Mansfield tonight
 

Wow, what a feisty affair that was. Ref lost control early on and went rapidly downhill. Fantastic defensive performance from front to back and a much improved display from McConville I have to say, capped by a superb strike. At last we got what we deserved!

Re: Mansfield tonight
 

Redraine, I fully agree with your summary. I lost count of the number of yellow cards shown and was sure someone would end up being sent off. Will look at the stats on the BBC, but that ref was absolutely useless. It was like watching WWF from both teams to be fair, but Mansfield more so, and the number of fouls that went unpunished is beyond me. I sometimes wonder what the officials were watching, because it certainly wasn't that match. Stanley should have had 2 stonewall penalties in the 2nd half from the same move, both were waved away. If that is the standard of reffing in League 2 this season, it could be long and hard.

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According to the stats, Mansfield had 7 players booked and we had 3, but they had 51% possession against our 49%. we had 12 shots of which 5 were on target, they had 6 of which only 2 were on target.We had 6 corners to their 2 and committed 14 fouls to their 16. All we need now is someone to stick more than 1 in the onion bag. But at least it is our first win of the season and we are now 12th in the table

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I had to check who was managing Mansfield tonight. There tactics where straight out of the Graham Wesley handbook. Made it even more pleasing grinding out the win.

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Lambs deliberately left his foot in and caught Pearson in the face, needless to say the ref missed it.

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Have to agree the game was ruined by inept reffing, the guy never got a grip and like always a near brawl broke out near the end, how no player is seriously injured is a mystery to me. was hard fought 3 pts we were nowhere near our best but deserved the win in my view, have to disagree though about uncle jims lad, thought he was terrible tonight, yet scored a decent goal and won us the game, work that un out, onwards and upwards.:)

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Players wise, Davies continues to impress every game, crooks confidence grew and he was good second half. Mcconville showed how he has the ability to make things happen with his goal. Buxton deserves the credit the man of match award gave him. I got 8 to 1 on us finishing top 7 earlier this week at corals. I think they underestimate the Stanley's chances on the playoffs.

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Agree wi chevys summary of the players, Billy Kee also gave 100% and never stopped grafting, the lad certainly deserves a goal fer me.

Re: Mansfield tonight
 

Good three points and a clean sheet.
For the first twenty minutes they did to us what we normally do to the opposition,they closed us down,give us no time and really got in our faces.
They had come off the back of some decent performances and you could see the confidence.
Slowly we grew into the game and we were solid defensively and I am glad Coley read my posts about finding a place for Bucko :).
We are going to be a tough team to beat and with our options everyone needs to perform.
McConville wasn't at the races for the first twenty minutes,but I did warn Yonmon he's got a goal in him !!
A lot of solid performances,Piero was excellent and showed great energy,Bucko raised his game and Matty Pearson is a lad you would want along side you in a battle.
Billy also showed some good touches and Crookes was good.
The unsung hero for me was Coonnely who played "Joyce's " roll and he plugs holes when others bomb on.
This sometimes goes un-noticed and he looks a real player

Re: Mansfield tonight
 

Not the best football were capable of but first 3 points are welcomed!

The most worrying thing is the attendance tonight!! Less than 900 Stanley fans tonight, what are the club doing to get new fans?

Can't we give 2/3000 free tickets out to school kids with a paying adult? Granted not all tickets will be used but what have the club got to lose? As it would be new fans so no revenue lost. Not to mention the better atmosphere it will create!

This could lead to kids wanting to come back and dragging their parent and also a Stanley shirt for Christmas etc and soon as 1 kid has a Stanley shirt, his mate will want to come and get a shirt!

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I have to agree with earlier comments about the referee Adam England!
His performance tonight was one of the most inept refereeing displays that I have ever witnessed!:eek::eek::eek::dummy2::dummy2::dummy2: I think that he made NO bookings in the first half when there should have been at least two Mandsfield players carded. Their lads constantly wrapped their arms round our forwards at set pieces, pushed and nudged our players in the back and manipulated the referee and his assistants by moving the ball up the touchline at throw ins and also at free kicks! Had the ref booked a couple earlier in the game then he would have had a much better chance of maintaing control. He then booked TEN in the second half and lost the game completely! :pain30::stupid::do-one:
For all their possesion Mansfield did not create too much of a problem for our defence. Mooney looked strong, for me Buxton deserved his 'MOM' award. Pearson, Davies and Deano hardly put a foot wrong. Crooks in midfield was strong and creative. Sean Mac didn't have a great game for me but he did what we know he can do by scoring the important goal. It was the first thing that he had done right up to that point! Seamus played his part effectively and efficiently, keeping a cool head when under pressure. Seamus is the one player for me this season who has the ability to put his foot on the ball, look around and then simply play the right pass! Pierro was a constant threat and Billy eventually got the better of their centre half, who I think had four arms!!!! Josh did well too but seemed to be almost trying too hard!
A very hard earned three points tonight and we showed the strength of character not only to overcome a rugged Mansfield side but also to cope with the terrible refeering by Mr England!:eek::eek:
SACK THE REFEREE!
ON STANLEY ON:alright::wave8::signbeer:

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Uninspiring game but a rare August win is very welcome.

Nothing for either side after 30 mins, then Mansfield had the first shot (deflected) on target after over passing what could have been their best chance of the game. Stanley then score with "The Beast" beaten too easily at his near post from distance. Those 30 seconds were crucial.

I was frustrated at the ball in the corner stuff when there could have been four minutes left (ref blew one min early considering the stoppage just after the 6 went up by my watch) and I feared another Luton after the aimless half way line passing in the 88th minute that game. A win's a win though.

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For me Seamus is a much more complete player than Luke Joyce! I think our team can be built around this lad. He is first class!
:)

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Stanley where poor first half and by far the better team second half.
I was impressed with how Crooks grew into the game.
Was the attendance low because it's holiday season?

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Can only hope the holiday season was the main reason, Davo, otherwise it's worrying.
Didn't see the game but glad to get 3 points.
Think the criticism of the ref is unfair...he obviously left his pencil behind in the dressing room for the first half.

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He left his gob as well, never even spoke to anyone in first half,let alone booked.completely inept.

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spot on choirboy. if he had been more proactive the 1st half the second would have been easier for him. we stood up well to their tactics and hopefully no injuries for Saturday. some Stanley players in the past would have gone missing in a game like this but ive a feeling this squad is made of sturner stuff. only downside was the first 30 mins. and the crowd numbers. THE TEAM DESERVE BETTER

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Exile, you didn't see the match....Believe me...
THE REF WAS ABSOLUTELY USELESS.:help:

As for the low gate....well there could be a number of reasons which have been discussed on various posts in recent seasons....
Current high walk on price...?
Rovers at home.....?
3 Home matches and Morecambe away in only 11 days...?
General apathy of Accrington folk....?

My view is that if more football loving Accringtonians supported our own town team and not other towns and cities teams then we would have a much better attendance in the region of 2K to 3K fans!
My message then to all these fans who support other teams is .....
GET DOWN TO THE WHAM STADIUM AND SUPPORT YOUR OWN TOWN TEAM........:wave8:
ACCRINGTON STANLEY....:theband:
The football currently being played here is of a very high standard and is very entertaining and is being played on a superb playing surface.
YOUR LOCAL FOOTBALL CLUB NEEDS YOU....
ACCRINGTON STANLEY.:alright:
ON STANLEY ON:cheers::wub:

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Preaching to the converted on here Choirboy, Why not give plenty of tickets to junior football clubs, I don't mean 10/15 tickets, but they obviously have a love for the game so why not get them up with a paying parent!

We can't just expect people to turn up and pay £20

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All done by the community trust on a regular basis. Club even gave away season tickets to all primary school children last season but it didn't work.

And before you ask I don't the answer apart from winning every game :)

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Dont agree with you on lots of issues baldy, but that is 100% bang on.

Been saying it for years, but we used to be the "cheap" local option, especially when Burnley and Rovers where away......Not the case anymore and until the club sees sense with its matchday prices nothing will change the situation.

£20 for me last season was simply too much to find once or sometimes twice a week.

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if we play 2 home games in a week its common sense to make the mid week game cheeper to attract fans. the problem is the club has to pay bills therefore you are in the scenario of 100 at 20 pounds is better than 199 at ten pounds. short term thinking and with most of the people who sit near me in the moan stand we probably wound be around to get full value from a 20 year season ticket.

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I'm talking a lot more tickets than just the kids that play football at half time! I mean hundreds even thousands of tickets, We have the Community Trust going into school etc every day so wouldn't be extra workload for anyone at the club having to dish them out!

I do appreciate that the club have unbelievable prices and season/flexi tickets but how many new fans have bought season tickets? I just think we need to be getting more kids on the game!

I'm not saying this has to be every game but why not 3/4 times a season when we play teams like Wimbledon and Barnet when we know the away following won't be great, make a big fuss of grassroots football and invite all junior clubs to come in their teams football shirts and really push it!

Even go as far as getting Supporters Club involved and getting facepainters in for the kids, It's not as though there isn't enough room behind the Clayton end to do this!

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ment would NOT be around to get full value for 20 year season ticket. sorry need an age related nap now.

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It's harder to attract kids these days, seems supporting your home team is not as important in the 'sky sports' era, making it easier to support a so called successful team from the comfort of the lounge. 44 years out of the football league impacted massively & grass roots football got lost in the media publicised big stadiums, not helped by Burnley & Blackburn firming their roots of successes in the top 2 tiers, which took the bulk of local support away initially, then passing through generations in Stanley's absence. What we have now in terms of numbers are on the whole loyal Stanley supporters, the through thick & thin types, particularly over the past 10 years where we have battled to maintain mid table with the 1 playoff chance in between. No matter what initiative the club does, the public isn't biting I'm afraid, hence why gate price is £20, those that want to come to a game will pay it those that don't won't. We couldn't fill the ground on a freebie either! The main focus was to make the season ticket & flexi more attractive for a more long term focus than a match as you go focus, which I think is sensible season long. Only continued success on the pitch & push for promo is the only way to increase new or change apathetic supporters by making them see we are serious contenders - particularly if we continue to play like we did against hull - we can do it!

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Doesnt help when the commercial aspects of the club are an absolute disaster.

The lack of matchday hospitality this season is an absolute joke..... Young Faye used to have that clubhouse packed out on matchdays.

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The club have tried to entice younger kids and did offer free tickets to any primary school leaver last year. But, Baldy and others are right; getting kids engaged is the only way to survive and the club just has to keep on doing it, year on year. Just because it didn't produce instant results isn't reason to stop doing it. The club has to be applauded and supported in trying to connect with Accy's kids.
I wonder if there would be any possibility of exploiting the success of Huncoat Primary given their Wembley glory only a few months ago? Could there be a challenge to all other primary schools in Hyndburn to take on Huncoat, played pre-match at Stanley's home games? Or even organise a series of inter-school games that result in a 'final' later in the year? Every kid playing would be sure to bring an adult and who knows, some of them might even come back to watch the Stanley.

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Just had a peek on Mansfield's fans forum, not happy bunnies - they're wondering if we're their bogey team & can't understand how 'a team with less than 1000 home fans attending on a balmy night can nick 3 points from us', also calling us 'Alfreton in disguise' - seems like we really ruffled a few feathers last night :D

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I was unable to pick up my season ticket on 6th August so I rang up before the match last night to ask when I could pick it up. I was told that there were no season tickets available as they had all been given out but I would be able to pick up tickets for the Mansfield and Northampton game at the ticket office.

So last night I went to the ticket office and picked them up. When I asked when I could pick up my season tickets was told not until the Exeter home game due to the unprecedented request for season tickets those that weren't picked up on 6 August had been given out to people turning up on the night asking for them.

If this is the case and a lot more people have bought season tickets the number who turned up at last night's match does not reflect that. Holidays and work commitments probably played a part in the low numbers last night.

A few months ago I mentioned that we should turn the negative view re the low numbers attending matches to a positive through merchandising Tshirts etc with the logo along the lines of "Proud to be one of the thousand" "My dad, mum brother grandad etc is one of the thousand", just wondered whether that suggestion was deemed to be a non starter as I have not seen anything since.

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Although you can't knock the club for trying the school leavers promotion...How many tickets actually made it home?...not that many I assume!

That's why I said junior football clubs, Speak to their managers and make it more of a day out to them, most of the kids may have never even been to a league game before, let's get the kids up with all their footy team mates and they're more likely to enjoy it!

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Around 48 school leaver season tickets were actually used.

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Hospitality is available, in fact there is a new option this year
Match Day Guests ? Accrington Stanley FC

As far as I know it was busy for both Luton & Hull.

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We can make any t-shirt, the problem is getting people to buy them :)

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There are match highlights on youtube/stagnet if anyone knows how to post it on Acciweb

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I agree with most comments on the game. however I was glad to see Adam Buxton get man of the match for a change. It was a bad match to pick out the good and bad. For me Crooks was missing far to often, when he came alive he was great but only in short bursts. our strikers like josh and Billy can not afford to miss the chances on offer. with Buxton in defence made a big difference, Top player. 3 points gained next game please.

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Thanks so much Dave and Footy 19.

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Chris,I think when Barry came on he played with Coonelly in the two with Crookes playing further forward .
Bucko is a talented player,but the most pleasing part is his "defending " is getting better.
Going forward isn't an issue with him,but he seems to be making good choices at when to attack and when to stick.
Great players in the wings tho ready for any dip in form all over the pitch !

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I paid £48 quid for me and my eldest son to watch the Morecambe v Wycombe game Tuesday night, on top of that we folked out another £20 notes for the usual footy pints and pies, EXPENSIVE NIGHT i'd say
You can't blame the masses that are more often than not on minimum wage to keep on paying more and more when they themselves are standing still.
£20 quid will get you a decent seat at Rovers for 2nd tier standard in your case!