Tuesday 23 January 2018

Mansfield Town 3 v York City 1 - Central League

Tuesday 23rd January 2018
Central League (Reserves)
at Kirklington Road (Rainworth Miners Welfare FC)
Mansfield Town (1) 3
Johnny Hunt 39
George Taft 72
Lee Angol 82
York City (0) 1
James Gray 50
Admission £3
Mansfield Town:
Olejnik (GK), Digby, Diamond, Taft, Hunt, Thomas, Butcher, Atkinson, Spencer, Angol, Sterling-James
Subs: Wilson, Gibbens, T Blake, N Blake, Ward.
York City:
Simpson (GK), Law, Muggleton, Wharton, Rogerson, Rowe, Thompson, Smith, Gray (Berry 80), Morgan-Smith (Haswell 80), McNaughton
Subs: Kemp, Wilton, Lawrence
York's main threat this afternoon was Sam Muggleton's long throw ins, but the Stags defence dealt well with this oft repeated tactic, which took advantage of the strong diagonal wind blowing across the Kirklington Road pitch.
It was the home side who pressed forward and threatened to open the scoring for large swathes of the first half, with Zander Diamond, Jack Thomas and Will Atkinson all going close, while the visitors keeper Luke Simpson did well to thwart Jimmy Spencer with an excellent save.
Paul Digby, who had a really good game this afternoon, held the ball up inside the York area and instead of hitting a hopeful cross into the mix, thoughtfully kept possession and rolled the ball back to Atkinson, who spanked the ball over the bar from outside the area.
Digby then played the ball to Johnny Hunt, out on the left, who muscled his way towards the visitors area through the left channel, before unleashing an unstoppable twenty five yard shot into the roof of Simpson's net, to break the deadlock after 39 minutes.
Spencer had two opportunities to increase the Stags lead before the break, but the wind was playing a big part in proceedings, causing havoc with the ball and making things difficult for both teams.
The two sides had goals ruled out during the first half, as a game that initially looked likely to be a case of men against boys, turned out to be anything but. The Stags fielded a strong side full of first team experience, including George Taft who looked full of running and endeavour on return from his loan spell at Cambridge United, while the Minstermen had a blend of youth and experience out on the park.
Lee Angol caught the eye, but not for the right reasons, as he seemed to spend a lot of time going to ground and looking for free kicks rather than staying upright and trying to impress his first team manager who was watching on, with his ability and eye for goal... though he obviously had a change of heart late in the game.
HT: Stags 1 v Minstermen 0
Five minutes after the interval, another long throw from Muggleton caused problems for the Stags defence as the ball swung about in the last remnants of 'Hurricane Irma' and as Taft attempted to clear it, James Gray managed to connect with a shot on the turn and beat Bobby Olejink, via a deflection that wrong footed the hosts keeper.
Muggleton picked out Amari Morgan-Smith with an angled free kick, whose well placed header forced a save from Olejnik. And as the visitors began to grow in stature, Flynn McNaughton was unlucky to see his header drop narrowly wide of the upright.
In the seventy second minute, the Stags opening goal scorer Hunt, became the provider of the opening for their second, when his well delivered free kick from out on the right, was flicked past Simpson by Taft with a deft header.
York made a double substitution with ten minutes remaining as they looked to regroup and fight their way back into the game a second time, but Angol had other ideas and after having had a fairly ineffective game, saved face with a great solo goal, as he powered into the visitors area, just to the right of the D and crashed the ball into the back of the net from twelve yards out.
Calum Butcher almost added a fourth Stags goal in the closing moments of the game after Spencer slipped the ball through to him, but Simpson kept the ball out with an outstretched leg.
Omari Sterling-James put in a great shift for the home side, showing some good touches out on the left flank, that deserved more end product in the final third, but ultimately Mansfield's stiffs had just enough extra quality about them to see off their lively York City counterparts.
FT: Mansfield Town 3 v York City 1
The Stags had five players who are progressing from the Under 18 ranks at the club on the bench, but none of them got a chance to come on and shine at any time during the ninety minutes. 
It's character building for them all I suppose, if nothing else, even though I personally would like to see these lads involved in Central League games more often.
Footnote. Added at 8.15PM
Tonight we travelled to the NCEL Division 1 game between Selby Town and Brigg Town, but at 7.10PM, just after we'd arrived, the referee postponed the game... flipping 'eck!