Venue: Forest Town Arena, Clipstone Road West, Nottm
Competition: NCEL Division One
Referee: Mr. David Evans (South Yorks)
Scorers:
Bulls - Tris Whitman (70)
Cobras - Rich Mintoft (5), Rob Paling (69)
Line-ups:
AFC Mansfield: White, Kitchen, Dudley, Allott, Timons, D Naylor, Ghaichem, Cotton, Lamplough, Mitchell, Williams. Subs: Whitman, Buxton, C Wood, Ward, J Naylor
Clipstone: Siddons, Shaw, Paling, Baugh, Mintoft, Hill, D Wood, M Austin, Gibson, Brown, Ord. Subs: White, Walker, Whitehead + 2 more (sorry - no team sheet)
This should have been a pulsating, blood-curdling, passionate local derby. What we witnessed was a somewhat less than entertaining game. The final score was a fair reflection on the game as a whole, and sees Clipstone complete a league double over their near neighbours.
Shake
3rd team
A bitter cold wind swept across the upper-tier decking where we were stationed - not too warm for a March afternoon, especially after the past couple of fairly mild conditions.
Rudy feeling the cold....
AFC won a corner in the second minute, and although Grant Allott connected with Ryan Williams' in-swinging ball, he could only direct his header over the Clipstone bar.
Seconds later, Matty Ord made a great run down the left and won Clipstone a corner. Rob Paling's ball in was superb, and was met at the far stick with a towering header from RICH MINTOFT that looped over everyone and into the goal.
0-1 (Mintoft)
Both teams then struggled to play anything like they are capable and after six minutes of added time, accrued when Dan Wood was injured and had to be stretchered off the field of play, Referee Mr. Evans thankfully called a halt to proceedings. H-T 0-1
Jimmy Ghaichem's corner for the home team within three minutes of the restart was punched away well by Nick Siddons, but the game then entered a similar quiet phase that we had to endure in the first half.
Clipstone went further ahead on 69 when Bulls' keeper Jason White dallied with what should have been a simple clearance and gifted ROB PALING the ball. Despite the custodian trying to make amends by closing Paling down, the defender calmly rolled the ball across the goal line and into the net from an acute angle.
0-2 (Paling)
The Bulls response was immediate, TRIS WHITMAN volleying home from close range after the Cobras defence had failed to pick up Craig Mitchell on the far post, and allowed the striker to pull the ball across the goal to where the substitute was waiting to pounce.
Mitchell does well to send the ball into the danger area..
...with Whitman on hand to apply the finishing touch
To be fair to the Bulls, they kept applying pressure right until the final whistle, although they did seem to rely heavily on Ashley Kitchen's long throws into the box to create this pressure. Against some teams in this division, these throws may well provide dividends, but against the height of Rich Mintoft, Stu Hill and Brandon Shaw, the tactic looked slightly flawed. F-T 1-2
A delighted Clipstone management team after the final whistle
Admission: £4.00
Programme: £1.50
Attendance: 176
MOM: Rich Mintoft
Charity: £2.25
Pics: courtesy Kev Goodman
