AFC Mansfield 4 v Ollerton Town 3 - CMFL North, Floodlit Cup

Wednesday 28th November 2012, at Forest Town Stadium
Central Midlands League (North) Floodlit Cup
AFC Mansfield  (1) 4
Kieren Watson 31, 62, Danny Naylor 53, Dean Rick 70
Ollerton Town  (1) 3
Sam Holmes 37, 58 (pen), James Munson 76
Admission £3, Programme £1.50, Attendance 140
Team line ups courtesy of Peter Craggs, ta Petcra ;-)

AFC Mansfield:
Ed Eley, Mark Carter, Joe Meehan, Matt Draper, Liam Pride, Danny Naylor, Jason Edwards, Phil Buxton, Dean Rick, Carl Haslam, Kieren Watson
Subs - Gary Armstrong, Danny Tighe, Danny McClane, Mark Stainforth, Steve McGurk
Ollerton Town:
Lewis Sprigg, Ben Bowring, Ricky Starbuck, Craig Cantrell, Lee Bowler, Nathan Brown, Lee Easom, Sam Holmes, James McCann, James Munson, Gavin Jackson
Subs - Kyle Clarkson, Dean Hankey, Lewis English, Kyle Hickinbottom

Ollerton had the best of the early exchanges, seeing a lot of the ball without actually troubling the Bulls keeper Ed Eley too much.
But it was the home who side created the better clear cut chances chances, with Jason Edwards crashing the ball against the cross bar and Carl Haslam forcing a point blank save out of Lewis Sprigg from close range.
Keiren Watson opened the scoring for Mansfield on 31 minutes, when he got on the end of a left wing cross from Dean Rick, as the CMFL champions elect began to get more into the game.
However 6 minutes later, Ollerton won a corner out on the left flank and from the flag kick their captain Sam Holmes nodded the ball home, from inside a packed goalmouth, to equalise for the visitors.
Right at the end of the first half, Carl Haslam broke into the Ollerton box and was just about to run the ball into the goal, when Nathan Brown made a timely interception and cleared the ball off the line and hooked it away to safety.
I guess it doesn't matter what part of your body you initially use the stop the ball if the referee doesn't spot it ;-)
HT - AFC Mansfield 1 v Ollerton Town1

The second half was 8 minutes old, when Danny Naylor thumped the ball home from just inside the right hand side of the Ollerton box after Keiren Watson had picked him out with a long cross. 2-1.
Bur the visitors pulled level again on 58 minutes when Sam Holmes scored his second of the night, from the penalty spot.
A few eyebrows were raised when referee Liam Snodden blew for a a penalty, after James McCann had gone to ground while running in on goal, after the very slightest of nudges from Danny Naylor, who was behind him in pursuit.
It was a soft one to concede ... and I'm sure James McCann himself would concede that it was a soft one to be awarded too.
But the Bulls were ahead again on 62 minutes, when Keiren Watson smashed the ball past Lewis Sprigg, with an unstoppable shot, from virtually the same place that Danny Naylor had scored from.

 

And on 70 minutes, Dean Rick belted home a fourth goal from the home side to give them a two goal cushion for the first time tonight, with yet another quality strike and contender for goal of the game.
I've seen several sides crumble against AFC Mansfield this season once the goals have started racking up, but Ollerton kept plugging away and James Munson knock the ball home from 12 yards out after 76 minutes, to set up a grandstand finish.
In the last minute, with Ollerton committed to attack, Dean Rick took advantage of the space in their rearguard by spreading a long pass across the area to Keiren Watson from out on the right wing. Lewis Sprigg parried Watson's shot, but Carl Haslam couldn't quite get a decisive touch onto the loose ball and Sprigg cleared the danger.
A good game all in all, very competitive (9 yellow cards in total), punctuated by some top class finishing.
But, by heck, it was bloody cold!