Archived News from April 2019
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FLITCROFT, BISHOP, WILD REACTION
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Draw would be ‘just’ result - manager mansfieldtown.net, 22 April 2019 Stags’ boss David Flitcroft has said that Mansfield’s ‘committed performance’ was worthy of earning a point against Oldham, following Danny Rose seeing his stoppage time goal ruled out for offside. In a captivating contest at Boundary Park, the Stags showed heart to fight back in the game, courtesy of second-half strikes by Tyler Walker and Neal Bishop. With the last kick of the game, Rose fired home after Jacob Mellis’ effort rebounded off the post, yet celebrations were cut short due to the raising of the offside flag. The manager says that if the goal had stood, it would have made a ‘good end to the game’ for the 1,334 Mansfield fans in attendance. “I’ve seen it [Rose goal] again and you can see quite clearly [that it’s onside],” said the boss. https://www.mansfieldtown.net/news/2019/april/gaffer-post-oldham/ “Mells [Jacob Mellis] has hit the post and Danny has reacted. He’s onside at that point. He [official] is not in line with it. You want someone to just get that decision right at the end. “I think 3-3 would have been a just result from what we’ve seen today after a real committed performance by two teams. “It was heated at times, but passionate and committed. We tried to fight back and I thought we did that. “To try and get that equalising goal with the fans right behind it, it would have been a good end to the game. But it’s been chalked off by a decision that’s wrong.” The Stags’ chief was glad to see his side improve in the second-half, after an ‘anxious’ opening period. “We opened ourselves up. It’s not like us to open ourselves up, and there could have been more goals for Oldham,” he added. “There could have been more goals for us. In the first-half, we were a little anxious. We were just snatching at things and not missing the front man with our crosses. “You look at Tyler’s finish in the second-half, it’s absolutely clinical. But in the first-half we were snatching and it looked a bit edgy. “In the second-half it turned into a basketball game that ebbed and flowed. All credit to Oldham, who have committed to this football match.” The manager quickly turned his attention to the final home match of the season, against Stevenage on Saturday 27 April. David Flitcroft says that the Stags will continue to fight for a top-three finish ‘one game at a time.’ “I didn’t say too much [to the players] afterwards, because emotions can run high after the game. We’ll break it down and watch it again. “We’ll make sure that we get them right for the Stevenage game, the next thing we can affect as a group. “We’ll be working really hard on that. We’ll take it one game at a time, and that’s all you can do when you have an afternoon like we’ve had. “There is only Lincoln who have really taken it out of everyone’s hands by being consistent. We’ve got to a point where we’re right in the mix. “Our destiny is in our own hands. We’ve been consistent this season, but we’ve probably needed more away wins and performances, and we’ve not got them. “We’re in [the top three] and fighting, as you’ve seen today. We have to steer the ship, and get it back steady again.” iFollow Stags subscribers can watch the manager’s interview in full by logging into mansfieldtown.net/ifollow later today. ---------------- Boss David Flitcroft fumes at linesman after Mansfield Town are denied vital equaliser at Oldham Athletic chad.co.uk, by TIM MORRISS, Monday 22 April 2019 Danny Rose thought he had levelled at 3-3 to earn a precious point that would have been enough to take the Stags into second place in the race for automatic promotion. Rose reacted first to turn in the rebound after Jacob Mellis hit the post. But the Stags’ celebrations were cut short by the linesman’s offside flag. Flitcroft said: “Luckily I have seen it again. You get that opportunity to have a look at it and you can see quite clearly. https://www.chad.co.uk/sport/football/boss-david-flitcroft-fumes-at-linesman-after-mansfield-town-are-denied-vital-equaliser-at-oldham-athletic-1-9726152 “As I was coming off the pitch I waved up to Lee Hendrie, who was doing the commentary, and he had a great view. They can see it again and he (the linesman) has just guessed at it. “I thought at the time he had guessed. As soon as it has come off the post Danny has reacted and he is onside at that point. He is not in line with it. “You want someone to get that decision right and 3-3 would have been a just result from a committed performance from two teams who didn’t want to let up. It was heated, passionate and commited. We tried to fightback and I thought we had done it. “It would have probably been a good end to the game but it was chalked off by a decision that was wrong.” Tyler Walker had given the Stags’ hope with a goal on the hour after they trailed to strikes from Gevaro Nepomuceno and Mohamed Maouche. Nepomuceno struck again in the 67th minute before Neale Bishop set up a tense finish with a goal 14 minutes from time. ------------------ Mansfield Town not focusing on MK Dons showdown - just yet chad.co.uk, by TIM MORRISS, Monday 22 April 2019 Mansfield Town will not get ahead of themselves and look towards the last match of the season at promotion rivals MK Dons - just yet, Instead, manager David Flitcroft insisted they would take the battle for automatic promotion one game at a time - and that means Saturday's penultimate match of the league season when Stevenage visit One Call Stadium. Flitcroft, speaking after the disappointment of the 3-2 defeat at Oldham Athletic on Easter Monday that left the Stags third, said: "I didn’t say too much [to the players] afterwards because emotions can run high after a game. We’ll break it down and watch it again. https://www.chad.co.uk/sport/football/mansfield-town-not-focusing-on-mk-dons-showdown-just-yet-1-9726178 “We’ll make sure that we get them right for the Stevenage game, the next thing we can affect as a group. “We’ll be working really hard on that. We’ll take it one game at a time, and that’s all you can do when you have an afternoon like we’ve had. “There is only Lincoln who have really taken it out of everyone’s hands by being consistent. We’ve got to a point where we’re right in the mix. “Our destiny is in our own hands. We’ve been consistent this season, but we’ve probably needed more away wins and performances, and we’ve not got them. “We’re in [the top three] and fighting, as you’ve seen today. We have to steer the ship, and get it back steady again.” ------------------ It's in our hands - Bishop mansfieldtown.net, 22 April 2019 Midfielder Neal Bishop has hailed Mansfield Town’s Sky Bet League Two finale as an opportunity to ‘relish’ despite falling to a battling 3-2 defeat at Oldham Athletic. The Stags were beaten at Boundary Park but were left aggrieved when Danny Rose’s last-minute equaliser was ruled out for offside. The result leaves Mansfield in third position in the league standings with two fixtures remaining to secure promotion. And Bishop has marked Mansfield’s last two matches as something to enjoy with destiny still firmly in their own hands. “It’s in our hands with two to play - it’s something to relish and enjoy,” the 37-year-old began. https://www.mansfieldtown.net/news/2019/april/bishop-post-oldham/ “It is probably guaranteed to go down to the wire but it was probably destined to when were looking at this fixture 15, 20 games out but it is. “Do you want to be sat mid-table with nothing to play for? Where do you want to be? There’s only two teams in this division that’s swapped places with us out of 24 so that’s not a bad season for us." The former Scunthorpe man scored Mansfield’s second goal of the afternoon in a bid to spark a second-half comeback. However, Bishop stated that his well-taken strike counts for nothing with focus now set on filtering any frustration in time for the Stags’ next league match at home to Stevenage. “It counts for nothing. It’ll all quickly be forgotten about. “The main thing is getting the frustration out of our system with a quick turnaround before our next game. “We have to get it out of our system quickly because we’re still in the top three - destiny is still in our own hands. “There’s probably only two teams who have swapped places with us, and that’s Bury and Lincoln, so you’ve got to get the frustration out the minute we leave the stadium and focus on Saturday. “We still know if we win our last two games we’ll be promoted.” Despite the loss, Mansfield’s second goalscorer remained positive following a spirited display against the Latics. “We can’t be too disappointed we have to look at the bigger picture,” Bishop continued. “It was frenetic. It was hectic. I think they [Oldham] need to win all of their remaining games and it showed with the second half being more like a basketball game. “It was end to end, there were chances, there were balls flying across the box and if we’re being honest that’s not us at our best. “We’re at our best when we’re controlling games and dominating. We didn’t do that, but not for lack of trying, because we’ve had a right good go. “There is stuff we need to improve on but we’ve been fairly relentless all season and if we can bring our A-game Saturday it should be a positive result.” iFollow Stags subscribers can watch Bishop's interview in full by logging into mansfieldtown.net/ifollow later today. ------------------- Neal Bishop remains positive over Mansfield Town's automatic promotion hopes chad.co.uk, by TIM MORRISS, Monday 22 April 2019 Mansfield Town midfielder Neal Bishop remained positive after the Stags’ hopes of automatic promotion were hit by a 3-2 loss at Oldham Athletic on Easter Monday. The Stags, who had a last-minute equaliser by Danny Rose wrongly ruled out for offside, remain in the automatic promotion places with a potential winner-takes-all clash at MK Dons on the last day of the season after next Saturday’s home match against Stevenage. Bishop, who scored a late second goal to give the Stags hope, said: "It’s in our hands with two to play - it’s something to relish and enjoy. It's not all about MK Dons showdown - yet "It is probably guaranteed to go down to the wire but it was probably destined to when were looking at this fixture 15, 20 games out. https://www.chad.co.uk/sport/football/neal-bishop-remains-positive-over-mansfield-town-s-automatic-promotion-hopes-1-9726199 "Do you want to be sat mid-table with nothing to play for? Where do you want to be? There’s only two teams in this division that would swap places with us out of 24 so that’s not a bad season for us." Bishop admitted the Stags were not at their best in the first half as Oldham took a half-time 1-0 lead. After the home side made it 2-0, Tyler Walker gave the Stags hope and then as the visitors again trailed by two goals, Bishop fired in a second. But he added: "It counts for nothing. It’ll all quickly be forgotten. The main thing is getting the frustration out of our system with a quick turnaround before our next game. “We have to get it out of our system quickly because we’re still in the top three - destiny is still in our own hands. “We know if we win our last two games we’ll be promoted.” ------------ Wild: "Our Season Continues" https://www.oldhamathletic.co.uk/news/2019/april/23042019-wild-mansfield-h-transcript/ Head Coach Pete Wild was extremely proud of his side's performance during the dramatic Easter Monday fixture. An important game for both sides there was an added edge with the fixture being shown live on Sky Sports and Wild used that to his advantage before kick-off. "I said to the players there is only one reason why Sky were still here and it wasn't for us. "They came to see Mansfield's promotion party, so let's go and prove a point on the telly and show what good players and what good lads they are and I thought you saw that in abundance." Scoring first again, Latics took the lead through Gevaro Nepomuceno before Mohamed Maouche doubled in the second-half. What followed was an exciting fixture that didn't disappoint, with Nepomuceno getting his second with the Stags pulling a goal back at 2-0 and 3-1 to keep the tension high. Recapping the afternoon, Wild said; "I thought it might have been a basketball game too early. It was just end-to-end stuff, Langy puts that in and it kills the game but even when they went a little bit more direct, a little bit longer I never felt like... "Let's be honest it would've been a travesty if we lost the game, absolute travesty because we were the dominant team throughout the game." He added: "But you've got to take your chances. I believe it was onside their last goal, but it's about time we got a bit of luck as well. "Danny Rose when he came on, he was more a threat in behind and they changed their shape to a 4-3-3 that caused us a lot more problems. "They're the best team in the league in my opinion and they've got so much threat and so much force going forward. So you've got to withstand that and I thought you saw that from a really good Oldham Athletic side." Following a goalless draw down at Cheltenham days early, Wild always sets his team up to win and understands that tactics need to be changed depending on the opponent. "I was disappointed with the fans giving us stick actually about the fact that the we were too negative at Cheltenham. We did everything to try and win the game, we just couldn't score. "So I think we backed that up against Mansfield and we'd done that really well and scored some really good goals and could've had more. "My teams aren't negative, my teams are a positive and if we don't score it's not for the lack of trying. What you saw was one of my teams." The focus as always is on the next opponent and it's a long journey to Exeter, a side who currently sit in the last remaining play-off spot that is highly sought after by a number of teams. "It's a really big week. It reminds me of 92-93 and the great escape when we had to win three in a week. "But at least our season continues now. We go to Exeter, where they've recently drawn, so they're in a nervy state of affairs. "Mansfield were pretty nervy in the first-half, so we've got nothing to lose now. We can just go and express ourselves and if we're good enough we'll come away with a result." With a side giving their all on Easter Monday it's a case of continue to work hard for the cause. "The boys are goosed if I'm honest. They should be really proud of their efforts though. "I say every week if you run as hard as you can, tackle, head and you play how you should do the fans will go home happy whether you win or lose. "For me I can go home now and sit on the sofa and go 'you know what, they've give us everything they got". With only three games left, it's a simple solution but hard task that three victories will see an extension to the season, so the support is needed more than ever. "I encourage you to try and get down for the last week and see if we can finish the season well. "So if you're not doing anything in the next week get yourself to Exeter, Newport and then Northampton here." --------------------- Nepomuceno Delighted With Mansfield Town Result https://www.oldhamathletic.co.uk/news/2019/april/23042019-nepomuceno-post-mansfield/ Gevaro Nepomuceno was a happy man after his two goals helped Oldham Athletic to a 3-2 win over Mansfield Town yesterday. Mohamed Maouche grabbed the other goal for Latics, but Nepomuceno was the match winner on the day, and he believes the result sent out a message to the rest of the division. “We worked really hard to show everyone what we could do.” He said. “It was a great performance from the team and to get the three points is always good.” Latics have an impressive home record under Head Coach Pete Wild with some big scalps on the record. Tranmere Rovers fell victim a few weeks ago and yesterday saw Mansfield lose at Boundary Park with Nepomuceno saying it wasn’t a fluke result. “I've said before that we're able to beat anyone in this division, sometimes we've been unlucky, but most the teams above us we've beat.” He commented. “I'm just happy to get another three points and hopefully we can keep on going.” Despite scoring two goals, the Curacao winger says that all credit should go to his teammates, especially Maouche for the opening strike. However, he did admit that the second goal was one of his best as well as his performance as a whole. “It was an amazing pass from Mo (Moauche), I give all the credit to him. “Of course, as a player you're happy to score two goals, but I have to give the credit to my teammates because it's them to create these chances for me. “It was a good strike (second goal), I didn't think too much, I just controlled it and I saw my opening, so I just put it there. “Every player wants to get better and better and for me it was probably one of my best performances for the club. “I'm happy, but it's not over, we need to keep going to try and win games and see where it can take us at the end of the season.” The win yesterday sets up an interesting fixture with Exeter City on Saturday as it will be make or break for Latics’ playoff credentials. Nepomuceno has always stated that he believes this squad should be in that top seven, so he see’s no reason why the club cannot achieve that goal come the end of the season. “I've always said I believe in my teammates and the club, so I think we can get ourselves in the playoff places. “You've seen what we are able to do, other teams face us, and we've shown that we can compete with anyone, so maybe we can get into that top seven.” ---------------- |
Latest | April 2019