Saturday 14th May 2022
League 2 Play Off Semi Final 1st Leg
at Field Mill/ One Call Stadium
Mansfield Town (2) 2
Rhys Oates 13
Jordan Bowery 32
Northampton Town (0) 1
Ali Koiki 61
Attendance: 7,469 (inc. 1,221 away fans)
Mansfield Town: Bishop, Perch, O’Toole, Hawkins, McLaughlin, Maris, Longstaff (Wallace 60), Quinn (Stirk 77), Murphy (Akins 86), Oates, Bowery
Unused subs - Stech, Hewitt, Clarke, Lapslie
Northampton Town: Maxted, Sowerby, Guthrie, Horsfall, Hoskins, Pinnock, Koiki, McWilliams, Kanu (Eppiah 56), Mills, Appéré (Rose 66)
Unused subs - Woods, Harriman, Pollock, Zimba, Dyche
With just a solitary goal separating the Stags and the Cobblers as they prepare to lock horns for a fourth time this season. The most likely outcome of the forthcoming second leg is a particularly tough one to call, it's going to be a close run thing, that's for sure and there will be no place out on the field of play for the faint-hearted.
If they are to lose out in the play-offs will feel as though they have had promotion snatched from their grasp twice for Northampton, who were denied a top three spot on the final day of the season, when Joey Barton's Bristol Rovers pipped them at the post on goal difference after beating an understrength Scunthorpe United XI by seven goals to nil.
Controversy abounds, but football, like life itself, isn't always fair and it's how you deal with each and every setback that'll be either the making or breaking of your aspirations.
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| FT: AFC Dunkirk 5 v Clifton All Whites 1 |
Arriving at Field Mill, via a slight afternoon diversion via Basford, to watch AFC Dunkirk v Clifton All Whites in the Notts Senior League Cup Final (and very enjoyable it was too); the place was bathed in sunshine and a party out in the fan zone/car park behind the West Stand was in full swing with a live band, belting out semi-authentic versions of all of your (but not mine) Britpop favourites, each to their own, eh!? We went in as soon as the turnstiles opened, as the excitement generated by today's main event mounted.
Having already gone two goals behind, Northampton showed a great deal of fortitude and determination and they demonstrated that they had the mettle and 'Cobblers' for a fight, during the last half an hour of this game, where they battled gamely to get back into this contest, but the Stags dug in and repelled John Brady's battlers to deny them an equaliser and preserve their precious first leg lead, which now gives them an important advantage prior to next week's do or die conclusion to this tie. That said, Northampton were definitely in the ascendancy momentum wise as the match referee: Anthony Backhouse, sounded tonight's final whistle.
As Nigel Clough's side stormed into a two goal lead, roared on by a noisy home crowd, Northampton already seemed to be doomed... and another Stags goal, which definitely looked to be on the cards the way that the game was shaping up, would probably have left the visitors with too big a hill to climb. But that all important third goal was claimed by the Cobblers, which keeps the tie alive and on a knife edge for the second leg.
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| 1221 Cobblers |
Mansfield's form away from home has been their downfall at times this season, but that will count for nothing once the one off, winner takes it all showdown gets under way in just four days time.
In the thirteenth minute, Jordan Bowery came deep from his forward berth to collect the ball in the midfield, before threading a slide rule pass through Northampton defence into the path Rhys Oates who unleashed an angled drive that found the back of the net between the legs of the Cobblers second choice goalkeeper John Maxted, deputising for the suspended Liam Roberts, who had been red carded for handling the ball outside his area in second half stoppage time against Barrow last week, where the Cobblers 3-1 win hadn't been enough to clinch third place.
The Stags added a second goal, when Matty Longstaff fed the ball out wide to Jamie Murphy, who saw off a challenge on the left wing before driving a low cross across the face of Maxted's goal which Bowery met at the back stick to make light work of doubling the hosts lead.
Only moments later. Oates very nearly added a third, when he shot narrowly past the foot of the left hand post and James Perch was unlucky to guide the ball wide of the target just before the break.
Let the Wembley songs commence... or at least clear your throats in readiness.
HT; Mansfield Town 2 v Northampton Town 0
"A quick goal straight from the restart for the Stags and Northampton will cave in" predicted yours truly, "I reckon this could be 4-0 and the second leg will be a dead rubber." Further proof that I know absolutely feck all about football. Read through the other posts on this blog for further evidence to this end.
Maxted. whose positioning when the Stags had netted their second goal, made amends at the start of the second half, cutting out a cross from Murphy that was destined for the well placed Oates, before pushing away a shot from the same player that was destined for the top corner.
The home support were ramping up the atmosphere, but within ten minutes of the restart, the visitors began to grow into the game and Sam Hoskins cut inside from the left and curled a shot wide of the far post.
As the game entered it's final thirty minutes Ali Koiki planted a low shot towards the Stags goal from the edge of the area that Nathan Bishop saw late as it rolled into the bottom left hand corner of his goal.
It was backs to the wall time for Mansfield as the Cobblers reacted to their shit or bust plight.
"Hmm... perhaps 4-1 instead of 4-0 then" I said, with my tongue firmly in my cheek. I wasn't convincing anybody about my unmovable conviction that the Stags would still romp home. Myself included.
Northampton sent on the former Stags player in a vainglorious bid to bolster their striking options. From the crowds reaction, I think it would be fir to say that Danny's popularity around these parts isn't all that it used to be. And that status will diminish still further if the rumours that he is joining up with the vastly unpopular Steve Evans at Stevenage next season.
"F*ck off and team up with your fat c*nt mate at Stevenage Rose. You're kidding no-one strutting your stuff like a Poundland version of Jack f*cking Grealish!", called out Mr Eloquent of Shirebrook, sat over to our left. Almost on cue, Rose took an unconvincing tumble in an effort to win a free kick and his ever dwindling band of admirers at Field Mill, deserting him too.
The game was far from over and the Stags were now having to defend with the same kind of application that they had afforded to their attacking prowess before the interval.
Mansfield survived a couple of late scares, not least when Stephen McLaughlin put in a foot to divert Josh Eppiah’s close range effort over the bar, which is also where John Guthrie unwittingly directed a gilt edge chance from Hoskins' cross inside the final five minutes.
FT: Stags 2 v Cobblers 1
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| Photo credit: Dan Westwell. Cheers pal :-) |
Having looked like a lost cause for much of the first half, the Cobblers made a fight of it in the second, to set up a mouth-watering second leg.
A top heavy schedule of work commitments and hospital appointments, dictate that I won't be anywhere near Northampton on Wednesday, but I shall be glued to my telly. I'll be free to attend the final on Saturday 28th May though, assuming that the right teams qualify and I can unstick myself from the goggle-box in time. Que sera!
Footnote: Added Monday 16th Maty 2022
Somebody be a sweetheart and give them the heads up, please.
