Football League Youth Alliance
at Kirklington Road, Rainworth MWFC
Mansfield Town (0) 0
Burton Albion (0) 1
Ben Fox 82
Click HERE for a few more pictures from this game
Adam Bishop, Teddy Bloor, Louis Danquah, Charlie Shaw (Kane Baldwin 72), Morgan Ratcliffe, Keiran Harrison, Tyler Johal (Surafel Behailu 82), Cameron Healey, Devante Reittie, Zayn Hakeem, Tom Marriott (Nyle Blake 65)
Burton Albion:
Lewis Walker, Mike Pearson, Joe Hunt, Jack O'Brien, Jayden Cotterill (C), Charlie Gatter, Jack Hallahan, Ben Fox, Marcus Dinanga, Joe Sparra, Dylan Garnett (Jake Saville 59)
Unused subs - Mizra Sejaic, Cameron Shaw, Cameron Steeele, Max Smith
Burton were under orders to "Close them down, don't give them any space or time to settle" and they stuck to that task with a dogged determination. Teddy Bloor, Zayn Hakeem and Tom Marriott joined the ranks of 'walking wounded' felt the force of several full blooded challenges throughout the game.
The visitors weren't a dirty side, not at all, but they were very physical at times.
It was evident that the visitors had no intentions of giving the Stags the opportunity to take all three points off of them again, like they had when the two sides last met at Calverton back in October.
Keiran Harrison, Charlie Shaw, Teddy Bloor, Mortgan Ratcliffe and Adam Bishop, all took it in turns to repel a tide of Burton attacks, but they were not found wanting with Harrison in particular, relishing his continued role as captain. Charlie Gatter, in the middle of the Brewers defence, thwarted both Dvvante Reittie and Cameron Healey in quick succession as Johal and Hakeem worked two openings for the home side from out on the wing.
The Stags trio of Johal, Hakeem and Marriott were working well together, with Louis Danquah getting forward on the left to provide them with ammunition.
Hakeem flicked the ball forward to Reittie from Bishop's long clearance and Gatter had to move quickly to clear the ball out of play.
Meanwhile at the other end, Marcus Dinanga battled his way through into the area, but a timely intervention by Ratcliffe forced the Burton striker to shoot wide.
Play was held up for several minutes as Hakeem took a bang to the head, but he was able to resume play once Matt Salmon had patched him up and was soon in the thick of the action again, charging down an attempted clearance from Gatter, but Walker gathered the loose ball before Reittie could pounce.
The game turned once again and Burton enjoyed a spell of pressure. Joe Sparra's probing pass deep into the Stags area was cleared by a combination of Hakeem and Healey, but the visitors picked the ball straight back up and with Dinanga squaring up to shoot from close range, Harrison intervened with a firm but fair saving tackle and Ratcliffe moved in to play the ball forward and away from the danger zone.
The Stags finished the first half with a flurry, but the highly rated Gatter was on hand to put his foot through Hakeem's cross and Healey nudged the ball wide from Bloor's resultant throw in.
Reittie was fouled on the half way line and Ratcliffe pumped a long free kick towards Marriott, who flicked the ball towards Johal and Reittie, but Cotterill scrambled the ball away. Burton attempted a quick counter attack on the stroke of half time, but Ratcliffe had stayed back and nipped the Brewers move in the bud... and doesn't he looked pleased with himself!?
HT: Stags 0 v Brewers 0
Danquah took the initiative and moved to pick up the ball first, keeping the momentum going towards the Burton goal, as Pearson advanced towards him, the Stags left back lofted the ball to Marriott who made good of the space left by the Albion right back, but his cross into the six yard box was headed clear by Gatter. It is easy to see why there were scouts present from a Championship club, running the rule over the visitors number 6 and his central defensive partner.
Harrison advanced from the midfield and played the ball out to the left, making use yet again of Marriott's pace and trickery, but this time Cotterill made a last ditch clearance.
Burton however, proved that they were more than just a physical side and broke forward again as Sparra stormed the Stags defence with menace through the right channel, but the ever reliable Harrison put a foot in and came away with ball.
But the visitors were soon back and would have been in front, were it not for an outstanding double save by Bishop from Daninga.
Mansfield advanced forward again and the Brewers conceded a free kick 40 yards out.
With the defenders wrestling for position inside their area, the Stags captain took matters into his own hands and floated the ball just underneath the crossbar, where Walker managed to snatch it out of the air.
Ben Fox won a free kick for the visitors, thirty yards from the Stags goal, but put to much purchase behind the dead ball and whacked it over the Rainworth MWFC clubhouse roof.
Nyle Blake, saw off a challenge from Pearson and put in a cross towards Reittie, but that man Gatter stood firm again and swept the ball away.
Albion were awarded another free kick twenty five yards out, slightly to the left of the goal and Ben Fox made no mistake this time as he flashed the ball into the top right hand corner of the net, it was a quality strike, worthy of winning any game... and sadly for the Stags, it did exactly that.
Mansfield didn't throw ion the towel however and Blake and Bloor both came close to unlocking the visitors impressive defence, but it just wasn't meant to be and Burton closed ranks and took all three points home with them.
FT: Mansfield Town U18 0 v Burton Albion U18 1
Ground details: Worksop Van Hire Stadium
Clipstone Road East, Clipstone Village, Mansfield, NG21 9AB.
The Stags won the reverse fixture 2-1 at Parkgate earlier this season, with Tyler Blake and Cain Smith scoring either side of a Ross Dickinson strike for the Millers, for the match report from that game see HERE
