Mansfield match report.
https://stagsnet.net/match/reports/viewreport.php?matchid=1187Mansfield Town 2 - 5 Swindon Town
Gordon 1, Swan 30. Boateng sent off 59. Williams 7, 35, Jephcott 51, Darcy 68, Gladwin pen 85
Attendance: 6,804 (734 from Swindon) (note this it is essentially tickets sold, including season tickets)
Date: 29 October 2022
STAGS BEATEN 5-2 AT HOME BY SWINDON
Martin Shaw at the One Call Stadium, Field Mill
Mansfield Town were beaten 5-2 by Swindon Town at the One Call Stadium this afternoon. It was an extraordinary game. The first half was absolutely superb entertainment with high quality attacking from both sides, as the Stags took the lead after 35 seconds through Kellan Gordon, were pegged back after 7 minutes, took the lead again after 30 minutes through Will Swan, and were pegged back again in controversial circumstances after 35 minutes. It was 2-2 at the break and it was hard to remember a better half of entertaining football.
The Stags should have been ahead after 50 minutes but missed a great chance, and within a minute at the other end Swindon took the lead for the first time at 3-2.
The Stags then had a player sent off after 59 minutes, for the second game running at exactly the same minute. This time it was Hiram Boateng, picking up a second booking for trying to stop a free kick from being taken quickly. Daft from Boateng, when he was already on a yellow card, and that would be understating the stupidity and costliness of it. After that, Swindon ruthlessly took advantage of the extra man to cruise to victory scoring two more goals as well as hitting the bar.
An extraordinary result:
The first time Mansfield had lost at home in the league this season.
Only Mansfield’s second defeat at home in the league in 13 months.
The first time Mansfield had conceded 5 goals in a league game for 6 years, since a 5-2 defeat at Carlisle in November 2016.
The first time Mansfield had conceded 5 goals at home in a league game for nearly 12 years, since a 5-2 defeat at home to Fleetwood in the Conference in January 2011. (Mansfield also lost 5-2 at home to AFC Wimbledon earlier the same season).
Full credit to Swindon who played very well going forward. As did Mansfield for an hour. But defences looked suspect. In Jonny Williams, a Welsh international, Swindon have a midfielder who in my opinion is too good for League Two. I said that in commentary before the game started. He went on to score Swindon’s first two goals. I also said in commentary before the game that I was surprised that Ollie Clarke wasn’t starting for Mansfield to nullify the threat of Williams, as he did very effectively last season. Clarke was brought on after 66 minutes, he almost immediately got Williams booked, and Williams was almost immediately substituted.
The Stags drop 5 places to 9th in the table, albeit only five points behind third placed Northampton with a game in hand.
Mansfield took the lead after 35 seconds. Good play on the left involving McLaughlin, Quinn and Swan, gave McLaughlin a yard of space to cross from the left across the edge of the six yard box and find Gordon unmarked at the far post. Gordon slotted past the keeper from 6 yards. Gordon wasn’t just unmarked, there was no defender within 10 yards of him. It was just his second goal for Mansfield, and his first for more than 3 years since scoring at Port Vale in a 2-2 draw in October 2019.
Swindon were level after 7 minutes. Hawkins lost possession following a McLaughlin throw-in on the halfway line. Jacob Wakeling got past O’Toole, as O’Toole and Hawkins then collided taking each other out, Wakeling got into the area, and fired towards the bottom right corner of the net. Pym dived at full stretch to make a great save, but Jonny Williams slotted the loose ball into the net from 3 yards. Unfortunate for Pym who was at such full stretch that he could not push the ball anywhere else other than towards Williams. Poor from Hawkins, and O’Toole could have done better.
The Stags could have been back in front as Gordon had a shot blocked at source, and then after a lovely move, McLaughlin’s low ball in from the left was turned goalwards by Swan but Swindon keeper Sol Brynn saved on his line.
The Stags were back in front after 30 minutes. Boateng nicked the ball off Ronan Darcy in the centre circle, he played a lovely ball forward to Lapslie, and Lapslie sent Swan away with a fabulous ball. Swan ran on to it, took one touch into the area, and fired past the keeper into the bottom left corner of the net from 16 yards. A tremendous goal, Swan’s 5th goal of the season. Lapslie’s 6th assist of the season (see details at the bottom).
Boateng was booked for a late challenge after 32 minutes. That was to become significant in the second half.
Swindon were level again after 35 minutes. Remeao Hutton, who had a fine game going forward for Swindon from right back, played a 1-2 with Ben Gladwin to get into the Stags area, Hutton fired across Pym and against the inside of the left post. The ball span across the face of goal, around the right post and appeared to go out of play for a goal kick. Hutton meanwhile had got to the byline and pulled the ball back into play. From the video, Hutton’s left foot is planted on the byline as he uses his right boot to pull the ball back into play. We don’t have the perfect angle, but it certainly appears to be out of play. The ball is pulled back to Jonny Williams, who slots into the right corner of the net from 8 yards. A controversial goal. McLaughlin was convinced the ball was out of play.
More chances for both sides before the break as Darcy fired straight at Pym, and Swan flicked just wide from a great cross from Gordon.
2-2 at the break and it had been simply superb entertainment, and high quality attacking from both sides.
Into the second half. After 49 minutes, great play from Lapslie to tee up Swan who volleyed just over the bar. Then after 50 minutes, Lapslie sent Gordon into the area for a great chance but Gordon’s shot was saved by the keeper with his legs.
However within seconds, on 51 minutes, rather than the Stags being ahead, it was Swindon who took the lead, for the first time in the game. Luke Jephcott sent Wakeling away down the left, Wakeling got to the byline, cut back inside O’Toole, and teed up Jephcott who was completely unmarked 11 yards out to fire into the net. O’Toole could have done better, as could Hawkins, Hewitt and Hartigan who all left Jephcott unmarked.
The Stags were reduced to ten men after 59 minute. Boateng chased after Saidou Khan from inside his own half to 40 yards from goal. Boateng fouled Khan, a soft foul, but probably a foul nonetheless. Khan got up, put the ball on the floor and tried to take the free kick quickly, but Boateng stopped him doing so. The referee immediately booked Boateng for doing so. After the game Nigel Clough commented that the ball was moving as Boateng stopped it being taken quickly. That is true, but it doesn’t take away from the stupidity of Boateng’s action when he was already on a yellow card.
(This is what Clough said about the free kick: “The free kick was bouncing so it wasn't a legitimate free kick with the ball moving, so I am not sure he is entitled to send him off. I asked the assistant and fourth official what the rule was on that bit, neither of them answered it.”)
Worth noting of course that you can’t appeal against a second yellow card, whatever the rights and wrongs of the ball already moving when Boateng stopped the free kick being taken.
There was little chance of a Stags recovery after that. On 68 minutes, it was 4-2. Hutton got forward and the right and squared inside to Wakeling whose shot was brilliantly saved by Pym. Wakeling recycled the loose ball to Darcy who cut inside from the left along the edge of the area and curled a great shot into the top right corner of the net.
Pym pushed a long range shot from Williams wide, then Jephcott got into the area 1-on-1 with Pym and fired into the side netting as Swindon pushed home the man advantage.
And it was 5-2 after 85 minutes, with a rare error of judgement from Pym. Jephcott went for a ball on the byline, running away from goal, going nowhere, and Pym brought him down for a clear penalty. Ben Gladwin converted the penalty, down the middle, as Pym dived to his right.
Jephcott sent a flying header against the bar from a Hutton cross after 87 minutes.
The Stags had three chances for a consolation goal as sub Jason Law made a great run along the byline on the right and his shot was saved at the near post, Bowery brought a good save from the keeper with a left footed shot, Hawkins headed straight at the keeper from the resulting corner, and Clarke fired wide from the edge of the area having been teed up by Swan.
A terrible result for the Stags. Plenty of poor defending, maybe a bit of bad luck with the second Swindon goal, and a really daft and costly sending off all contributed to the result.
Boateng tweeted on Sunday morning: “Let my teammates and the fans down yesterday and I’m gutted about that as I know once you go down to 10 there’s little chance of getting something out of the game already a goal down.. I will be working hard to make sure I put things right when back on the pitch”.
The next game is in the FA Cup, away to Barrow next Saturday. Due to FA Cup rights, there is no streaming on iFollow for overseas or UK viewers, though we will of course bring full match commentary as usual.
DETAILED REPORT TO FOLLOW
Here’s a running tally of various stats this season:
Goals (league and cup): Lapslie 6, Swan 5, Akins, Harbottle, Hawkins, Maris 3, Bowery, Clarke 2, Gale, Gordon, Oates 1.
Assists (league and cup): Lapslie 6, Maris 3, Akins, Gordon, Hartigan, Hewitt, McLaughlin 2, Boateng, Bowery, Clarke, Hawkins, Law, Quinn, Wallace 1
(notes on assists: in the case of a penalty, the player who earns the penalty gets an assist, such as Lapslie against AFC Wimbledon. In the case of a solo goal, such as Maris against Newport at home last season, nobody gets an assist. In the case of the scorer scoring from the rebound after a shot is saved or blocked, the player who had the shot saved gets an assist, such as Lapslie against Stockport. In the case of an own goal, the player who caused the own goal gets an assist, for example McLaughlin against Newport away last season where his shot was deflected in for an own goal. In the case of a cross that is headed away before the goal is scored, such as Clarke’s goal at Doncaster, nobody gets an assist.)
Yellow cards (league only, alphabetical order): Boateng 2, Clarke 4, Harbottle 2, Hawkins 2, Lapslie 2, Law 1, Maris 3, McLaughlin 2, O’Toole 4, Perch 2, Pym 1, Quinn 5, Swan 1.
Red cards (league and cup): Boateng 1, Bowery 1, Perch 1.
(note: red cards count across competitions apart from Papa John’s Trophy; yellow cards are competition specific)
(note: 5 yellow cards before the end of the 19th league game will result in a one match ban; 10 yellow cards before the end of the 37th league game will result in a two match ban; 15 yellow cards before the end of the 46th league game will result in a three match ban)
Average home league attendance: 6415 (average away fans: 498, average home fans 5917) (see Tranmere report for explanation of how attendance is calculated: it is essentially tickets sold, including season tickets)
Report by: Martin Shaw at the One Call Stadium, Field Mill
