Thursday 12th July 2018
Pre Season Friendly
at Kirklington Road, Rainworth
Rainworth Miners Welfare (3) 4
Alfie Gaughan 35
Blessing Adalaye 38, 43
Adam Jackson 51
Mansfield Town XI (0) 1
Jack Gibb 48
Admission £3. Attendance 88
Photos from tonight's game: click HERE
Photos from tonight's game: click HERE
A young Stags team were given a bit of a going over by a lively Wrens side at Kirklington Road... and I wouldn't want to do Rainworth any kind of disservice with that opening gambit, because they also featured a good number of youngsters... and, it must be said... a number of good youngsters, over the course of the game.
Having started their pre-season campaign with a 3-0 win over Bolsover Town, Ben Marvin and Paul Rockley's rebuilt, EMCL newcomers, appear to have hit the ground running and will be a decent test for Basford United when they travel over to Rainworth on Tuesday night.
Both sides made a lively start, jabbing away at each others midriff while looking for an opening to land a killer blow, or a defensive slip to take advantage of... and one of the latter duly arrived around the twenty minute mark, when Roberto Labatte scuffed a routine clearance into the path of the Stags Ben Brown (listed as Dan Brown on the team sheet), who was caught unawares by being presented with a gift of an opportunity just ten yards from goal... and he snatched and the chance and put his rushed attempt on goal wide. At the other end Blessing Adalaye put his head down and made a powerful run forward straight through the middle of the visitors defence, but dragged his shot just wide of the upright.
In the thirty fifth minute the Mansfield keeper: Charlie Dando, had little choice but to punch the ball clear from inside his crowded goalmouth... and it fell kindly towards Alfie Gaughan who opened the scoring for the Wrens.
Any thoughts that going a goal behind would galvanise the Stags Academy lads into bucking their ideas up and focusing their attentions on applying themselves a little more in the final third, around Warren Squires goal, were soon shot down in flames, when Adalaye was upended twice in the space of just five minutes, inside the visitors area and duly buried both resulting penalty kicks; one into the bottom right hand corner and the other into the left.
HT: Wrens 3 v Stags 0
The second half was just three minutes old when the Stags pulled a goal back.
Cam Jones surged forward on the left before threading a pinpoint pass forward into the path of Justin Trow, who ran into the left channel before crossing to Jack Gibb.
'Twas a great end to end shift at speed and things began to look up for the visitors finally.
Well, for a few minutes at least; because when a left wing corner wasn't cleared properly and the ball found it's way through to Adam Jackson, he emphatically punished the visitors for their lapse in concentration from just beyond the back post.
Liam Jepson, the Rainworth number eleven, who was wearing the Stags colours the last time that I saw him in action, was causing Mansfield a few problems at the back and would have added to the scoreline from close range, if Dando hadn't of denied him from close range.
Jones, once again, put Trow clean away on the left, but the wrens defence were ready and waiting this time and Jackson was on hand to clear the cross away.
Right at the end, Jepson connected well with the ball on the left hand side of Dando's area, but his angled drive fizzed inches past the right hand upright.
The young Stags to their credit, were using the whole width of the pitch in an effort to make some space amongst the Rainworth ranks, but the home side worked hard to plug any gaps and deservedly won the game.
FT: Rainworth MW 4 v Mansfield Town 1
Mansfield's first team fared better tonight, winning 3-0 up in Bradford, against Park Avenue.
The Stags now have three friendlies arranged for 3PM on Saturday at: Gainsborough Trinity, Hednesford Town and Retford United, before Derby County visit Field Mill (One Call Stadium) next Wednesday.
