Tuesday April 1st 2025 - EFL League 1 - At Field Mill (AKA One Call Stadium) - Mansfield Town (1) 1 (Matthew Craig 40) v Charlton Athletic (1) 2 (Matty Godden 22, Tyreece Campbell 75) - Attendance: 7,579 inc. 839 away fans
Stags: Pym, Bowery, Oshilaja, Cargill, McLaughlin (Waine 76), Reed (C) (Flint 83), Craig (Baccus 65), Lewis (Reed 83), Akins, Rhodes (Evans 65), Vickers. Unused subs - Flinders, Kilgour
Addicks: Mannon Ramsay, McIntyre, Gillesphey, Small (Mitchell 87), Coventry, Berry (Anderson 68), Docherty (C), Edwards (Aneke 68), Godden, Campbell (Watson 78). Unused subs - Bouzanis Gilbert, Dixon
No picture of the match programme to break up my monotonous and laborious text tonight, because Mansfield Town don't produce one anymore. Teamsheets at £1 a chuck from reception are all that you ‘paper chasers’ are going to get here. It’s a real shame because quite recently the Stags won awards for the quality of their matchday publications, but hey ho!
A few years ago, well, quite a few actually, I used to produce a variety of programme content for Mansfield (something I still do for a several other clubs). My finest moment in that field, while ‘doing my stuff’ for the Nottinghamshire based club, was during one of the seasons that I was compiling the quizzes. Given the prehistoric format used to put the journal together back in the day, the questions and answers needed to be inputted separately, handwritten and submitted for the typesetter to copy up.
Hence I was afforded with the very tempting opportunity to insert a bit of mischief along the way. And on several occasions I couldn't resist. My favourite one was: Question. Which international footballer, who starred at the recent European Championships, featured details of the Chesterfield team on the back of his shirt? Answer. KUNTZ 11. To this day I still don't know if the editor deliberately let that one go under the radar, or if he genuinely missed it. We’ll never know, because he's not been around for many a year now.
‘Twas a cracking game of football tonight, with both sides enjoying spells on the front foot and committing themselves to serving up a treat of attacking football, for a crowd who played their part by creating a great atmosphere. It was a shame that either side had to lose as the game ebbed and flowed, one way then the other, on a night that the final outcome could actually have gone either way.
When asked earlier in the evening, which team I wanted to win tonight, I answered, very diplomatically: “Both! But… the Stags are safe from the drop now, while Charlton need the points to keep their promotion hopes on target. So I don't mind as long as the two sides give a good account of themselves”. And, in the event, they did 👍 So, like I said, Charlton needed the points more. And they dug deep, really really deep, to get this one over the line. And mark my words, they bloody well needed to as well.
I don't think anybody could dispute that the hosts probably deserved a point tonight, but momentum is a powerful thing and apart from the setback at Peterborough two weeks ago, the Addicks have been building up a proper head of steam. And to their immense credit, when the going gets tough, well, y’know. Where there is a will to win, there is a way to win.
With defensive mainstay Lloyd Jones missing from the Addicks starting line-up due to injury, Tom McIntyre made his debut in the middle of the visitors defence. His induction to Nathan Jones’ well honed system was seamless, so much so that you would never have known McIntyre was finding his feet amongst unfamiliar company, for the first time in a matchday situation.
The visitors employed a high-tempo start, similar to the weekend, when they had opened the scoring inside thirty seconds in an impressive 4-0 win against Huddersfield Town. Tonight they were almost in front in the second minute, but Thierry Small headed narrowly wide from Tyreece Campbell’s cross. All told Mansfield were to prove to be a rigorous test for the Addicks, but they hadn't really got into their stride as of yet and had Christy Pym to thank for preventing an opening goal when he got down well to save from Macaulay Gillesphey.
In the 22nd minute Deji Oshilaja played a sloppy pass to Louis Reed a few yards outside the Stags area; Reed, who clearly didn't want the ball there and then struggled to get a clean touch as he attempted to pass it back to Pym… but Godden was lurking, living up to his ‘Sniffer Dog’ nickname, snaffled up the wayward pass from the Stags captain, took it in his stride and dispatched the ball into the bottom right hand side of the net, as Pym dived the opposite way.
Lucas Akins had an half decent chance to level things up, but fluffed his chance and punted the ball straight into Will Mannion’s arms. Reed was involved in more drama in the 29th minute as his shot from the edge of the Addicks area beat Will Mannion all ends up moments before it ended up in the back of the net. The referee signalled for a goal kick.
A friend of mine texted me, demanding to know: “WTF was that disallowed for!? Did you see?”, and followed that up thus: “There was no flag, this ref is bent!”. Obviously he was unsighted in his posh seat, high up in the Ian Greaves West Stand. It was ‘disallowed’ because it went narrowly wide of the right-hand upright, hit one of the poles holding up the netting, ricocheted across the back of the goal and then found it's way into the back of the net, from behind the goal.
Move along, there's nothing to see here. Mansfield had certainly begun to find their feet towards the end of the first-half and it didn't come as a surprise when they fashioned an equaliser, in the fortieth minute. Baily Cargill got forward on the left and delivered a deep cross that Gillesphey diverted away from the goal, but only as far as Matty Craig, who slammed a pile-driver of shot home off of the underside of the crossbar. Bloomin' heck! He took that well.
Kayne Ramsay nipped across smartly to break up a Stags attack as the clock ticked down towards half-time, his timely interception saw the ball head back towards the Addicks penalty area, where Mannion picked it up. Once again, my phone buzzed: “How come he got away with handling a back-pass?”. Well, I know now exactly who I’m getting a rules of association football book for next Christmas. He wasn't penalised because it wasn't a pass, Mannion wouldn't have picked it up if it was. The Addicks keeper was involved again moments later, when he pulled off a great save to deny Caylan Vickers.
Charlton had started the first-half well, while Mansfield had the better of the final fifteen minutes or so before the break. HT: 1-1 And everything still to play for. A point is a point, but in their current position, Charlton wanted, and possibly even needed, more. The second-half wasn't anywhere near as open as the first, as the game became more of an intriguing contest of tactical chess, compared to all the charging about stuff before the interval.
Josh Edwards went very close to restoring the visitors lead, amidst an all hands to the pumps goalmouth scramble. But the Stags defence was just about holding firm. Jordan Bowery was having to put a double shift in, following the livewire Campbell about, which must be a ball-ache for defenders when the former Charlton Academy player, is given the right to roam and often switches flanks, to discombobulate opposition defenders.
Bowery had stuck to his task well, but Campbell gave him the slip while he was AWOL, taking a throw-in, in the 74th minute to score what proved to be the winning goal. The aforementioned throw was intercepted by Greg Docherty, who's header was chested down by Godden towards the powerhouse on legs that is Chuks Aneke. Aneke, in turn, played a sideways pass to Campbell, who left Steve McLaughlin to get acquainted with the turf with a couple of deft touches before sliding an angled shot inside the near post.
Godden found the back of the net again five minutes later, but it had arrived there underneath the side-netting. Somebody obviously hasn't been doing their job right. I recall, during my involvement with development level football teams, one of the essential items in my ‘bag of tricks’, were a few spare tent pegs.
Just incase the referee’s assistant had found any gaps around the bottom of the netting, during his pre-match (and pre-second-half restart) inspection ritual. But that was youth team and non-league football, this is the EFL League 1 for Christsake! The magic bag is still in the boot of my car (you never know when it might come in handy), so if anyone from Field Mill wants to make me reasonable offer for it, don't hesitate to get in touch.
Game management has become something of a speciality for Charlton, during their recent run of good results and from then on in they set up to repel the Stags. The hosts huffed and puffed, but couldn't quite find a way through the Addicks well drilled rearguard. Meanwhile, at the other end of the pitch, Pym had to be alert to keep out a thumping shot from Aneke. But, to be fair Mansfield hadn't deserved to lose by a two-goal margin anyway. FT: 1-2
Both sides gave a good account of themselves and the crowd seemed to enjoy the spectacle. There's some great entertainment to be had in this here League 1. Tomorrow night I’ll be watching some more football in the county of Nottinghamshire. There's a bit of an easy clue as to where I might be heading there 😉
