Stags Held Again

Grimsby Town 1-1 Mansfield Town (EFL League Two) 15.04.23

Another game, and yet another draw for promotion-chasing Mansfield Town after Nigel Clough’s Stags were held to a 1-1 draw at Blundell Park on Saturday afternoon.

Granted the Stags are unbeaten in their last six, but, with four of those being draws, it means of a possible eighteen available, eight have been dropped – and two of those draws, they were against Grimsby.

Then there’s the formations deployed, over those six games, the Stags have played four different formations, so any stability, cohesion, has been difficult to maintain, more following the success, after the January signings, of the 3-5-2.

As for the game itself, Stephen Quinn needed attention in the opening minutes due to injury as Grimsby’s Michee Efete is booked for a bad foul, and there’s less than five on the clock.

The Stags would get the first few efforts off, following up their attacking prowess from their last outing as first, Elliott Hewitt heads wide, then, from a Davis Keillor-Dunn corner, Lucas Akins fires wide.

Stephen Quinn and Alfie Kilgour both saw efforts blocked in quick succession before the hosts registered an effort on Christy Pym’s goal, Kieran Green’s chance though also blocked; Efete would then be fouled, Hewitt seeing yellow, before Ryan Taylor was pulled back for offside.

The chances continued to flow for the visitors when Kieran Wallace fired wide following a Stags corner, before the opening goal finally arrived, minutes before the break; a cross from Hewitt finds its way through to Hiram Boateng, in the middle of the box, and he proceeds to fire home a left-footed effort, past Max Crocombe in the home goal.

Still time for more, Quinn fired wide from a Callum Johnson cross, before, and in first half stoppage time, Keillor-Dunn, having been fed the ball by Boateng, let’s fly from near forty yards out, but his speculative shot flies high and wide of Crocombe’s goal.

Early in the second period and visiting shot-stopper, Christy Pym, gives away a penalty, is booked for his efforts having fouled George Lloyd, before saving Otis Khan’s spot-kick in the bottom corner; the rebound however, is headed home by the onrushing Lloyd, much to the delight of the home crowd.

Minutes later and Pym was called into action again, this time saving a goal-bound effort from Lloyd, before Khan fired wide of goal, Boateng sent a free-kick high of Crocombe’s goal, whilst Green’s effort was blocked.

Quinn would see his effort blocked before Boateng saw his follow-up saved by Crocombe, before Lloyd saw an effort saved at the other end by Pym; Keillor-Dunn involved in more ways than one, first sending an effort high and wide, before being seen due to injury, Akins also seeing an effort saved.

Lloyd and Khan both saw efforts blocked for the hosts as the game headed into the final ten minutes, before Keillor-Dunn saw two late efforts blocked, Anthony Driscoll-Glennon sent a direct free-kick high and wide at the last before Clough made a handful of late changes (the probably should have been made earlier), the game petering out into the draw which it was destined to be.

Still pushing for that play-off spot, the Stags holding onto seventh place, are five points behind the three sides directly above them, and with a game in hand on two of them (Stockport County and Carlisle United). Upcoming sees the Stags travel to Newport County (Tuesday 18 April), before hosting Stevenage Borough on Saturday coming (22 April).

Mansfield Town: Christy Pym, Elliott Hewitt, Alfie Kilgour, James Perch, Callum Johnson, Kieran Wallace, Hiram Boateng (Jason Law, 89), Stephen Quinn (Stephen McLaughlin, 90), Davis Keillor-Dunn (James Gale, 89), Lucas Akins, Jordan Bowery.

With four-to-five games still to play, both Salford City (66) and Barrow (62) are breathing down Mansfield Town’s (66) necks; Bradford City, Carlisle and Stockport are all sitting on 71 points, and Stevenage two points better off in third – with it all, still to play for.