Saturday 10 September 2011

Mansfield Town 5 v Newport County 0 - BSBP

Saturday 10th September 2011, at Field Mill
Blue Square Bet Premier
Mansfield Town (2) 5
Matt Green 11, Louis Briscoe 33, 72, Ross Dyer 55, Luke O'Neill 75
Newport County (0) 0
Admision £15, Programme £3,
Attendance 2324 (121 from Newport)
Pre match handshake ...
with the Stags U19's looking on in their smart club tracksuits

Mansfield Town: Marriott, O'Neill, Sutton, Futcher, Kendrick, Meikle (Smith 76), Howell (Worthington 80), Murray, Briscoe, Dyer (Connor 83), Green. Subs Not Used: Redmond, Naylor.
Newport County: Thompson, Robson, Warren, Yakubu, Baker, Rodgers (Jardim 68), Doherty, Miller, Rose, Buchanan (Jarvis 58), McAllister. Subs Not Used: Harrison, Hughes, Hatswell.
An interesting addition to the Stags pre match routine this season, is the warm up with Andy Todd in a corner of the pitch, straight after the communal handshaking formalities are out of the way.
If you think about this, substitutes get a quick exercise and stretching session immediately before they enter the fray, so it makes perfect sense for players who have been limbering up in the build up to a game, but who've since been back into the dressing rooms for a sit down and team talk since then; to have a quick burst of stretching and exertion immediately before kick off to optimise the benefits of getting the lungs working and the blood pumping.
It's not rocket science really is it?
It certainly seems to be giving the Stags an edge over the opposition right from the word go these days.
And let's face it, this new discipline, is far less cringe-worthy than getting in a huddle and shouting vulgarities at each other.

3pm and Newport savour possession of the ball ... while they still have it

Newport County got spanked by a rampant Stags side in this evening's 5.15PM kick off at Field Mill.
I could just leave the match report there ... it really doesn't need all the details filling in, because in a nutshell, that is exactly how it was.
Newport never got a look in, Mansfield dismantled them ... end of.
Paul Cox says there is still room for improvement, what a mouth watering prospect that is ... because by the time this one sided thrashing had ended, I reckon I'd just witnessed the Stags most comprehensive and thorough beating of any opposition side for many a year.
They are looking formidable in all departments at the moment.
"We want Cox in!
Say, we want Cox in!"
In a purely heterosexual and word play with the Stags manager's name style ... you understand my little cherubs!!!
Wave if your picture is on a self indulgent bullshit blog

En route to the West Notts centre for footballing entertainment excellence (it isn't called that on Google maps, you'll need Field Mill, Quarry Lane, Mansfield NG18 5DA to find it with your sat nav) I saw snippets of three different games ... firstly I pulled over and watched ten minutes of Sandhurst's 3-2 win over Kimberley Miners Welfare in the Nottinghamshire Senior League (Senior Division), they play on Forest Lane in Walesby (NG22 9PF), which is only ten minutes drive from my current home address.
Then I turned right at the Carpenters Arms and went the back way through Boughton and Ollerton, where I saw an ickle bit of Ollerton Town's 3-2 FA Vase victory (after extra time) against South Normanton Athletic.
Plus, a couple of miles further along the road, I caught a fleeting glance at Clipstone Welfare's game (they beat Hutton Cranswick United 3-2 in the CMFL North) as I zoomed passed their Lido Ground en route to my final destination for the afternoon.
There are those of dubious character in my parish, who would claim to have seen four games in one day under such circumstances, but my name isn't Terry and I'm not a Tottenham supporting Sporting Life reader, so I personally only saw one game today ... Mansfield Town v Newport County.
If the Stags v Exiles game had kicked off at 5.30 instead of 5.15, then I would've watched one of the three tantalising selections mentioned above in its entirety, but I didn't want to pay a fiver to park at Field Mill and all the premium free parking would've been taken if I'd left it until the last minute to arrive.
Sutton Town AFC 2 v Nottingham United 0, was logistically convenient and presented me with a solution to my 'need' for a two games in one day fix, but I noticed just before I left home that they had the same ref that Shirebrook Town v Gresley FC were lumbered with on Wednesday night, so I gave that one a miss ... I'm sure any Shirebrook Town fan could understand the logic behind my decision.
"It's nice to know you're here, it's nice to know you're here!"

By way of a two pronged defence, for your benefit and to spare you from my usual illiterate, long winded and self indulgent spiel, my dear, loyal and dependable reader (if I you are still out there) ... and to prevent myself from soiling my diamanté encrusted posing pouch, whilst gushing out climatic streams of superlative strewn aural excitement stains all over this post, about how f***ing brilliant, unstoppable and downright sexy Mansfield Town were tonight, I'm going to link you to the report on the official Stags site instead:
http://www.mansfieldtown.net/page/MatchReport/0,,10325,00.html
You won't believe me about how good the Stags were, but the writer of the official report is a paragon of honesty and virtue ... and a mighty fine writer too.
Andrew is studying to become a Sports Journalist at Huddersfield Uni.
There is a link to his blog 'Sport matters' in the margin on the right of this page.
I've met him a couple of times, at Field Mill and also at Westfield Lane the home of Ev0-Stik Premier League prospects, Frickley Athletic, so he's evidently already visiting all the best arenas early in his career.
I didn't ask Andrew Webb's permission to reproduce his match overview and analysis, but it's like this pal ... any objections and I'll nick your camera battery next time I see you in South Elmsall (Tuesday this week maybe?).
And if you think we were good enough the first half ...
B,b,b,b,baby you ain't seen nothing yet!

During the half time break my mate Stuart who does such a good job of running the Noth Notts England Supporters coaches from Retford and Worksop (watch this blog for details of future trips), texted me to see if I fancied going to Mickleover Sports with him on Wednesday night ... I'm not sure who they are playing against yet, so I will have to get back to him on that one.
After the game, while I was wading back through big puddles on the way back to my car ... the downpour that hit Mansfield 85 minutes into the game had drain covers popping up in the industrial estate off Quarry Lane where I abandoned the Xsara (and you suckers can't prove otherwise!) ... my mate chirped up, "That's our first 5-0 win, since we beat Worksop at Ilkeston's ground that night".
Hmm, I pondered the events surrounding 'that night', the first ever competitive fixture in my lifetime between Mansfield and Worksop that was ... and I missed it!
Why? Well, it was due to the elements conspiring against me and certain people who are unable to organise a drinking event in an establishment that produces intoxicating beer, being given the simple task of staging a game of football.
OK, the despicable former Stags owner, Nottinghamshire Police and the weather intervened too, but I know who I'm blaming.
And so are a good few other people who's employers wouldn't grant a third change of annual leave to attend a game of football in the space of four days, who missed the game too.
Down came the rain and washed poor Incy out

But let's not dwell on that farce ...the night is still young and though I'm soaked to the bloody skin (the diamanté encrustations will be decimated in the tumble dryer presently) and it's quite chilly for the time of year, inside I'm all aglow ... from watching a Mansfield Town side who look capable of having a good season ... it's been a long time since I felt so optimistic about the Stags.
Though experience has taught me to beware of false dawns and getting my hopes up too much, four wins in a row, all with clean sheets, for the first time in 14 years, is enough to make the most bitter and pragmatic old cynic in the world (that's me in case you were wondering) drop his guard, just a fraction and start believing again.
It's time to afford myself a little bit of a post match celebration ... though my definition of the word little might just contradict yours.
Elsewhere, Gainsborough Trinity's season has finally kick started after an initial delay when they needed to get rid of a 'Little' problem that was holding them back. Worksop Town lost 3-0 at home to Chester FC ... the Tigers seem to be attempting to rip it up and start again after 9 games have already been played. Very strange!
I can't really comment on the way things are going at the WFSS (Sandy Lane), because I've only seen them play a handful of pre season games this time around, but they're just one point off the foot of the table with a goal difference of minus 12 at present, so that record kind of speaks for itself.
Be honest. You'd miss it if I ever went to Field Mill
and didn't take a picture of this sign ... wouldn't you?

Not much of an homecoming for the long suffering Worksop Town fan base is it!?
I genuinely hope they turn the corner for the sake of some really good friends I've got there.
If however, certain other people I'm not very fond of are suffering as a consequence of their plight ... hmm, I'll bite my tongue for now ... but not indefinitely.
Retford United drew 3-3 with Arnold Town in the FA Vase and go to Eagle Valley for a replay on Tuesday, Frickley Athletic lost narrowly by two goals to one at Chasetown and their midweek home game v Stocksbridge Park Steels is now already a 'six pointer', Go Team Rinky!!! ... and Hearts held on to draw 1-1 at Inverness Caley Thistle ... I'm really glad I didn't make the trip all the way up there, like I have in previous seasons.
In fact, unless the government half the price of diesel any time soon, I probably won't get to see another SPL fixture until sometime in the new year, not that I'm missing much at present by all accounts.
Next up ... Monday night, Under 19's action 'oop north.