Archived News from December 2020
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STAGS DRAW AT GRIMSBY IN POOR GAME
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English Football League - Sky Bet League Two
Grimsby Town 1 - 1 Mansfield Town Jackson 63. Maynard pen 69. Attendance: behind closed doors Date: 12 December 2020 Martin Shaw at Blundell Park Mansfield Town drew 1-1 at Grimsby Town this afternoon in a very poor game that was low on quality and punctuated by far too many unforced errors and terrible crossing. For the Stags, having won 4 away games on the trot in all competitions, coming to a Grimsby side hopelessly out of form, this looked like a real opportunity to pick up valuable points at the bottom of the table. But in the end, after a poor performance, it was important for Mansfield not to lose the game, and they managed to grab a draw thanks to a penalty from Nicky Maynard after 69 minutes, which levelled up the scores after Ira Jackson had put Grimsby ahead 6 minutes earlier. The first half was not a classic, and that’s understating it. Indeed the only time either side came close to scoring was a corner from George Maris which Ryan Sweeney headed down into the ground and it was held by keeper Sam Russell on his line after 35 minutes, while at the other end Farrend Rawson’s excellent tackle denied George Williams in the area as he was about to shoot after 15 minutes. The second half couldn’t be such a non-event and it wasn’t. The Stags nearly took the lead after 52 minutes as Jamie Reid sent George Lapslie away into the area and Lapslie’s shot was deflected by Luke Waterfall into the side netting. Eight minutes later, Ollie Clarke, Mansfield’s best player on the day, surged forward and powered a shot goalwards from 28 yards that the keeper couldn’t hold, it came out to Harry Charsley but Charsley miscued the rebound straight to the keeper. Grimsby took the lead after 63 minutes with their first decent chance of the game. Left back Danny Preston curled a ball down the left wing. Farrend Rawson had a chance to head it away or into touch, but he only succeeded in heading the ball up and falling to the ground. That allowed Elliott Hewitt space to turn away to the edge of the area, left of centre and curl a fine shot low towards the right corner of the net. Marek Stech got down well to save it one-handed at full stretch, but could only parry the ball into the path of Ira Jackson who had the easiest task to knock the ball into the net from 6 yards. Poor defending from Rawson. I wouldn’t attach blame to Stech as it was a good save at full stretch. For Jackson, it was a goal six minutes into his league debut, having just come on as substitute. The Stags brought on Nicky Maynard and Andy Cook up front after 68 minutes and within a minute were back level. Lapslie threaded a fantastic ball forward for Charsley to run onto. Grimsby appealed for offside but Charsley was a yard onside. Charsley took one touch to take the ball around the keeper and was brought down for the clearest of penalties. The keeper was correctly booked. Maynard had not yet touched the ball, but stepped up and buried the penalty into the bottom left corner of the net as the keeper dived the wrong way for a goal with his first touch of the ball. It was Maynard’s 4th goal of the season, taking him level with Charsley and Lapslie as the club’s leading scorer this season. Grimsby could have retaken the lead after 79 minutes when former Stag Luke Waterfall headed down from a corner and Stech did very well to get down and push it away. A free kick from Stephen McLaughlin from 32 yards was into the side netting after 82 minutes. At the other end, Owura Edwards brilliantly turned away from Kellan Gordon and Ollie Clarke and curled a shot just wide of the right post from 20 yards on 90 minutes. Edwards again came close to winning it after 90+3 minutes, when he fired just wide of the right post from 16 yards. Edwards, on loan from Bristol City, was Grimsby’s best player, and he was only on for 37 minutes. There was one final chance for the Stags on 90+4 minutes when Stech’s long ball forward bounced over Hewitt and bounced up nicely for Andy Cook, but just when you fancied Cook to volley at goal from 15 yards, he elected to try to square it to Lapslie and it was cleared for a corner. So a share of the spoils for the sides, and a fair result. The point lifts Mansfield three points outside the relegation zone, with 17 games gone. And it means that the Stags have still lost just one of 11 games in league and cup since Graham Coughlan was sacked. On to Tuesday night and a trip to third-placed Carlisle United (kick-off 7pm, join us on iFollow Stags from 6.50pm). Carlisle have won 7 out of their 8 home league games this season, and will have 2,000 fans backing them. But the Stags have done well recently at high-flying Forest Green and Cambridge, so it’s all to play for. It was a damp, drizzly, dreary day in Cleethorpes. The Stags had won 1-0 on the last two visits here, with goals from Neal Bishop and Krystian Pearce. Mansfield and Grimsby were level on points going into the game, though Grimsby had a game in hand. I had watched Grimsby’s game at home to Newport on Tuesday night on iFollow and they were hopeless, all over the place. Boss Ian Holloway had bemoaned that his side is “too young” and “sadly lacking in experience in vital areas”. He was missing former Stag Matt Green and fellow striker James Hanson through injury. Today Holloway had plenty of experience in his team though: 38 year old Sam Russell in goal (keeping James McKeown out of the side), former Stag Luke Waterfall in defence, Elliott Hewitt (who played 135 games for Notts County) and Danny Rose (who scored against Mansfield more than 10 years ago for Newport in the game where the two sides were managed by David Holdsworth and his twin brother Dean) in midfield, and Kyle Bennett and George Williams up front (both of whom have played against the Stags before for Portsmouth and Forest Green respectively). Holloway had also brought in Filipe Morais yesterday, the 35 year old midfielder who was sent off at the One Call Stadium for Oldham last season as Mansfield won 6-1, and he was to come on as substitute in the second half. Mansfield meanwhile were unchanged from the side that drew with Crawley. There was one change on the bench with Stephen McLaughlin, fresh from signing until the end of the season, back in the 18 after injury, at the expense of Aaron O’Driscoll. FULL REPORT IN THE MATCH CENTRE ----------------------------- Match report supplied by PA Media. https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/55197043 Grimsby Town 1-1 Mansfield Town Jackson Jr (63'minutes) Maynard (69'minutes pen) Grimsby Town halted a run of three consecutive League Two defeats with a draw against fellow strugglers Mansfield Town. Ira Jackson marked his Grimsby debut with the opener shortly after coming off the bench, but experienced striker Nicky Maynard equalised from the penalty spot. Chances were at a premium in the first half at Blundell Park as both sides looked to edge themselves away from the relegation zone. A header from Ryan Sweeney was as close as the visitors came to scoring in the run-up to half-time, while George Williams took aim from distance for the Mariners. Upon the restart, George Lapslie fired one into the side netting and Sam Russell was promptly forced into a sharp double save. At the other end, the opener came when Jackson reacted quickest on the rebound to slot home his first goal for the club. However, the lead lasted just six minutes as Stags substitute Maynard made his mark from the spot after home goalkeeper Russell had brought down Harry Charsley. --------------------- Maynard spot on to secure point at Grimsby Town Grimsby Town 1 Mansfield Town 1 chad.co.uk, Saturday, 12th December 2020 Substitute Nicky Maynard scored with his first touch to rescue a point for Nigel Clough’s in-form Stags at Blundell Park. Maynard’s fourth goal of the season came via a 69th minute penalty after Ian Holloway’s struggling Mariners led through another replacement-Ira Jackson-six minutes earlier. But Clough will be disappointed Town failed to register a fifth successive away day success against opponents with only one win now in nine games.The consolation is an 11-game run with just a solitary defeat. https://www.chad.co.uk/sport/football/maynard-spot-secure-point-grimsby-town-3066071 However, it could have been worse for Mansfield after four quick substitutions from Mariners’ boss, Ian Holloway threatened to turn the contest on its head. It needed a fine save from Marek Stech to deny former Field Mill defender Luke Waterfall a second goal while Owuru Edwards was twice only inches wide. The game certainly burst into life in the closing half hour after a lacklustre previous 60 minutes. The opening half was largely forgettable. Both sides earned a sprinkling of corners but keepers Sam Russell and Stech largely remained untested. George Lapsilie’s header from Mal Benning’s cross and a Ryan Sweeney header via George Maris’s corner only needed marginal intervention by Russell. George Williams’ flashed an ambitious 30-yard free kick wide of the visitors’ goal while Ferrand Rauson made up for a lapse in concentration by whipping the ball off Williams’ toes as the striker shaped to test Stech. Mansfield had an early second half penalty appeal for handball rejected while Lapsilie’s shot was blocked at expense of a corner Town chief Holloway had seen enough. After swopping Williams for Edwards after 53 minutes, three minutes later he introduced a further hat-trick of substitutes, including debutant Filipe Morais, the ex-Chelsea, Bradford and Bolton winger. The changers paid dividends as Town took the lead. Stech could only parry ??’s shot and Jackson had the simplest task of tapping in the rebound from six yards for his first league goal. Clough responded by taking off Jamie Reid and Jordan Bowery, replacing them with Maynard and Andy Cook. So, when Lapsilie played in Charsley and the winger was felled by Russell, Maynard calmly netted the spot kick equaliser. Grimsby went closest to taking all three points as on loan Bristol City youngster Edwards twice curled right foot efforts fractionally wide. Grimsby: Russell, Clifton, Pollock (76 Tilley), Waterfall, Preston , Hewitt, Taylor (56 Morais), Rose, Bennett (53, Edwards), Windsor (56, Jackson), Williams (56 Gibson); substitutes:McKeown, Starbuck. Mansfield: Stech, Gordon, Rauson, Sweeney, Benning, Charsley, Clarke, Lapsilie, Maris (60 McLaughlin), Reid (68 Cook), Bowery (68 Maynard); substitutes (not used): O’Keefe, Monayese, Sinclair, Stone. Referee: Carl Brook ---------------------- Town End Losing Streak By: Rob Sedgwick https://thefishy.co.uk/story.php?id=8503755 GRIMSBY ended their losing streak with a 1-1 draw at home to Mansfield. Substitute Ira Jackson gave Town the lead with his first goal for the club early in the second half, but the lead lasted just six minutes after Sam Russell brought down Harry Charsley and Maynard scored from the spot to level the game. Danny Preston, George Williams and Owen Windsor came into the side in place of Montel Gibson, Owura Edwards and Luke Hendrie. New signing Filipe Morais was had to settle for a place on the bench. Both sides had been struggled to find the net and there was a dearth of opportunities in the early part of the game, and the first chance of note came on the half-hour when a good chance fell to Ryan Sweeney from a corner but his attempt was saved by Russell. Mansfield has another chance after the break when Town gave the ball away in defence but Lapslie's shot took a slight deflection and hit the side netting. Edwards came on after 52 minutes and Town started to look more threatening straight away. But first Mansfield threatened again and Russell made a good save from Clarke, but was fortunate the rebound was fired straight at him and he was able to catch it. A cross from Kellan Gordon soon afterwards was blocked for a Mansfield corner, which was headed out for another one by Waterfall. This time, the referee spotted an infringement as the ball came over from the flag and blew for a Town free kick. Town took the lead with a good move which culminated in a shot by Hewitt which the keeper palmed away into the path of substitute Jackson who had taken a gamble on such an eventuality for a tap-in. It was a poacher's goal, a rarity in Grimsby colours. However with Town buzzing the game soon swung back the visitors way. A long ball from defence saw Harry Charsley race clear and he was brought down by Sam Russell. Russell got a yellow card and Maynard levelled the game from the spot. Clifton was yellow-carded for a foul on Maynard inside the Mansfield half before Town's final substitution saw Tilley replace Pollock in a move which saw Hewitt switch to centre-back. Waterfall then had a great chance from a corner to put Town back in front but his header was well-saved by Stech. Both sides had chances in the closing stages and Edwards twice shot wide with some great trickery to put himself in shooting positions but was let down by his finishing. In the end, both sides were probably happy with a point, with the Mariners hoping for more on Tuesday when they take on bottom club Southend. After the match, the result was overshadowed by news that Town's directors had been entertaining convicted fraudster Alex May at home games, and director John Fenty was later shown to have set up a property company based in Manchester with the former criminal. The club are yet to comment but the story is potentially explosive, and the ramifications could be far-reaching. ---------------------- Match Report: Grimsby Town 1-1 Mansfield Town Mariners forced to settle for draw https://www.grimsby-townfc.co.uk/news/2020/december/match-report-for-grimsby-town-vs-mansfield-town-on-12-dec-20/ Grimsby Town earned a point with a 1-1 draw against Mansfield Town at Blundell Park. After a first half of few genuine chances, substitute Ira Jackson put the Mariners ahead just after the hour. But their lead was to last only six minutes as the visitors hit back through a Nicky Maynard penalty. Town had the better opportunities afterwards as both sides looked to push forward in a bid to snatch all three points but neither could force a winning goal. Three changes were made to the Grimsby starting XI after the defeat by Newport in midweek, while new signing Filipe Morais was handed a place on the bench. Danny Preston, George Williams and Owen Windsor came into the line-up as Montel Gibson, Owura Edwards and the suspended Luke Hendrie made way. Sam Russell continued in goal as James McKeown was again named among the substitutes, with Harry Clifton, Mattie Pollock, Luke Waterfall and Preston forming the defence. Elliott Hewitt, Terry Taylor, Danny Rose and Kyle Bennett were the midfielders, with Williams supporting Windsor in attack. Morais and McKeown were joined on the bench by Joe Starbuck, James Tilley, Edwards, Gibson and Jackson. Mansfield were looking to continue an upturn in form under new manager Nigel Clough which had seen them start to climb the League Two table. They sat level on points with the Mariners at kick-off but a place higher in the table on goal difference. An early shot by Windsor from distance was stopped by Mansfield keeper Marek Stech as Town made a positive start. A low cross from Preston on the left on nine minutes was not dealt with by the away defence but nobody in black and white could capitalise on it. Another Preston cross was turned behind for the game's first corner on 12 minutes but Williams could not connect with Bennett's low delivery and a foul by Clifton then took the pressure off the visitors. Mansfield's first attack of note came soon afterwards and led to a deep cross from the left, which was put out for a corner. George Maris' delivery from the flag was half-cleared and when the ball was worked back to him, his cross went through to Russell. Williams looked to have an opening on 15 minutes but he was stopped by a good challenge inside the penalty area by Farrend Rawson. Preston won a corner on the left three minutes later and after a short delivery from Rose, Bennett's cross was headed wide for a goal kick. A corner then came at the other end when Preston dealt with a cross from the Mansfield left and Maris' ball was headed behind at the near post for another one. This time, Waterfall headed clear. The away side failed to make the most of a great cross-field ball from captain Ollie Clarke to Jordan Bowery as Town got men back. Then, a cross from Mal Benning on the left just before the half-hour was headed down by George Lapslie but it lacked power and Russell gathered the ball. A foul on Rose gave the Mariners a free kick midway inside the Mansfield half on 34 minutes but Williams' long-range shot from it caused no problems for Stech as it sailed off-target. A corner at the other end led to a chance for the away side as Maris' ball was met by Ryan Sweeney but his downward header bounced into the arms of Russell. Another opportunity for Mansfield to put pressure on the Town goal came with a free kick on the right but Maris' delivery was cleared after taking a deflection off the wall. The hosts earned a corner on th right as the game moved into one added minute at the end of the half but Williams' ball was headed clear by Bowery. Town regained possession and got the ball back into the box but Taylor was unable to turn it towards goal. That proved to be the last chance of the first half, with the game remaining goalless at the break. No changes were made before the restart and a foul by Bennett on Lapslie three minutes in earned the midfielder the game's first yellow card. When the free kick came in, there was a penalty appeal from the visitors for a handball but the referee waved the claims away and instead pointed for a corner, which was cleared. Another free kick from the away right was dealt with by Pollock, before a shot from Lapslie was deflected wide for a corner after he had got in between the Town centre-baccks. Edwards replaced Bennett on 52 minutes in the first Grimsby substitution. A cross from Kellan Gordon soon afterwards was blocked for a Mansfield corner, which was headed out for another one by Waterfall. This time, the referee spotted an infringement as the ball came over from the flag and blew for a Town free kick. Jackson, Morais and Gibson were all sent on with 56 minutes on the clock, as Williams, Taylor and Windsor made way. Russell made a good save from a low shot by Clarke on the hour, with the keeper then getting back up to stop the rebound. The visitors were forced into a substitution soon afterwards when Maris went down with an injury. He was replaced by Stephen McLaughlin. The deadlock was finally broken on 63 minutes and it was the Mariners who got the vital opening goal. A shot by Hewitt was parried by Stech and JACKSON was in the right place to tuck the rebound into the net. A free kick from Morais on the right was headed clear, before Nicky Maynard and former Town striker Andy Cook were sent on for Mansfield in place of Bowery and James Reid. And soon afterwards, the visitors were back level when Harry Charsley beat the offside trap to burst into the Town box, where he was brought down by the onrushing Russell. The referee pointed to the penalty spot and after the keeper was booked, MAYNARD found the net to make it 1-1. Clifton was yellow-carded for a foul on Maynard inside the Mansfield half, before Town's final substitution saw Tilley replace Pollock in a move which saw Hewitt switch to centre-back. A good attaccking move from the Mariners led to a corner on the right on 78 minutes. The delivery from the flag was met by Waterfall but his header was well-saved by Stech. A foul by Waterfall on Cook then gave Mansfield a free kick in a dangerous, central position with eight minutes to go. McLaughlin fired wide from it. The away side were starting to get on top as they pressed in searh of a winner, with the clock ticking down. Morais became the latest to be booked after a foul just inside his own half but Mansfield were unable to create any serous problems from the resulting free kick. Lapslie was also shown the yellow card for a foul on Waterfall, before Edwards narrowly missed the target from 20 yards after a run through the middle. Six added minutes was signalled, giving both teams extra opportunity to force a winning goal. Edwards went close again as he sent a low shot just wide of the far post, then a shot at the other end was deflected wide for a corner. Another Mansfield corner in the final minute of the six failed to cause a problem as a foul was spotted by the referee and a free kick was awarded to the Mariners. That proved to be the last chance for either side to grab a winner and both had to be content with a point. Town are next in action on Tuesday, when they travel to bottom-of-the-table Southend United. Town Sam Russell Elliott Hewitt Danny Preston Luke Waterfall (C) Matthew Pollock Danny Rose Harry Clifton Terry Taylor George Williams Kyle Bennett Owen Windsor Substitutes James McKeown Owura Edwards Filipe Morais Joseph Starbuck James Tilley Montel Gibson Ira Jackson Jr Mansfield Town Marek Stech Kellan Gordon Malvind Benning Farrend Rawson Ryan Sweeney Ollie Clarke (C) Harry Charsley George Lapslie George Maris Jordan Bowery Jamie Reid Substitutes Aidan Stone Rollin Menayese Stephen McLaughlin Corey O'Keeffe Andy Cook Nicky Maynard Tyrese Sinclair Referee: Carl Brook --------------------- |
Latest | December 2020