2013 Prediction League; Game 21 v Mansfield Town (away)

[Div3North]

Mansfield Town FC

V

Accrington Stanley

2013/14 Prediction League – Game 21; v Mansfield Town (away)

This week’s starter for 10; name the Mansfield Town Manager? And what was he given by his team’s owner as a reward for the Stags scoring 5 in the first half of their 8-1 Conference victory over Barrow on 9th February 2013?

Answer is (1) Paul Cox (who?) and (2) an Aston Martin DB9 ……………and if he’s got any spare, I’ll have one ……………..

Mansfield were originally formed in 1897 as Mansfield Wesleyans (“give us a ‘W’ ….” ); that became Mansfield Wesley in 1906, and Mansfield Town in 1910. They were non-league until 1931, when they were elected to the old Div3South; they yo-yo’d around for a long number of years, their best spell being in the mid 70s, when they won Division 4 in 74/5 and beat Wrexham to the Div 3 title in 76/7, only to come straight back down ……….and those two promotions, plus (1) losing in the Play-off semis in 2011/12 to York (2-1) (2) winning the Conference last season (having gone down – again with Wrexham – in 2007/8) while setting a club record 20 wins in their last 24 games , including 12 on the run, and (3) picking up the Football League Trophy in 1986/7 are about it, really, as far as highlights go ……….Their nickname is “The Stags” or “The Yellows” , their home ground for 100 years plus has been Field Mill (now, it seems, the “One Call Stadium”, presumably because few people go back a second time ), and one of this season’s most noteworthy events was the public falling-out between the aforementioned Paul Cox and his midfielder/assistant manager Adam Murray which resulted in Murray going on loan for 2 months to Worksop; how the hell do you loan your Assistant Manager out? Although they’ve (metaphorically) kissed and made up, because he’s been recalled! Ah, bless!

With promotion to the League comes, always, a complete shed-load of departures; 12 left, all bar one for non-League (CB Luke Jones went to Stevenage), and none of whom, frankly, you’ll ever have heard of, except for our old mate Exodus (good name for someone who’s leaving! ) Isaac Geohaghan – now with Braintree (his 14th club since 2005, including loans, and the proud owner of a degree in Video and Film Production from the University of Wolverhampton ……………….)

In came striker Sam Clucas (23) – ex Hereford and Glenn Hoddle Academy, who turned down Crewe for Mansfield (although what sort of a geographical choice that is I’m not sure ), plus Fleetwood departee Jamie McGuire (MF, 29), Antigua and Barbuda international MF Kieran Murtagh (24), once of Yeovil, Wycombe and Cambridge (although not all at the same time ) – who was rapidly dispatched on loan to Woking, which doesn’t bode well, ex Oldham and Tranmere defender Paul Black (23), former Port Vale defender John McCombe (28) and CF Calvin Andrews (26), and Wrexham defender Martin Riley (Cheltenham, and Mansfield previously in 2011/12); recently, on loan, they’ve acquired Blades’ ex Walsall FB Darryl Westlake

Their list of famous ex-players includes, rather surprisingly, John Coleman, Barry Foster and Neville Chamberlain ; not, not that Coleman, Foster and Chamberlain …………….it also includes Aidy Boothroyd , who played FB there from 1993 to 96, Colin Calderwood (81 to 85), Brian Kilcline, and Spurs ex keeper Bobby Crush (sorry, Mimms) ………… The one truly “famous” ex player in my view is winger Albert Scanlon , whom those of my generation will recognise as a Busby Babe and survivor of the Munich Crash; he played for Man U from 54 through to 60, when he was sold to Newcastle for £18,000 – a lot of money in those days!

After 9 games of the season, at the end of September, they lay 3rd with 18 points , and they were the first side to beat Chesterfield (1-0 on Mr Cook’s front lawn); from there on in it’s all gone very downhill indeed; with the exception of an FA Cup 1st Round win by 8-1 at St Alban's City they haven’t won in 15 games ; they were already out of the Milk Cup (2-0 at Tranmere) and the Paintball (1-0 at home to Chesterfield); now they’re out of the FA Cup too, having held Oldham 1-1 away but losing the replay on Tuesday night 4-1 …… Their last 11 in the League have earned them just 4 points (W0 D4 L7) , and now they lie 17th – level on points with Pompey (22), and two above Bury, York and us ………….. there can’t be many sides who’ve scored a quarter of their total goals for the season in just one game, but they have ; 21 in their 20 League games, 10 in their 5 Cup outings; they’ve scored nul points (well, nul goals ) 10 times out of 25 games, and their leading scorer – Sam Clucas – has 11, with no-one else having more than 3 ………………… They’ve lost 4 and drawn 1 of their last five home League games, and lost three and drawn three of their last 6 on the road, all the draws being goalless, and having only scored in one of those games, albeit that they scored 4 on that occasion, away at Fleetwood ………who, sadly for the Stags, scored 5!

Having won two and drawn two of their first four at home, they have just one point from their latest 5 – a 1-1 draw with Brizzle Rovers (where John Ward’s position as Manager starts to look very shaky ); home defeats by Hartlepool (1-4), Plymouth (0-1), Oxford (1-3) and Morecambe (1-2) complete the picture ………home W2 D3 L4 F12 A13, away W3 D4 L4 F9 A13, overall P20 W5 D7 L8 F21 A26

Since we came back up in 2006 we’ve met five times; in 06/07 they put us out of the FA Cup 1-0 at their place; we drew 2-2 away, and won 3-2 at Fortress Crown in the League meetings ……….the following year – their relegation season – we beat them twice – 1-0 at home, 2-1 away; P4 W3 D1 L0 – we’ll settle for that!

Tuesday past wasn’t a good night for them; as well as missing the chance of a money-spinner tie at Anfield in Round 3, they lost defender John Dempster to a red card for handball , 26 year-old MF Ben Hutchinson (who’s only just returned from a groin tear) for an estimated 4-6 weeks with a hamstring injury , and leading goalscorer Sam Clucas (who has 11 their 31 goals already this season) for 8 weeks with a damaged ankle ligament ……….their other “hot-shots” are ex Belper Town and Eastwood Town MF Lee Stevenson (29), striker Ross Dyer (25) from Forest Green, and Ollie Palmer, a 21 year-old striker who signed in the summer from Havant and Waterlooville (having started with Woking) and who carved himself a little place in the club’s history by scoring their first goal back in the FL when they beat Wycombe 1-0 away in August …………each of whom has three; two others have two each; 6 have chipped in with a single goal; we have, surely, to be optimistic here? Don’t we?

The deadline for entries is, as always, scheduled kick-off time, which is 3.00pm on Saturday 21st December 2013. Me and my mate Chimer wish you all a very Happy Christmas, a successful and prosperous 2014, and three points!

Don’t we Chimer?

Good luck to everyone ……………….Remember; passion overcomes logic ………..Keep the faith ……………………. And thanks for playing!




HAPPY CHRISTMAS!

[Redash]

3-1 to The Stanley, Please chaps.

[cashman]

I expect to witness a 2-0 win to Stanley,

[Tom D]

1-0 please

[norwich stanley]

2-2 draw please

[smobile]

2-0 Stanley

[AccyMad]

3 -1 to Stanley please

[Chimer]

Originally Posted by Div3North

Me and my mate Chimer wish you all a very Happy Christmas, a successful and prosperous 2014, and three points!

Don’t we Chimer?

Indeed we do, and of course what I forget to say when rolling on Mansfield at the end of my Eggsaceter roundup was that I trust they'll be staggered by the strength of our attack ......

That said, 2-2 please!!

[football19]

1 - 1 please

[Revived Red]

Mansfield 1 Stanley 2 please D3N.

[Div3North]

Originally Posted by Chimer

"Mansfield" ........... "stag-gered"

You've been at the Christmas cracker jokes again, haven't you?

That, or the cooking sherry!

[LongLostSon]

Stanley to win 2 - 0 - then perhaps we can enjoy Christmas, looking forward to the boxing-day game. Have a good one folks.

[ossy kid]

A "MERRY" Christmas to you 2 too, and 2 for Stanley with 0 for Mansfield. That's a 2-0 win for Stanley in case anyone is confused.

[Tommy McQueen]

Mansfield 0. Stanley 2. Please

[jaysay]

2-2 for me please