward chested the ball down, he smashed it wide and with that confirmed a vital three points for Evans’ troops. ---------------- MATCH REPORT: Blackpool 0-1 Mansfield blackpoolgazette.co.uk by MATT SCRAFTON, Monday 02 January 2017 Blackpool slumped to their second consecutive defeat on home turf with a 1-0 defeat against Mansfield Town. Matt Green's deflected first half effort was enough to secure the three points for Steve Evans' men, who secured the double over the Seasiders. The defeat sees Pool drop down to 10th in the League Two table, with the majority of sides around them winning. Read more at: http://www.blackpoolgazette.co.uk/sport/football/blackpool-fc/match-report-blackpool-0-1-mansfield-1-8314048 The Seasiders made a bright start to the game which was being played on a bitterly cold afternoon at Bloomfield Road. Armand Gnanduillet, making his first start in the league in over two months, posed plenty of problems for the Stags in the early stages with his combative hold-up play. With just six minutes on the clock, Pool won a free kick on the edge of the Mansfield box which Michael Cain fizzed narrowly over the bar. Sam Slocombe could count himself slightly fortunate to escape a booking after Chris Hamilton beat the Blackpool ‘keeper to a ball over the top and found himself being clattered to the ground. The hosts continued to take the game to the Stags and almost took the lead when Kelvin Mellor met Danny Pugh’s in-swinging corner perfectly, but his header was blocked on the line by Ben Whiteman. Steve Evans’ men seemed content to sit back and look for opportunities on the break, but chances were few and far between. Full back Kelvin Mellor dusted himself off after being floored by his teammate Tom Aldred to have a go from range, fizzing a 30-yard effort just wide of the post. But it was the Stags who took the lead against the run of play, but it was a goal that was completely avoidable from Pool’s point of view. Clark Robertson sloppily gave the ball away and Matt Green was there to pounce on his mistake, hitting a shot that was deflected off Danny Pugh and beyond Slocombe. It was nothing more than a hopeful shot from the edge of the box which happened to wrongfoot the Pool ‘keeper at his near post. The goal gave Mansfield confidence and they went close to doubling their lead with two shots from distance, with Malvind Benning and Chris Hamilton stinging Slocombe’s palms. The Seasiders battled to get back on level terms before the half-time break but they struggled to create any opportunities of note, although Gnanduillet flashed a header wide of goal from eight yards out after Brad Potts had swung a cross into the box. The Stags began the second half in confident mood and seemed first to every loose ball. Defender Krystian Pearce had the first chance of the half, heading over the bar after being left unmarked inside the Pool box. Gary Bowyer’s men just weren’t at it in the opening stages of the second period and the Pool boss hauled off the ineffective Danny Philliskirk and Armand Gnanduillet with Bright Osayi-Samuel and Jamille Matt. The changes saw the Seasiders up the tempo and all of a sudden, they began to win those second balls. Osayi-Samuel made an instant impact and looked to take on the Mansfield defence, who up to that point had been given an easy afternoon. Pool’s revival was short lived, however, as a well-drilled Mansfield side left the home side resorting to hopeful crosses into the box, which were easily cleared. The visitors were more than content with their slender 1-0 lead and began to slow the clock down from the hour mark onwards. Matt’s first action of the game saw him attempt an ambitious overhead kick after the ball had dropped for him inside the Mansfield box, but it fell harmlessly into Kean’s hands. Matt then found himself one-on-one with Stags defender Kyle Howkins as he bore down on goal, only to be outmuscled to the ground. The Pool fans were up in arms appealing for a foul on the edge of the box, which would have surely seen Howkins sent off as last man, but the referee let play continue. Mansfield then raced down the other end of the pitch and almost doubled their lead, with Matt Green going close to a second with a looping volley that just dropped wide of Slocombe’s far post. The home huffed and puffed in the final stages but never looked like making a meaningful dent in the Mansfield defence. With just three minutes left on the clock, the Pool fans were desperately appealing for another penalty as substitute Mark Cullen went down in the box - but again nothing was given. Pool thought they had that all-important equaliser in the second minute of injury time, only for Mark Cullen's close-range volley to drop the wrong side of the Mansfield goal. With the gilt-edged chance going begging, the Stags managed to hold on for all three points. Blackpool: Slocombe, Mellor, Aldred, Robertson, Taylor, Potts, Pugh, Cain, Philliskirk (Osayi-Samuel), Vassell (Cullen), Gnanduillet (Matt) Subs not used: Lyness, Aimson, McAlister, Payne Mansfield: Kean, Bennett, Howkins, Pearce, Benning, Collins, Byrom (McGuire), Whiteman, Hamilton, Arquin (Rose), Green (Baxendale) Subs not used: Shearer, Hoban, Clements, Hurst Referee: Robert Jones Attendance: 2,948 -------------- Blackpool 0 - 1 Mansfield blackpoolfc.co.uk Sky Bet League Two Venue: Bloomfield Road Attendance: 2,948 Referee: Rob Jones Match Stats Blackpool 0 - 1 Mansfield Possession: 49% 51% Shots on target: 1 3 Shots off target: 8 5 Corners: 1 2 Offsides: 3 5 Fouls: 9 18 Yellow Card: 0 2 Red Card: 0 0 Scorers Blackpool: Mansfield: Matt Green (29) Cards Blackpool: Mansfield: Joel Byrom (64) CJ Hamilton (83) Blackpool suffered a narrow 1-0 home defeat to Mansfield Town in their first game of 2017. The hosts went behind after 30 minutes after Matt Green ran free and saw his effort deflect home. Kelvin Mellor went closest for The Seasiders as he had a clear header cleared off the line in the first-half. Read more at http://www.blackpoolfc.co.uk/fixtures-results/match-report/index.aspx?matchid=3926217&tcmuri=3154437#HvEHjOt9KtYBCKrw.99 Substitute Mark Cullen almost scored a dramatic late equaliser in injury time, but could only fire wide of the goal. Blackpool’s first game of the 2017 was a little slow to settle, with both side’s midfield exchanging early possession. The first real effort on goal was from Pool’s Michael Cain, who was replacing Jack Payne and struck a free-kick just over the Mansfield crossbar after Brad Potts was brought down. Five minutes later, Chris Hamilton gave the Blackpool defence a scare as he was brought down by an outrushing Sam Slocombe. Fortunately for The Seasiders, the free-kick did little to worry Blackpool any further. Gary Bowyer’s men then had their first effort on target, and he would have been disappointed not to have seen it in the back of the net. Right-back Mellor found himself with yards of space from a set-piece, but had his header was cleared off the line. Mellor again was looking for the breakthrough on 28 minutes, this time fizzing the ball just wide of Jake Kean’s goal from just over 20 yards out. Steve Evans’ side made it 1-0 just after half-hour mark on the clock through Green. Robertson was caught on the ball in the middle of the field and left the striker to run through at goal. A backtracking Danny Pugh did his best to block the effort, but could only divert it past Slocombe to put The Stags a goal ahead. Half-time score: Blackpool 0 Mansfield Town 1 After the break, Bowyer made two changes to get Pool back into the game. Bright Osayi-Samuel and Jamille Matt replaced Armand Gnanduillet and Danny Philliskirk as Blackpool began to push for an equaliser. Andy Taylor went closest early in the second 45, seeing his free-kick punched way by Kean. Matt tried the spectacular with an overhead kick shortly after, but again the Mansfield goalkeeper comfortably saved. The substitutes continued to pressure the opposition. Blackpool’s powerful striker raced clear towards the goal, but had his protests waved away by referee Robert Jones after he looked to have been brought down by Kyle Howkins. Cullen was brought on to replace Kyle Vassell late on and saw a referee decision of his own turned away, this time after Cullen went down inside the penalty area. Again, the referee was not entertaining the appeals from the Seasiders. In the last attack of the game Cullen was inches away from earning a point for Pool, but saw his volleyed effort go agonisingly wide as Blackpool failed to find a late equaliser. Full-time result: Blackpool 0 Mansfield Town 1 --------------- |
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