THE66POW: Mansfield Town 6 v Accrington Stanley 1

Tuesday 14th August 2018

Carabao EFL League Cup First Round

Mansfield Town (4) 6

Tyler Walker 9 pen, 13 pen, 45+2,

Otis Khan 16, Danny Rose 66,

CJ Hamilton 90+4

Accrington Stanley (1) 1

Sam Finley 6

Admission £20. Programme £1.50

Attendance 1565 inc 76 from Accrington

Tonight was, in the main, mostly about Mansfield Town, with a manifold myriad of factors surrounding the game offering enough drama and intrigue to fill an whole issue of the sold out match programme.

But, let's commence this sermon, with a look at the visiting side, before heaping mountains of superlative praise on the slick and unrelenting pummeling they received at the hands of the Stags in this most entertaining of League Cup matches.

In 1888, Accrington FC, were amongst the twelve founding members of the Football League; however they resigned as members after just five years and subsequently folded.

Another team in the town called Stanley Villa, who were named after the Stanley Working Men's Club where they were based, took on the name of Accrington after the demise of the former league club and became known as Accrington Stanley.

The former Stanley Villa version of Accrington Stanley, gained promotion to the Football League in 1921. where they stayed until March 1962, when they resigned from Division Four having completed just 33 of their scheduled 46 games... and as a consequence their playing record for that season was expunged, including a goalless draw at Peel Park against Mansfield Town.

Stanley then played four further seasons in the Lancashire Combination before calling it a day in 1966.

A rebirth/formation of a new club* (*argue about that one amongst yourselves) under the name of Accrington Stanley two years later and by 1970 they were playing at what is still their current home of the Crown Ground. Although there is talk of them moving to a newly built ground in Church, which stands on the outskirts of Accrington at some point in the future.

Fast forward to 2006 and the 'new(er)' Accrington Stanley gained promotion to the Football League as champions of the Football Conference.

During their inaugural Football League, 'Accy' lost 1-0 against Mansfield Town in the FA Cup First Round at Field Mill, a game in which Richie Barker scored the only goal, but in fourteen league fixtures between the clubs, since 'Stanley II' were promoted, four have been draws and the Lancashire side have won the other ten, to establish themselves as the Stags bogey team.

The last time that Accrington visited Mansfield, on Good Friday at the end of March,all that separated the two sides was a Seamus Conneely goal on the hour, as Stanley cruised through the gears to eventually claim the League Two title (and promotion to League One), while the Stags own play-off bid was stuttering to a grinding halt.

In the build up tonight's cup tie, both team's respective managers had hinted about 'utilising personnel' and implementing 'squad rotation', so the respective line ups were pretty much going to be an exercise of 'suck it and see', for those who paid for the tickets in advance for tonight; but it's not as though anybody making their way to the stadium would have been under the illusion that they would be watching two full strength sides in action.

Some chose not to attend because of that reason, and others stayed away because the tickets were priced at £20, for what was never going to be one of the most mouth-wateringly attractive of games, but a lot of those who made the choice to stay away on those grounds, are members of the Quarry Lane End membership scheme, whereby for an annual membership fee of £20, they can buy tickets for all league fixtures at half price, which is a massively generous deal on the part of the club... and consequently it wouldn't hurt those who benefit from the scheme to pay the full whack for the occasional cup match, instead of moaning about getting a raw deal and effectively boycotting the very team that they regularly watch for a cut price rate.

Remember, gate receipts are shared at cup games and the visiting team have to be consulted as to whether they're happy to take less income because of reduced ticket prices.

But... each to their own and all power to the elbow of those who feel that they are wholly justified in making a stand, for backing up their convictions and voting with their feet.

Accrington Stanley never will be glamorous opposition and/or a big box office draw, particularly in the early rounds of a cup competition; but as things currently stand, they are the reigning League Two champions and ply their trade in a higher division than Mansfield do, so it's hardly as if people were being asked to pay twenty quid to watch a team of minnows, locking horns, or should that be antlers? With David Flitcroft's Stags side.

There are no points to be scored, one upmanship, nor moral high ground to be won (or lost), when these things happen, it's a free country and everyone is entitled to their own choices and opinions.

I personally went to the game, because I wanted to... and I was genuinely interested in seeing what squad members might be getting a run out tonight.

At the end of the ninety plus minutes, I would have to say that: as value for money goes, £20 for a home performance of this calibre, was an absolute bargain. In fact, I am sure that anybody who was present at this League Cup tie, would fully understand when I say: the Stags could probably have got away with charging fans an extra fiver on the way out, in lieu of a surcharge for providing them with such an excessively entertaining game of football... a slight exaggeration on my part you might think, but I reckon that the emphasis would have to be on the word 'slight'.

Danny Rose... anybody who doesn't know all the different versions of events doing the rounds about the Stags top scorer last season, that involve Peterborough United and their odious manager, amongst others, must've been comatose for forty days and nights, so lets leave all that codswallop for those who are (apparently) 'in the know' and concentrate on tonight's events.

Prior to the game, Rose emerged from the players tunnel alone, before all of the other players and walked along the front of the West Stand... where the entire crowd were housed tonight, including the seventy six visiting supporters, who were given a block of seats in the lower tier... to take his place on the substitutes bench. It could, given some of the circumstances surrounding his recent on/off transfer to Peterborough, have been seen as running the gauntlet, or even perceived as risking receiving a whole load of brickbats as he made a 'walk of shame'.

But in the event... nothing of the sort materialised, as he posed for 'selfies' with young fans, signed a few autographs and in general, was met with a favourable response. His introduction from the bench in the sixty fifth minute was met with a mixed response, although there were more cheers than jeers... and his goal within sixty seconds of entering the fray and the gesture he made at full time, turning to the supporters and holding up his hands to fans at both ends of the Ian Greaves Stand, were both met with universal approval.

It's been a messy business all told, but Danny Rose is still a Stags player and even if not everyone is prepared to 'forgive and forget' about the pre-season shenanigans, methinks that the healing process is well underway. So, until the next transfer window comes around; heads down, sleeves rolled up and get on with business as usual. I have no doubt that all parties involved in the 'he said, she said' finger pointing exercise, might have said stuff in the heat of the moment that they're now regretting... but show me a man who says that he hasn't and I'll show you a bare faced liar.

Besides, people who sound off when they're angry only do so because they care so much... and it's not exactly a bad thing to have people who genuinely give a f*ck around the place.

But enough of the sub-plots and on with the main event.

There were changes in both line ups when the teams were announced, as was widely expected, as the Stags made a couple of early breaks to no avail, before falling behind to a soft goal to concede in the sixth minute, when Sean McConville threaded a pass through to Sam Finley on the left hand side of the area, who wrong-footed Hayden White and CJ Hamilton, before jogging towards Bobby Olejnik's with a group of Mansfield players keeping him company, before planting an angled knock just inside the far post.

Was the Accrington hex, the infamous Stanley hoodoo about to befell yet another Mansfield Town team? Was it chuffin' hell as like!

Des Walker and Carlton Palmer on England duty

The former England central defender Des Walker was sat just behind us, he was here to cheer on his lad: Tyler, who was leading the line for the home side and by the time that his talented offspring made way for Danny Rose in the sixty fourth minute, the former Nottingham Forest, Sampdoria, Sheffield Wednesday and Mansfield Town player had certainly seen plenty to get enthusiastic about.

Yes, you read that correctly by the way, the actual Des Walker really did play for the Stags, way back in 2005, when the leg-end that is Carlton Palmer was in charge of the Stags first team. Albeit just the one solitary outing in a pre-season friendly at Cannon Park against Retford United, where Walker hobbled off after managing just twenty minutes at the start of the game... and I have the photos somewhere to prove it genuinely did happen.

Tyler Walker... in his other team's colours

Walker junior is on a season long loan from Nottingham Forest, it's a crying shame that he's not a fully fledged, bona-fide and exclusive Stags player, but while-soever he's at the club, 'let the heartache begin', for opposition defences.

Calum Butcher, having fallen out of favour with the previous Stags manager, before being shipped out on loan to Billericay Town (out of spite), where it would appear that he actually had a decent time of things; is enjoying a new lease of life under that nice Mr Flitcroft. On tonight's showing he needs to be come off of the transfer list and be utilised more often, having put in a storming performance to silence a few of his critics, particularly as he was involved in the build up play to the hosts first three goals.

Butcher threaded a slide-rule pass into the path of Walker, who took the ball forward towards Jonny Maxted and slipped it past him, but was felled by the keeper as he tried to carry on with his run.

Even the match referee, Seb Stockbridge, never one to endear himself to the Mansfield faithful, couldn't miss Maxted's challenge or fail to award the spot kick, that Walker took himself, tucking the ball comfortably into the left hand side of the net, as Maxted dived to the right. Three minutes after going a goal behind, the Stags were level and four minutes later they were actually in front, when once more, Walker beat Maxted, having sent him the wrong way from the spot again, after Scott Brown tripped Butcher as he advanced towards the visitors goal along the dead ball line to the right hand side of the area... right under the nose of an attentive linesman.

The hosts scored again to make the score 3-1 after only sixteen minutes, when White fed the ball to butcher on the right flank who advanced past Mark Hughes delivering a low cross to Otis Khan advanced, who controlled the ball with his first touch and directed it past Maxted with his second.

Even a light moment of comedy couldn't detract from the Stags first half performance, when Bobby Olejnik scuffed a clearance right into the path of Sean McConville, who sped forward with the goal at his mercy, but had to settle for a corner when the Stags keeper recovered and raced back to get a well timed tackle in.

I drank some Carabao energy drink once.
And it tastes just like Germoline smells.

It was getting almost surreal and other worldly, when a rampant Mansfield side netted a fourth against their bogey side and League One visitors before the break, when Benning progressed down the left hand touchline, before slipping the ball forward to the feet of Khan, whose low cross was steered past Maxted by a divine touch by Walker, who claimed a first half hat trick with a stylish flick. Benning was being given plenty of scope to get forward, because debutant Ryan Sweeney was looking so strong on the left hand side of defence, alongside captain Krystian Pearce in the middle and White on the right, who in spite of getting caught cold for the opening goal of the night, impressed from then on in.

HT: Stags 4 (Four) v Stanley 1

So the lower than usual crowd meant that I had
a better chance of winning. Right? Err... wrong!!!

That there league fixtures record that tonight's visitors from Hovis land hold over the Stags, still remains intact, but it was just about nailed on by now, that Flitcroft's side were heading, full steam ahead, towards maintaining the clubs 100% win record over the 'Accy' lot in cup games (you can prove anything with statistics)... and playing some great high tempo attacking football into the bargain too.

The visitors showed some decent close control and short passing prowess, but they were simply getting overrun and blown away tonight... and no amount of going to ground easily was going to have any effect on the final outcome, even if John Coleman's side were adept at hoodwinking the card happy Mr Stockbridge.

Jacob Mellis, another Stags player seemingly enjoying his football again under the current management team, crossed from the left wing with such accuracy, that he had served up a chance on a plate for substitute Danny Rose, who added a fifth goal less than two minutes after replacing the man of the match Tyler Walker.

Quite what response Rose might've got if he'd missed what was a nailed on sitter is open to conjecture, but we'll never know... he doesn't waste those sort of chances, because he is a quality striker and, regardless of anything else, he is Mansfield Town's quality striker.

If a.n.other club and their shit-house of a manager (see above) want him, then they'll have to come back with a more serious offer next time.

Accrington were on the ropes, gum shield out, guard dropped and knees knocking together, hoping to see the remainder of the game out by taking a standing count, but the Stags still had the scent of blood in their nostrils and kept taking the game to their punch-drunk opponents, and even my mate from South Normanton ran out of fingers and toes to count how many passes they put together, before CJ Hamilton added the finishing touch to public demonstration of 'total football' to make the final score:

Mansfield Town 6 v Accrington Stanley 1