Mansfield Town 2-3 Colchester United (EFL League Two) 02.11.19
Mansfield Town were beaten 3-2 by Colchester United at the One Call Stadium on Saturday afternoon leaving the Stags seven points adrift from the playoff places in League Two.
The home side were stunned by a stunning Brandon Comley long range strike after just eight minutes and after both Nicky Maynard and Ryan Sweeney went close it wasn’t until the stroke of half time when John Dempster’s men were level when Sweeney headed home a Mal Brenning corner.
The start to the second half was frantic and it was Colchester who went closest minutes after the break when after Kwame Poku was tripped inside the box Frank Nouble had his penalty well saved by Conrad Logan. Maynard again went close for the Stags before Logan was called in to action on two occasions brilliantly saving but the Irish stopper could do nothing as Courtney Senior curled home with sixteen minutes to go giving Colchester the lead for the second time.
That goal deflated the Stags and it was the away side that furthered their advantage with four minutes remaining. Luke Gambling poking home a rebound from Tom Lapslie’s blocked shot to all but end hopes of Mansfield taking anything from the game.
Substitute Omari Sterling-James however pulled one back in the 90th minute to give Mansfield a slim chance of a point but despite four minutes of injury time the home team couldn’t level and it was the Essex men who took the spoils.
Manager John Dempster after the game stated ““We’re disappointed because they’ve scored an outstanding goal to start off with but their second goal comes from our free-kick that we’re putting in the box.”
“At times, we looked too open. We want to be attacking and score goals, which we have, but we have to lock that defence up.”
Mansfield’s next match is on Saturday in the FA Cup when they take on Chorley at Field Mill.
Mansfield Town: Logan, Benning, Preston, Bishop (Mellis 78), MacDonald (Sterling-James 85), Khan (Hamilton 78), Maynard, Shaugnessy, Sweeney, Cook, Gordon.
Colchester United: Gerken, Jackson, Eastman, Prosser, Brammall, Comley, Stevenson (Pell 90), Senior, Poku (Lapslie 82), Harriott (Gambin 85), Nouble.
Venue: Field Mill (4,125)
*Main image @mansfieldtownfc action from the One Call Stadium.
