Crawley Town 0-2 Mansfield
MANSFIELD have completed the double over Crawley with a well deserved 2-0 win here at the Broadfield Stadium despite finishing the game with ten men.
Jake Speight tapped Mansfield into an 11th minute lead after some poor home defending from a corner.
Danny Forrest had Reds best chance of the half firing inches wide across goal and Mansfield were reduced to ten men when Matt Sommer was handed a second yellow card.
With the home fans urging their team on it was Mansfield who dealt the decisive blow when Paul Heckinbottom curled in a free kick just seven minutes after the sending off and Calum Willock somehow deflected the ball over the bar from two yards right at the death.
90 mins: Goodness knows how Crawley don't score. Simon Rusk strikes to the back post where Willock is there unmarked two ayrds from goal but it deflects off his shin and somehow clears the bar. Definately not Crawley's day today.
88 mins: Reds have looked pretty short of ideas in the final third today, typified by Pinault's ambitious effort from a very tight angle after the ball had come back to him from a corner. They've battled hard but Mansfield deserve the win.
85 mins: Mansfield sub. Perry comes off for Rob Duffy.
80 mins: Ryan Williams and Perry exchange passes and Williams goes for the near post but just misses the targtet. Mansfield replace Speight with Gary Mills.
76 mins: GOAL FOR MANSFIELD. Paul Heckingbottom curls a free kick into the bottom corner to give ten-man Mansfield a 2-0 lead and surely all three points. Reds committed men forward and Mansfield broke with three on one, but Broadhurst got back to make a lunging challenge on the edge of the box to earn himself a yellow card. Heckingbottom curled the resulkting free kick round the wall and right into the bottom corner.
Yellow card for Perry.
The home crowd are urging their team forward against the ten men of Mansfield. The Reds have just under 20 minutes to get back into this game.
69 mins: RED CARD. Matt Sommer is sent off for second yellow card for a late tackle on Karl Broadhurst. Mansfield bring on Steven Istead for Blair Sturrock.
63 mins: Crawley sub. Charlie Ademeno replaces Forrest upfront.
60 mins: Couple of chances for Mansfield. First Jordan makes a smart stop to keep out a vicious effort from Speight. The his kick is headed back towards his goal and Blair Sturrock beats him to the ball, his effort at goal looks to be heading in but Quinn is back to clear off the line.
56 mins: Broadhurst's clearance strikes Quinn and Speight picks up the ball and fires out at goal which requires a smart stop from Jordan to keep it out. From the goal kick the ball is headed back towards his goal and Blair Sturrock gives chase. He gets there ahead of Jordan to slide an effort at goal, but Quinn has raced back to clear off the goal line.
52 mins: Calum Willock starts a move by releasing Malcolm down the right, he cuts inside and slides the ball to Rusk who is well forward. The defender fires an early shot across goal which Forrest just can't get a toe to sliding in. Good break by Crawley and moire positive signs ealr in this second-half.
47 mins: Good start to the half by Crawley. They threaten with a couple of early corners and from the second win a free kick right on the edge of the area. Pinault curls at goal but it lacks the pace to trouble Marriott.
45 mins: Two half-time subs for Crawley. Simon Rayner obviously hadn't shaken off an earlier injury and is replaced by Nick Jordan in goal and Michael Malcolm replaces the ineffectual Barry Cogan on the left of midfield.
MANSFIELD lead Crawley 1-0 at the break from Jake Speight's early goal here at the Broadfield Stadium.
Speight - who has been a menace throughout - tapped home after the hosts failed to deal with a corner, and Mansfield should have made it 2-0 right on the stroke of half-time but Reds' keeper Simon Rayner saved at the feet of Kyle Perry.
Crawley's best chance came when Danny Forrest flashed an effort inches wide of the far post, and although Mansfield have been the better team the Reds are still very much in this game.
45 mins: Mansfield should have made it 2-0. Speight slips Perry in behind the defence and it's one-on-one, but Perry's first touch is just a tad too heavy and Rayner gets down at his feet to m ake the save. The goalkeeper did very well there.
42 mins: A Clumsey challenge on the edge of the box gives Mansfield a chance from a free kick. It comes off the wall but a second effort deflects off the head of Gary Silk but flies just wide.
40 mins: A cross from the right lands at Cogan in the box but it bounces up and strikes his knee. I don't think he expected that to come through to him but a better touch and he was in there.
Worrying moment for Crawley as Raynor gathers a cross well but lands awkwardly and stays down. After a bit of treatment though he's back on his feet again.
34 mins: Forrest picks up a ball over the top looks to take on the last defender, he takes the chance with his left foot and it's just a whisker away from the far post. By far Crawley's best effort by their best player so far.
Kyle Perry hardly started as Reds' fans' favourite player after his two goals in the reverse fixture, but a theatrical dive and scream means he's being booed by the home supporters every time he touches the ball. Assistant boss Paul Raynor wasn't too impressed with his antics either and wasn't shy to let him know.
28 mins: Suddenly Crawley are through the middle with Smith who opts to play in Forrest instead of have a go himself, Forrest looks odds on to score but keeper Alan Marriott makes a close range save. Forrest was offside anyway but perhaps Smith should have gone himself.
25 mins: Crawley have a free kick in a dangerous position from the right, but again Thomas Pinault's delivery isn't good enough and Mansfield break with the goal scorer Speight racing down the right. He feeds Blair Sturrock inside but his left-foot shot is straight at Rayner.
The pitch here at the Broadfield is a real credit to the groundsman, despite the heavy rain which has seen plenty of games called off the turf looks imaculate. Not much to report on since the goal.
15 mins: Crawley's best spell of the game so far. It started with Barry Cogan drifting in from the left and feeding Simon Rusk on the right, the ball was worked into the middle where Ben Smith played a one-two with Forrest but his dinked ball into the box was headed clear.
Yellow card for Chris Giles for a late challenge.
11 mins: GOAL FOR MANSFIELD. Jake Speight opens the scoring for Mansfield after some shocking Crawley defending from two corners. The first one wasn't dealt with but the second was even worse, no one was even challenging the header at goal which Chris Giles cleared off the line, but his clearance was only as far as Speight who had the simplest of tasks from two yards. 1-0.
3 mins: Reds keeper Simon Rayner gives his teammates an early scare by sliding onto a ball outside his box and trying to control it with his chest, only to see Ryan Wiliams steal the ball off him, but luckily his ball in comes straight back to the stopper.
DESPITE two days of heavy rain today's match at the Broadfield is on with the pitch described by the Crawley groundsman as 'perfect' - and it looks it.
Crawley are looking to avenge their 4-0 hiding on the opening day of the season at Mansfield, and as expected Danny Forrest continues upfront after his two goals against York.
Reds will be weary of Mansfield striker Kyle Perry, who scored two against them in that match, and it will be interesting to see how both teams deal with the high winds which is sure to be a factor.
Crawley: Simon Rayner, Simon Rusk, Chris Giles, Karl Broadhurst, Danny Forrest, Thomas Pinault, Glenn Wilson, Barry Cogan, Adam Quinn, Ben Smith, Calum Willock.
Subs: Eddie Hutchinson, Charlie Ademeno, Lewis Killeen, Michael Malcolm, Nick Jordan.
Mansfield: Alan Marriott, Paul Heckingbottom, Luke Jones, Scott Garner, Matt Sommer, Ryan Williams, Gary Silk, Jake Speight, Kyle Perry, Blair Sturrock, Michael Brough.
Subs: Gary Mills, Rob Duffy, Craig Armstrong, Steven Istead, Edward Eley.
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Weather for Crawley
Saturday 04 February 2012
Today
Sunny spells
Temperature: 0 C to 2 C
Wind Speed: 10 mph
Wind direction: South east
Tomorrow
Light sleet showers
Temperature: -0 C to 4 C
Wind Speed: 8 mph
Wind direction: West
