Mansfield Town 3-2 Doncaster Rovers

Mansfield Town 3-2 Doncaster Rovers

EFL Trophy

Tuesday 10th October 2023

Whatever is said in the aftermath about the result, the referee, the performance or any other b*llocks which isn’t really that important, this game was overshadowed by injuries to Bobby Faulkner and Louie Marsh who’ll now be out for a significant period.

After Bobby rolled his ankle just past the half-hour mark and had to be substituted (worrying in itself because he’s not the type of player to go off unless he’s genuinely hurt), an even more concerning moment came only 15 seconds after the game re-started with Rovers having just pulled a goal back when Louie Marsh landed awkwardly on his arm in an aerial challenge and immediately looked in serious trouble.

I didn’t see it at the time and it’s been horrible watching it back on video and seeing a lad in pain whose journey I’ve followed so closely over the past year. The sound of the break (which looked to be around Marshy’s upper arm) was heard by various people inside the stadium who were all concerned, it was evident by Tommy Rowe’s reaction that it was a really bad one as he rushed straight over and kneeled by Marshy’s side to be with him, talk to him, keep him calm and support him until the medics came on. And whatever Tommy Rowe does football-wise throughout the rest of his career, his actions in that moment should be applauded and remembered forever, because it’s a proper bloke who does that when his team-mate needed it the most.

Marshy was taken to hospital afterwards and now faces a long spell out with the specific timescale of his lay-off unknown. Bobby left the ground both in a protective boot and on crutches and if it’s a recurrence of a previous injury (that’s the fear) then he might be out for a while to come too, and it’s just a horrible feeling when you know both lads, have supported them both quite a lot, been there to witness some of the best moments of their careers up to now, know the effort and commitment they’ve put in to get to this point and love them to bits because they’re genuine, decent and proper lads.

It’s constantly in every parent’s mind that their son might get injured during a game and when that worst fear becomes a reality - and there’s nothing anyone can really do to change it, it’s absolutely horrible and I can only hope they all take some comfort in knowing that, even though there’s a journey ahead with rehab (work that fans don’t really see) there’s a support-base out there from plenty of players who’ve had their own experiences, can relate, and know exactly what the lads will be going through and I'm more than happy to link up a few lads who might be struggling, through my own connections, so they can lean on one another if they need to.

What I’ll say to both Bobby and Marshy is this though…

- You’ve both overcome worse injuries in the past and then gone on to achieve things so draw upon those experiences right now!

- You’re both still young with long careers ahead of you!

- You’re never, ever in this situation alone!

And, most importantly, stay positive because you’ll overcome these setbacks. 

It won’t be easy, there will be a few dark days (it happens and that's the reality) but the end goal is getting you both back onto the pitch to do what you love again - and at some point that will be achieved. That friendship/support to get you through the tough spells is unwavering and it’s there for life whenever you need it.

Given the injuries and those emotions, the result and everything else that happened felt pretty immaterial and I’m not really all that interested in the game but despite looking as if they might go on to rack up a massive score when they were 2-0 up and flying after just 10 minutes, given how Donny fought back to equalise and then hit the woodwork a few times, Mansfield can count themselves more than a tad lucky that they eventually went down the pitch and won thanks to a goal in the 88th minute infront of the empty Quarry Lane End.

Ian Lawlor, the Donny ‘keeper, has apparently held his hands up in the dressing room afterwards and said he’s at fault for the winning goal - credit to him if that is the case (I've not watched it back yet so I can’t judge on way or another) but something I will flag up from hearing myself was the abuse he got from about half-a-dozen DRFC fans early in the first half which was a disgrace.

He clearly heard being told to ‘F**k Off back to Scotland’ (previous club Dundee) at 0-2 because he turned round and semi-acknowledged it before then being asked ‘If he was going to save one tonight’ when he was collecting his water bottle for a drink in a separate instance about 10-15 minutes later. It’s a disgrace and the club should take action because, like with injuries, parents/relatives of players who are sat in close proximity shouldn’t have to contend with their son being abused in such a manner. 

It’s not acceptable! Then there’s the element of quite what abusing your own player is actually meant to achieve anyway (it's never going to be productive), plus the fact that Ian Lawlor wasn’t at fault for either of the first two goals - and, in actual fact, he got down low to pull off a really good save when McKeal Abdullah sent one goalbound from a tight angle at 0-0 inside the first five or six minutes. It’s bizarre and there’s a real problem element of scumbags within the DRFC fanbase (I’ve heard there were problems at Stockport on Saturday too; plus the scenes at Harrogate last season and the abuse Danny Schofield received - something which went around football circles with how bad it was) and it's proof the club really need to get a grip of things, before someone gets a grip of the culprits and all hell breaks loose.

I usually choose to sit in home ends anyway as it often feels safer; the only reason I didn’t for this game is because I didn’t sort a ticket out until the last minute and knew the home end would be ‘busy’ with only the Lower Tier being open, and after this experience, I know I do right to swerve the morons wherever I can and avoid ‘away ends’ when there's toxic idiots around. 

Abuse is never acceptable when lads who you’re meant to be supporting are putting their bodies on the line and risking injury to make YOU happy! It shouldn't be happening. Just because 'it's football' doesn't make it acceptable and anyone in amongst the 'I've paid my money, I'll say what I want' brigade can bugger off too, because that doesn't extend to verbally using players.

Rant over!

Aside from that aspect, one good thing about the EFL Trophy is that it allows young players the chance to ‘step up’ infront of a decent crowd, test themselves against older players, etc, and in this game I thought both McKeal Abdullah (for Mansfield) and Jack Goodman (for Doncaster) were good, plus Louie Marsh who was dropping back, popping passes about, linking up with others and showing all the bright things which I love watching him do on a football pitch before the injury.

On Jack Goodman, he should have scored early on but moved around well, moved the ball well and posed a persistent threat and was probably a tad unlucky to be substituted, whilst for McKeal Abdullah (or ‘Mikey’ as everyone knows him) he looked so sharp and lively. He contributed to the first goal with the header back across the box, he could have bagged a couple (and would have scored on a different day without the saves), he found space so cleverly and effectively - peeling off defenders to get a couple of extra yards and just being aware, he competed physically and was a nuisance. For sure, he was quieter in the second half but any scouts/managers reading this and who might be interested in him ought to have a look back at his first half performance because it was a strong example of what he’s all about, the qualities he’s got and what he can do stepping up into a tougher environment than youth team football. It’s why I rate him already. He’s proved his strength, power and end product on numerous occasions before (in particular in this game against Doncaster’s U18s last year), he’s again one of the top scorers in the Youth Alliance right now and he’s a very good footballer already for his age who’ll only get better as he gets more experience and it's fair to say Mansfield have a very good young player on their books.

Well done to him on another good performance and as someone who knows lots of players at different clubs and understands the football environment (and all the things fans don't see), I can really resonate with what his mum put on Twitter afterwards too - especially on a night like this one!

Finally a little mention too for Finn Flanagan who came on for his debut for Mansfield (and did okay when I watched him in an U23s game at Derby a few weeks ago) plus Will Flint for whom, I think, this was his DRFC debut. 

Flinty probably had some nerves early on - understandable (and perfectly normal) because he was playing against his hometown club and it wouldn't have been helped when the scoreline quickly went to 0-2, but once he settled, he looked okay and competed and he’ll remember this night as a little landmark in his career. It’s easy to see and understand why he’s already been offered a pro contract by Doncaster for the next two years (not yet signed apparently) and having seen plenty of Category Two football at U21s level recently, it wouldn’t surprise me if there is interest from clubs playing in that league because he definitely wouldn’t be out of place in the PDL and could make the step up now.

Whether there is offers, who knows, but I'll always back my judgements and he's capable of doing alright for himself in the long-term and playing at a good standard.