League Two Table

		P	GD	Pts
1	Bradford	41	+20	73
2	Port Vale	41	+14	73
3	Walsall	41	+23	72

4	Doncaster	40	+15	70
5	AFC Wimbledon	41	+23	68
6	Notts County	41	+21	68
7	Grimsby	41	-1	65

8	Colchester	41	+9	62
9	Crewe	41	+6	61
10	Chesterfield	40	+12	58
11	Salford	40	+4	58
12	Bromley	41	+5	56
13	Fleetwood Town	41	+4	56
14	Swindon	41	+4	54
15	Barrow	41	0	52
16	Cheltenham	41	-10	50
17	Newport County	41	-17	47
18	Gillingham	40	-8	46
19	MK Dons	41	-14	46
20	Harrogate Town	41	-19	45
21	Tranmere	41	-22	43
22	Accrington Stanley	41	-17	42

23	Morecambe	41	-23	36
24	Carlisle	41	-29	34

Full League Two Table
Prem|Champ|L1|L2|NL|NLN|NLS
SPL|SC|S1|S2

Question of the Week

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Newey to Return?

Grimsby v Mansfield Preview

By: Alex Green
Date: 14/12/2007

WITH only one win at home all season Buckley’s men will hope to get a long awaited second against bottom of the league Mansfield Town. Three points would pull Town further away from relegation while a defeat could be disastrous and maybe terminal for Buckley.

Home > 2007-2008 Season > Previews > Mansfield (h)

The Opposition

Overview

Power struggles and ground restrictions aside it’s a calamitous time to be a Stag, officially the worst club in the Football League after dropping bottom last week. Mansfield will want to retrieve some pride with a win at Blundell Park and why not everybody else does? It’s nearly a year since Bill Dearden (left) returned to Mansfield after driving down Mansfield Road to Meadow Lane where he took charge of over a hundred games for County. With crowds staying away and continual problems with the safety aspect of Field Mill the once proud Stags, who were challenging for promotion a few years ago, are now fighting it out at the bottom and staring up at another 91 league clubs.

The Team

Mansfield's away form is an embarrassment with only 3 points from a possible 27 and no wins. Grimsby don't have a better chance of picking up 3 points, which they so desperately need but not everything is so easy. Even with one of the highest league scorers so far this season Boulding's goals still can't stop the desperate position they are in at the back. The real frustration for Mansfield fans is that they will lose by the odd goal or two and not find themselves on the end of a hiding. Every week promise is there and the quality and facilities are all ready to be used. Boulding, Brown and another ex-Mariner McIntosh (left) all have experience at a much higher level of football and it’s this experience that will get them out of the trouble they are in right now. Mansfield are surely too big to be relegated or should we ask Oxford fans that question?

Key Player

Michael Boulding. Just to twist the knife in to our striker problems both Lester and Boulding find themselves up at the top of the leader board which I'm sure none of you need reminding. The former Mariner has settled in at Mansfield and moved the family in with sibling Rory also at Field Mill. But it’s the older of the two we have to worry about. His lighting pace is still available in abundance and his accuracy has improved since he left Grimsby. Boulding is a real hero now for all Mansfield fans and its surely certain that he will get on the score sheet.

Recent Form

Town

Mansfield

W	Brentford	(a)	1-0
L	Darlington	(h)	0-4
L	Huddersfield (FAC)	(a)	0-3
W	Barnet	(a)	3-0
W	Carlisle (FAC)	(h)	1-0

Currently 20th in League Two.

D	Bradford	(h)	0-0
W	Harrogate Railway (FAC)	(a)	3-2
L	Rochdale	(a)	0-1
W	Lewes (FAC)	(h)	3-0
L	Hereford	(a)	1-2

Currently 24th in League Two.

Top Scorers

Town

Mansfield

Ciaran Toner	4
Paul Bolland	4

Boulding	14
Brown	4

Team News

Town

Mansfield

Grimsby have virtually a full squad to pick from.

Tom Newey is available again after his one match suspension but will he get back in the team after Hegarty played so well in his absence at Brentford?.

Nick Fenton and Justin Whittle are minor doubts but should be fit enough.

Martin Butler is fit and available but is unlikely to start. He'll have to battle for a place on the bench along with Rankin and Taylor.

Alan Buckley will hopefully stick with more or less a winning team and formation.

Lee Bell is out for three weeks after a knee operation.

D’Laryea should be fit to play after struggling recently with an achilles problem.

Nathan Arnold, Rory Boulding and Danny Reet are all expected to be available despite suffering from minor knocks.

Probable Teams

Town

Mansfield

G	1	Barnes
D	5	Bennett
D	6	Fenton
D	24	Atkinson
M	3	Newey
M	4	Hunt
M	8	Bolland
M	10	Toner
M	14	Hird
F	9	North
F	19	Jones

G	19	Muggleton
D	2	Mullins
D	13	Baptiste
D	12	Buxton
D	14	Martin
M	7	Hamshaw
M	10	Brown
M	8	Dawson
M	3	Jelleyman
F	30	R. Boulding
F	11	M. Boulding

Subs

Town

Mansfield

13	Montgomery
15	Whittle
17	Hegarty
20	Taylor
12	Rankin

1	White
5	McIntosh
9	McAliskey
4	D’Laryea
31	Reet

Head to Head

Mansfield have the edge since the clubs first met in the 1951-52 season. There are only 22 clubs that Grimsby have a worse record against.

P 38 W 11 D 10 L 17 F 48 A 59

Mansfield Head-to-Head (81st on The Opposition Ladder)

Last Meeting

Mansfield 1 Grimsby 2 (Sat 17th February 2007)

Town came from behind and Danny North came off the bench to give Grimsby a valuable three points. Michael Boulding (who else) had given the Stags a first half lead which Bolland cancelled out just before the break.

Report

Prediction

Grimsby Town 3-1 Mansfield Town

Reader's POMs

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Grimsby v Mansfield Preview

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