Mansfield Town 0 v Doncaster Rovers 0 - EFL U18 Youth Alliance

Saturday 9th September 2017
EFL U18 Youth Alliance
at Kirklington Road, Rainworth Miners Welfare FC
Mansfield Town U18 (0) 0
Doncaster Rovers U18 (0) 0
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Mansfield Town:
Xavier Sundby,  Cameron Weston, Henri Wilder (C), Jack Cornell, Lewis Gibbens, Aiden Walker, Nyle Blake, Harry Bircumshaw, Rhys Sarson (Iywrah Gooden 46), Keaton Ward, Riley O'Sullivan (Kieran Darby 69)
Unused subs - Keaton Mars, Andrew Briggs, Steve Johnson
Doncaster Rovers:
James Leverton, Cameron Foulkes, Brandon Horton (Cameron Barnett 61), James Morgan (C), Kane Bingley, Cameron Baldock-Smith, Rilwan Olaosun, Anthony Greaves, Myron Gibbons (Lewis Scattergood 61), Matt Overton (James Morris 61), Cody Prior
Unused subs - Declan Ogley, Danny Amos

A point apiece was a just result, as the young Stags took their unbeaten run this season to five games on the bounce, but the draw combined with results elsewhere meant that Mansfield slipped to third in the table, while Lincoln City took over at the top with a 3-2 home win over Hartlepool United and Rotherham United edged into second place after winning 5-4 away from home against Chesterfield.
Lincoln City host Rotherham United on Saturday 23rd September (11am), while John Dempster's side don't play again until 30th September, when they also face the Millers, at Rainworth Miners Welafre (11AM).

Keaton Ward delivered two free kicks into the 'Donny' area during the opening exchanges, but that Retford lad in goal for Rovers wan't unduly troubled as none of the Stags team attacked the ball either time. I have heard talk that Ward junior only gets in the side because his dad is one of the Mansfield Town - Brooksby College coaches, but that is a load of bollocks... Keaton is in this team on merit and out of the current crop is one of the nailed on certs to move up through the Stags ranks.
If there is even a hint of nepotism about this father/son connection at the club, then it is more likely that Simon is being kept on the coaching staff to discourage his son from ever moving on elsewhere.Just saying ;-)
Cameron Weston looked solid at the back for the home side and Lewis Gibbins and Aiden Walker seem to forging a formidable pairing at the back too, which will no doubt please the manager John Dempster and his assistant Mark 'Rhino' Peters no end seeing as they were both central defenders themselves.

Aiden Walker was harshly booked for challenging for the ball after Leverton had let it slip from his grasp
The Mansfield captain Henri Wilder should've scored after Ward's delivery found it's way through to him, but with a open goal at his mercy, Wilder miscued his attempted shot so wide of the target that Rovers won a throw in.
That is exactly why you are a defender and wide player Henri! A very good one I'll grant you, who is on that 'most likely to succeed' list too. But you need to stop watching how your beloved Aston Villa fanny about in front of the goal and avoid picking up any bad habits from them.
Myron Gibbons charged towards the Stags goal, but with several options at his disposal, whacked his shot into orbit. I heard a rumour that the company who have erected wind turbines all around Rainworth, will be billing Rovers as a consequence of the damage that that Gibbons stray shot caused to their equipment.

Rhys Sarson and Keaton Ward both had chances to break the deadlock, but it will have given the visitors keeper no end of a confidence boost, after only having played a couple of times recently because he's been injured, to have comfortably saved both efforts.

Ward slipped a neat through ball into the path of Riley O'Sullivan, but Leverton denied the lively attacker and prserbed his clean sheet and as play switched from end to end Lewis Gibbins headed clear from Myron Gibbons right wing cross.

Right on the stroke of half time O'Sullivan had a great chance to open the scoring but Leverton moved off his line to narrow the angles and saved with his leg. Unorthodox it may have been but effective nonetheless.
HT: 0-0

Gibbons showed a burst of pace to get past Wilder but Weston move in quickly to cover his captain's back and snuffed out the Rovers attack.
The Stags half time substitute Iywrah Gooden had a shot blocked and as the ball ran free Ward got his short on target but Leverton was out to impress and claim his regular place in the Doncaster starting line up back.
The visitors conceded a corner when O'Sullivan's shot from inside the area took a deflection. Harry Bircumshaw's cross was aimed in towards Gooden and Nyle Lake, but though the former adopted the posture of a young Alan Shearer as he went to strike the ball on the volley, he missed it completely and Ladbrokes immediately suspended all betting on a nil- nil draw.

Rovers made a triple substitution on sixty one minutes and almost immediately Cameron Baldock-Smith had to come off after a collision with O'Sullivan,l the impact of which saw both players requiring treatment as the game was held up for five minutes.
Jack Connell was halted in his tracks en route to the visitors goal, and Scattergood received a yellow card for his demonstration of martial arts and was subsequently walking a tightrope and really ought to been dismissed for a similar challenge on Wilder a few minutes later, but the referee called Scattergood over along with his captain James Morgan and gave him a lengthy talking to instead.
Ward set up an opportunity for Gooden but his finish was erratic and the ball went behind for a goal kick as the umpire signalled a 'wide'.
The game fizzled out during the closing stages, but Rovers could've snatched a late win when James Morris shot wide.
FT: Nil 0-0