Stags too strong for sloppy Town

CRAWLEY Town were given a reminder of just what it takes to be in the play-off positions as they were comprehensively outclassed by a strong Mansfield side.

The Reds slumped to their third home defeat of the season after goals from Jake Speight and Paul Heckingbottom, but, such was the dominance of the Stags' performance, the margin could easily have been bigger.

Simon Rayner produced a fine save to deny Kyle Perry who was through on goal, while after the break his replacement, Nick Jordan, did well to again deny Perry and the influential Speight.

The home fans voiced their frustration by chanting "what a load of rubbish," and booed their side off after they extended their run to just one win in the last eight games.

Paul Raynor explained what went wrong to the media.

He said: "We're disappointed with result but they are a good side. We knew that before the game and they are hard to break down.

"We gave them two sloppy goals and apart from 15 minutes at the end of the first-half didn't move the ball around quick enough."

Raynor blamed Glenn Wilson and Chris Giles for the two goals, citing a lack of concentration and a reluctance to play to team instructions as the causes.

"Glenn lost his man in the box and he shouldn't do that but it happens at all levels and you need to get on with it.

"For the second goal Chris ambled forward wanting to be the hero and it left us light at the back and we got punished."

At 1.30pm the fixture was very much in doubt as the pitch struggled to survive the battering it had taken from the weather in the previous 48 hours. Great credit must go to the club's ground staff for getting the surface playable, when the easy course of action would be to postpone the match.

However, just 11 minutes into the game Town's supporters would have been wishing it had been called of as Speight put the visitors ahead.

The Reds failed to clear an innocuous looking corner and the ball fell kindly to the winger who smashed home from close range.

Before the game Mansfield manager David Holdsworth had compared his side to David Haye facing giant Russian boxer Nikolai Valuev, insinuating it would be a battle of speed and skill against brute force.

And as it turned out the home side were as toothless as the former World Champion, as they struggled to break down the visitors' well organised defence.

Ben Smith almost found a way through after a smart team move involving Thomas Pinault and Barry Cogan but too often the final ball was missing.

Pinault was especially struggling to control his set-pieces in the blustery conditions.

Giles was booked for an ugly lunge at Speight before Perry was seemingly brought down by Karl Broadhurst right in-front of the home dugout.

On 37 minutes the game had to be halted to allow Simon Rayner to have treatment after the big keeper landed awkwardly after claiming a difficult catch. Crawley's number one would not come out for the second half but was still needed to produce a fabulous save to deny Perry on the stroke of the interval.

Man of the match Speight weighted a perfect through-ball for Perry who was one on one with Rayner but saw his shot deflected away for a corner.

After the break Town raced out of the traps and Giles and Forrest both had efforts cleared off the line as Town pushed for the equaliser from a corner.

But It was still the Stags in the driving seat and substitute Nick Jordan was called upon to save from Speight on 57 minutes.

Crawley were given hope of a comeback with 22 minutes to go when Matt Somner was sent off for two bookings collected in the space of four minutes.

However, with Town pushing men forward they always looked vulnerable on the break and so it proved as Heckingbotton put the game beyond doubt on 76 minutes.

Broadhurst upended Ryan Williams and Heckingbottom made no mistake curling the ball low into the bottom corner to complete a miserable afternoon for the home side.