Monday 28th August 2017
EvoStik, Northern Premier League, Premier Disision
at the DCJ Group Insurance Arena, Causeway Lane
Matlock Town (1) 2
Marc Newsham 45
Shaun Harrad 90
Grantham Town (3) 3
Jordan Hempenstall 15
Curtis Burrows 24
Lee Shaw 34
Admission £10. Programme £2. Attendance 529
Click HERE for more photos from this game
Matlock Town:
Phil Barnes, Nico Degirolamo, Jake Green, Joe Doyle-Charles, Adam Yates, Dwayne Wiley, Darnelle Bailey-King (Luis Rose 60), Ryan Wilson, Shaun Harrad, Marc Newsham (Zayn Hakeem 60) Ted Cribley
Unused subs - Callum Lloyd , Rhys Sharpe, Tyler Blake
Grantham Town:
Kieran Preston, Tom Potts, Riley Thompson, Matt Baker, Luke Shaw, Michael Hollingsworth, Danny Meadows. Andy Wright (Kegan Everington), Jordan Hempenstall (Jack McMenemy), Lee Shaw, Curtis Burrows (Tom Curtis 89)
Unused subs - Jeremiah Desaolu, Kevin Rastos de Silva
Arriving in sun drenched Matlock around a hour before kick off, the town was absolutely gridlocked with Bank Holiday tourists, and people were being forced to abandon their vehicles in even the smallest and most unlikely of spaces... well, I suppose Ringo wasn't going to get ticketed sticking his yellow submarine up there.
Obviously with Mansfield Town not having a game today, the Stags first team manager had a great opportunity to travel over to Causeway Lane, to run the rule over Tyler Blake and Zayn Hakeem, two members of the Stags U18's back to back championship winning side over the past couple of years, who have gone to the Derbyshire club get some valuable game time and work experience under their belts. But he was nowhere to be seen.
Maybe he got caught up in the traffic jams around the town, possibly he couldn't find anywhere to park and had to abandon his trip to this Evo-Stik League game... and there is always the chance that I might have missed him and he was in attendance wearing one of his low key and incognito blending in outfits (or my gran's old anorak like he usually does).
But, I personally have this (incessantly) nagging doubt that a leopard doesn't ever change it's spots... and Steve Evans has never been one for introducing young talent into his teams in the past, or for promoting lads through the ranks, at his previous clubs and to that end, though I obviously want to see Mansfield Town competing for honours at the highest level possible, one must never lose sight of the fact, that Mansfield Town is a club, that operates on many levels, not just one side that plays in the EFL League 2.
So you need to ask, if riding rough shod over the academy is actually undermining the integrity and ultimately the purpose of the of the youth/academy/U18/U19/U21 set up. Because if that isn't what is happening, then somebody please tell me, what is!?
Sure, Mr Evans (and Paul Raynor) is employed by Mansfield Town to mount a big promotion push with the first team this season, and ultimately that (and possibly that alone) is what he will be judged on by the majority of people at Field Mill.
But the infrastructure of Mansfield Town, should never be sacrificed or neglected by or for any one person. That, and that alone, must remain a constant, and the following edict applies at any football club: You are only as strong as your weakest link and as fragile and near to bursting point as your most over inflated ego. Football is a team game, that team encompasses everybody who does their bit, not just Saturday's starting eleven.
All managers, even dead famous (infamous?) ones, come and go eventually, it is important that the successful youth development programme that is in place, remains intact as the thriving underbelly of any club, regardless of who is in the hot seat and what direction they have chosen to take.
At Rotherham United, the cult manager (thank the lord I updated my spellchecker) signed somewhere in the region of 978.6 players, which somewhat congested the career pathway for the Millers youngsters hoping to find a space to break into the first team.
At Mansfield hardly a day goes by without there been yet another announcement of an incoming signing or loan player.
I shall just leave this most stimulating topic here, for you to discuss amongst yourselves.
It was a cracking afternoon to be out and about enjoying a game of football, and there can be fewer venues that can match the aesthetics of Causeway Lane on a day like today, with the majesty of Ryber Castle perched high in the skyline overlooking the town, the unspoilt surroundings, the handsome hilly town that cascades at some seemingly impossible geometrical angles, providing a really pleasant backdrop to the days sporting endeavours and the quirkiness of the three sided enclosure, with a most splendidly appointed bar and function area... and decent food too.
I once described the old buildings at the ground that were replaced as props from that were left over from the Japanese Prisoner of War television series 'Tenko', but I'd be hard pushed to ame you a smarter or friendlier facility as the one that stands to the side of the Twigg Stand.
Of course the downside to driving to Matlock on a regular basis, aside from all of those clutch burning hills en route and the fact that it is a complete bastard to get around, when the Summer weather is replaced by the inevitable onslaught of ice and snow.
It looks nice enough, but take a shovel, a flask, a hot water bottle and a pile of blankets in Winter, just to be on the safe side.
You can never be too prepared or careful round these parts.
Over the course of a couple of weeks, the Gladiators have plummeted like a bloody great big earthbound meteorite, from the business and of the table down to sixteenth place, while Grantham negotiated their Bank Holiday double shift comfortably and moved up to second in the table in cruise control with wins against Whitby Town and today's opponents Matlock.
The Gingerbreads ran, ran as fast as they could, right from the off, and Luke Shaw cut in from the left and crossed towards the back stick, but the home sides captain Adam Yates adopted a safety first policy, and headed the ball out of play inside the opening thirty seconds.
And almost immediately afterwards Luke Shaw picked up the ball again from a similar position, but skimmed his shot narrowly over the Matlock bar.
Grantham had fired a couple of warning shots across the home sides bows inside the first minute and things were already starting to look a bit shaky in defence for the hosts.
Gladiators! Are you ready!? Err... not yet!
Luke Shaw slipped a good pass through the static home defence for Lee Shaw to run onto, but with Phil Barnes tearing off of his line to cover the angles, the visitors number 10 had to rush his shot and couldn't keep the ball on target. Matt Baker headed the ball towards the Matlock area, but when it sat up in front of Jordan Hempenstall and he got his head to it, the Grantham centre forward could only divert his effort onto the roof of the net.
But on fifteen minutes Hempenstall took a sideways pass from Lee Shaw on the edge of the area and rifled a precision strike into the bottom corner of Barnes net, finding the combination to open the floodgates at the Cricket Field End of the ground in the process.
Darnelle Bailey-King was looking fast and lively on the right for Matlock, but the visitors were obviously aware of the threat he he posed and deployed two players to marshal him whenever he looked like getting forward, but it was at the other end of the pitch that the goal action was occurring, and the Gingerbreads doubled their lead after Joe-Doyle Charles had headed Lee Shaw's cross behind for a corner, that the home side half cleared, but the ball fell to Craig Burrows twenty yards out and he cracked it into the bottom corner on the half volley. Credit where it is due here, Grantham obviously don't apply a 'hit and hope' approach to their shots on goal, because both finishes thus far had been placed strategically into the bottom corner, just inside the post and beyond the reach of Barnes.
Marc Newsham ought to have done better from ten yards, when he was sent clear from a long knock forward, but Kieran Preston spread himself well, to turn the ball round the post.
But once again, when Grantham put the home defence under the cosh from a right wing corner, they buckled and left the ball for Lee Shaw who had the simple task of slotting the ball past Barnes to give the Gingerbreads a three goal cushion with just thirty four minutes on the clock.
Once more Grantham had scored from a slide rule finish that had virtually been passed into the net, just inches inside the upright, while the home side displayed impeccable manners, doffing their top hats and proclaiming: "No, after you, I insist!"
Ryan Wilson saw his shot on goal and two subsequent rebounds all blocked by a rugged Grantham rearguard and though Bailey-King had wriggled like an eel out on the right wing to make himself the time and space to put two decent deliveries into the visitors area, Newsham displayed a similar kind of responses to crosses that you would have expected from Count Dracula.
For the record, Christopher Lee's portrayal of the blood thirsty Count was far better than any other actors inferior efforts, but I digress.
Hempenstall tried to catch Barnes out with two outrageously long shots as half time approached, showing just how high Grantham's confidence was following their nineteen minute goal onslaught.
But, in a spirited attempt to chuck my vampire comparison straight back at me, in first half stoppage time, Newsham rose to meet a Ted Cribley free kick from out on the left flank and glanced a header into the top right hand corner of Preston's goal and celebrated by showing me his fangs, turning himself into a bat and dive bombing me in the stand.
HT: Gladiators 1 v Gingerbreads 3
Right at the start of the second half Lee Shaw found himself through, one against one with Barnes, but although he lofted the ball beyond the keepers reach, he also put it the wrong side of the post.
With a scrum of players jostling for position in the Grantham area, awaiting a long range free kick delivery from Shaun Harrad, the Matlock striker caught everyone off guard when he went directly for goal, but his shot flew inches wide of the left hand upright.
Matlock were in the hunt for a comeback now, but Grantham were proving to be just as stubborn in defence as they were prolific in attack, making light work of clearing two corners in quick succession. Harrad broke through into the visitors area and unselfishly squared a pass to the well placed Newsham, who took aim, leant back to strike the ball on the volley, but fell unceremoniously on his bum instead.
On the hour, the Matlock management team, Craig Hopkins and Glenn Kirkwood, made a double switch to freshen up their attacking options, with Bailey-King and Newsham making way for Luis Rose and Zayn Hakeem.
The substitutions almost had an instant impact on the game, as Rose got on the end of Cribley's left wing cross, but couldn't quite keep his header on target.
Lee Shaw picked up a booking for an unnecessary challenge in his own half, which would cost him dearly in the long run.
Hakeem chased down a lost cause of a ball and motored towards the Grantham area, but had to go it alone because his speed of thought and action meant he had no support in place yet and his shot was charged down.
With Matlock's fresh legs causing the visitors an increasing amount of new problems to deal with, the result suddenly began to look much less of a formality, especially when Lee Shaw picked up a second yellow card and was sent off. He responded to the taunts from the stand by holding up three fingers in one hand and one on the other, to indicate the score, which provoked a tongue in cheek response of: "Three fingers, you can tell he's from bloomin' Grantham!"
Hakeem once again looked hungry for the ball as he took it away from a defender out on the right and put an inviting cross right across the face of the visitors goal, but Wilson couldn't quite reach the ball at full stretch and the chance went begging. Tyler Blake would've known exactly where to run to finish that chance, but he was still on the bench (cough).
Wilson took a left wing corner that was headed away back in the direction it had come from, sohe struckhis second delivery low and hard and Preston was lucky to keep the ball out of the net as Harrad turned it towards the goal from close range.
Cribley sent a defence splitting ball to Rose, but his textbook downward header was cleared off the line.
Harrad picked up the ball thirty yards from the Gingerbreads goal, nudged it forward and let fly with a shot that thumped heavily against a car parked on the boundary of the adjacent cricket field.
Deep into added time, Harrad finally got the goal his efforts had deserved, when he headed the ball past Preston from Gibley's knock.
FT: Matlock Town 2 v Grantham Town 3
Ultimately, although they picked up the tempo as the second half went on, the visitors three goal cushion had given Matlock far too much to do, as they tried to salvage something out of the game.
On the balance of play over the whole ninety minutes, a fair result all told.
Jake Green looked comfortable in the number 3 shirt for Matlock today, I will be watching his brother Matt in action tomorrow night, when he returns to Mansfield Town in the colours of Lincoln City.
