Saturday 28 May 2022

Mansfield Town 0 v Port Vale 3 - League 2 Play Off Final

Saturday 28th May 2022
League 2 Play Off Final
a Wembley Stadium
Mansfield Town (0) 0
Port Vale (2) 3
Kian Harratt 20, James Wilson 24, Mal Benning 85
Attendance: 37303
Mansfield Town:
Bishop, Hewitt, Perch, Hawkins, McLaughlin, O’Toole, Longstaff (Maris 65’), Quinn (Akins 79’), Murphy (Lapslie 54’), Oates, Bowery 
Unused subs - Stech, Wallace, Clarke, Stirk
Port Vale:
Stone, Gibbons, Smith, Hall, Benning, Worrall (Martin 86’), Garrity, Pett, Taylor (Charsley 67’), Harratt (Proctor 77’), Wilson 
Unused Subs - Covolan, Robinson, Amoo, Edmondson
Maybe the Stags saw the size of that trophy
and didn't fancy having to try lifting it.
A very poor performance by Mansfield against opponents who were by far the better team on the day. 
Man of the match: Mal Benning, who scored the third goal, is a former Stags player, as are the Port Vale manager Darrel Clarke and their goalkeeper today Aidan Stone too, Though there was to be no old pals act on the part of the latter this afternoon, when he was well placed to push away Jamie Murphy's close range header early in the game.
The Stags themselves had a let off when Benning picked out Kian Harratt with a slide rule pass, but he hit the post with a curling shot from outside the area, But less than a minute later, Benning, who had been afforded the freedom of the Wembley pitch and was running amok, completely unchecked, put in a tantalising delivery across the face of the Stags goal that Harratt dived to meet with a thumping header and Vale were ahead.
Just four minutes later, James Gibbons broke forward and crossed to Ben Garrity who headed the ball against the crossbar from where it rebounded straight to James Wilson who had the simplest of chances to nod past Neil Bishop and double the Burslem based sides lead.
Oli Hawkins was sent off for Mansfield in the 35th minute for a stupid and completely unnecessary foul on Wilson in the middle of the pitch which earned him a second yellow card.
What a completely moronic thing that was to do... I hope his teammates roughed him up at half-time for having let them, the supporters and the whole club down so badly.
Mansfield almost pulled a goal back when Stone couldn't hold onto McLaughlin’s cross and Oates was on hand to poke the loose ball towards the Valiants goal, but in the nick of time Connor Hall rushed in to hook the ball off of the line. 
From then on in it was going to be a looong and very disappointing afternoon for Mansfield.
Vale had two further goals disallowed which spared the Stags faithful any further embarrassment.
And credit where it's due here: the Mansfield fans were cranking up the volume a raising the roof, regardless of how the game had turned out to be a complete horror show for them.
Mansfield rallied a bit towards the end of the game, but a comeback already looked highly unlikely.
With five minutes remaining, David Worrall delivered a dipping cross from out on the right and Mal Benning arrived right on cue, stretching to make a connection before planting the ball past Bishop.
If it's any consolation at all (trust me, I know it isn't), the Stags finished the season in seventh place and wouldn't have been promoted to League 1 anyway if they hadn't have been afforded a second bite at the cherry vis the play-offs..
The best team won, fairly and squarely... well played Port Vale.
FT: Mansfield Town 0 v Port Vale 3
Oh well, Port Vale might have Robbie Williams, but he's no match for Mansfield's late, great Alvin Stardust ;-)