Matlock Town FC vs Mansfield Town
Matlock Town FC
0The Proctor Cars Stadium
Pre Season Friendly
Mansfield Town
3Match Report
MATLOCK TOWN 0-3 MANSFIELD TOWN
Matlock ended their pre season campaign with an expected defeat but they put in a much improved performance.
The Stags brought a large and strong squad to the Proctor Cars Stadium and they won comfortably enough to go into their season’s opener at Barnsley on Friday evening in good spirits.
Matlock included latest signings former Sheffiield Wednesday midfielder Jay Glover in midfield and pacy striker Harrison Poulter and they held their own in the opening exchanges.
The best opportunity in this period fell to Matlock and Poulter when Harry Wood won the ball inside the Stags eighteen yard box to set up Poulter whose shot was superbly cleared off the line by Elliott Hewitt.
The Stags Abdullah had earlier seen an effort held by Gladiators custodian Rogan Ravenhill but they went in front on 27 minutes, Ben Quinn beating Josh Ashman on the right to pull the ball across invitingly for Will Evans, signed earlier in the day from Newport County for an undisclosed fee, to sweep his shot clinically beyond Ravenhill.
Wood shot narrowly wide for the hosts shortly afterwards but Mansfield hit the hosts with a second goal in the 39th minute, defender Calum Macdonald being unattended at the back post to shoot low under Ravenhill after George Williams had provided the cross.
Ravenhill failed to gather a corner from the left but atoned for his error by diving to his left to push away Quinn,’s effort as the League One newcomers held a two goal interval advantage.
Substitute goalkeeper Ben Townsend held a strike from Charlie Carter following a spell of pressure from Mansfield at the start of the second half. But Matlock to their credit were fighting hard and it needed a point blank save from Scott Flinders to keep out Liam Hardy’s close range effort after fellow substitute James Morris had done well to create the chance .,
But the Stags put the game to bed when Will Swan’s deft glancing header dropped into the far corner from six yards with eighteen minutes remaining.
Mansfield had a fourth goal ruled out through offside as Abdullah found the target before Matlock might have reduced the deficit to one goal, Connor O’Grady seeing his header heroically pushed over by Owen Mason73 and Morris seeing his shot deflected narrowly wide.
It’s been a challenging pre season for the Gladiators to say the least with just one set piece goal and nothing from open play to show for their efforts. Manager Nicky Law will be hoping everything falls into place when they begin their NPL programme at Prescot Cables on Saturday.
MATLOCK TOWN: 1 Rogan Ravenhill (19 Ben Saunders 46) 2 Josh Ashman (16 Mason Toner 62) 3 Joe West 4 Jay Glover (12 George Milner 46) 5 Connor O’Grady 6 Charlie Oglesby 7 Curtis Durose (14 James Morris 56) 8 Harry Wood (17 Charlie Wood 67) 9 Harrison Poulter (18 Liam Hardy 59) 10 Sam Essien (17 Tomas Poole 62) 11 Trialist (15 Ben Ndlovu 73)
REFEREE: James Oldham (Derby) ATTENDANCE: 1320