WANDERERS (4-2-3-1)
TEDDY SHARMAN-LOWE…7.
Looked really confident, both in possession and coming for any number of high balls that Mansfield were ploughing into the penalty box.
CYRUS CHRISTIE…6.
Life was made much easier with the sending off, so the experienced full back was able to push forward more than usual.
EOIN TOAL…6.
Didn’t need to do anything flashy, just see out the win. One errant pass caused a few flutters but nothing really got past him.
GEORGE JOHNSTON…6.5.
Wanderers had missed his combativeness. Like Toal, wasn’t stretched too much by Mansfield’s reduced attack but produced a good ball for the goal.
MAX CONWAY…7.5.
Positive on the ball all night and produced some superb work to get Osei-Tutu and Gale away down the left in both halves. Stood up to Mansfield’s physicality.
XAVIER SIMONS…7.
Tied everything together nicely, didn’t waste possession and looked forward the majority of times he got the ball. Unfussy but effective.
ETHAN ERHAHON…6.
Still feeling his way back to full form and fitness. His natural work-rate was a plus in the early stages when it was 11 v 11.
MARCUS FORSS…6.
Tidy on the ball and always on the move, yet the Finn didn’t quite grasp his opportunity on the right by creating anything tangible.
KYLE DEMPSEY…6.
With Mansfield sitting so deep there was no space for him to run on past Burstow, as he tends to do. Played his part but didn’t stand out.
JORDI OSEI-TUTU…6.5.
Took his goal well and had a hand in most of Bolton’s decent work in the first half. Didn’t really get a chance to run at the Mansfield defence enough.
MASON BURSTOW…6.
You can see in his face that he’s desperately searching for that eighth goal of the season yet this was another night of hard labour and no end result.
Subs: Cozier-Duberry 6, 57 (for Forss) – Bright but should probably have scored.
Sheehan 6, 57 (for Erhahon) – Added an element of calm.
Gale 7, 64 (for Osei-Tutu) – Gave the game some much needed punch on the left.
Randall 6, 64 (for Dempsey) – Struggled to make a big impact.
Dalby 80 (for Burstow) – Had a decent chance at the near post.
Not used: Miller, Forino.
Mansfield Town (3-4-2-1): Roberts; Cargill, Oshilaja, Blake-Tracy; Hewitt, Reed, McDonnell, Oates; Akins, Lewis; Evans
Subs: McAdam 64 (for Reed), Moriah-Welsh 64 (for Blake-Tracy), McLaughlin 64 (for McDonnell), Sweeney 75 (for Cargill), Dickov 75 (for Evans)
Not used: Mason, Dwyer.
Referee: Thomas Parsons 6/10 – Neither set of supporters were particularly enamoured with his performance but he did get the red card call right, slip or not, it was still a dangerous challenge.
Both sides had penalty calls turned down and the referee gave himself a fair while to think about each incident. In truth, both managers could probably claim their side had been hard done by.
Attendance: 7,628
MAN OF THE MATCH – Max Conway
On a night of very little inspiration, he provided a few moments of class on the ball that lifted the game and allowed Thierry Gale or Jordi Osei-Tutu to get beyond that deep-lying Mansfield defence.
The Stags had put the powerful Lucas Akins on Conway looking to test him out, and the young defender passed with flying colours.
MOAN OF THE MATCH – The tempo of the game was never quite fast enough to shake Mansfield out of their shape for long. Wanderers had so much possession but plodded along a little too much at times.
MAGIC MOMENT – Gale’s introduction midway through the second half just added something that had been lacking. When he turned on the afterburners, it was a sight to behold.
ATMOSPHERE – Fair play to the 900 Wanderers fans behind the goal, they sang continuously despite there being long spells of ennui in the game itself. Mansfield’s support was as partisan as usual, and you always wondered if the ref was going to be swayed at the end.
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