Mansfield Town 2 Doncaster Rovers 0
Monday, 4th November 2013 at Field Mill, Mansfield
Central League East Division
Referee – Mr Michael Scriven
Mansfield were first to settle down and won a corner in the 3rd minute but it was cleared. Rovers then won a corner that was knocked out by a defender to Ferguson, who volleyed against the bar from 18 yards. Then a mistake by Finnegan on the left let Mansfield in on goal but Maxted was quickly out to block as the shot came in.
In the 12th minute, Meikle nipped between two Rovers defenders and with a clear sight of goal blasted high and wide. In quick succession Marsden and Palmer put shots wide. A second successive corner to the home team was swung into the six-yard box catching Palmer by surprise as the ball hit his leg and went wide of the post. Minutes later and Meikle put well wide from 25 yards. A corner to Rovers in the 25th minute came to nothing and just before the half hour Murtagh, for the home team, put wide from 20yards.
Past the half hour and Howell cut in from the home left to the edge of the area before firing well wide of the far post. It was continuous pressure from Mansfield as the last ten minutes came up and the pressure told in the 40th minute when Black passed inside from the left for STEVENSON to fire in from close range. A minute later the same player was in on goal but his shot was beaten away by Maxted, who then tipped over the follow-up shot from Palmer.
Half time – Mansfield Town 1 Doncaster Rovers 0
The home team set the second half going and Meikle cut in from the right and from 8yards shaped to fire across the keeper but the ball took a deflection to send it inside the near post but Maxted did well to get back to his left and save.
In the 50th minute a long clearance from Maxted found the Mansfield defence upfield leaving Whincop, on the Rovers right, to run on to the ball and try to chip the keeper, who was off his line but he put wide of the far post. In the 53rd minute, Mansfield attacked down their right. The cross went over to the far post where HOWELL collected, turned his man and rifled into the net from the angle of the six-yard box.
Rovers were in the game far more this half and a corner on the hour was put past the far post where Griffin volleyed into the sidenet. Minutes later good work down the Rovers left by Ferguson, who played the ball down the line for Finnegan to take on before putting in a good cross but Whincop couldn’t get a touch on it in the middle.
A free kick by Whincop in the 85th minute hit the foot of the post and the keeper managed to knock it out for a corner. In added time a good move by Middleton and Whincop saw the latter’s shot deflected for a corner. Rovers tried hard to the end but couldn’t get the ball in the net.
Result – Mansfield Town 2 (Stevenson 40 Howell 53) Doncaster Rovers 0
Teams – Mansfield Town – Ian Deakin; Liam Marsden, Ben Birch, James Jennings ©, Paul Black; Lindon Meikle, Godfrey Poku, Keiran Murtagh, Anthony Howell; Lee Stevenson, Ollie Palmer
Subs used –
Subs not used – Kevin Hemagou, Jack Thomas, Conor Green, Ross Lamb, Jordan Fell
ROVERS – Jon Maxted; Andy Griffin, Liam Wakefield ©, Jordan Binns, Evan Finnegan; Harry Middleton, James Harper, Marc de Val, Lewis Ferguson; Chris Whincop, Alex Peterson
Subs used – Josh Meade for De Val 68 mins; Callum Terrell for Harper 72 mins; Mitchell Lund for Griffin 72 mins;
Subs not used – Scott Brown, Ryan Burnyeat, Jack McLaren gk