FOOTBALL: Commited Mansfield aims for Rebels promotion

It was the stopper's seventh clean sheet of the season in their 1-0 win over Whyteleafe at a blustery Woodside Road in Ryman Division 1 South on Saturday, and after the game Mansfield spoke of his commitment to the club and his aim of getting promoted this year.

The keeper has been pursued by Horsham manager John Maggs, who wanted Mansfield to return to his old club after their number one keeper, Rob Tolfrey, switched to league rivals Kingstonian at the beginning of the month.

Mansfield said: "I'm very happy here, I love it. We have a great bunch of players playing good football and I'm fully committed."

And the stopper is clear on his aims for the season: "To go up, it has to be be. I think we have the best starting 11 in the league and some great talent backing them up.

"The players that have come in have done a great job.

"Things are looking good. We need to keep winning and getting points on the board. Good things are happening at the moment.

"The conditions really didn't help today (Saturday) and caused everyone some troubles but it's always great to keep a clean sheet."

And with reserve keeper Tony Di Bernardo having come into the mix when Mansfield was ill last month, when he kept two clean sheets in his four starts, the future looks in safe hands at the club when Mansfield is unavailable.

The pair between them have the job covered, as do the solid starting line up at the back, and with goals having not been in short supply it is no wonder Rebels are flying high at the moment.

Jamie Brotherton headed home the only goal of the game against Whyteleafe on 79 minutes to seal all three points for Rebels and keep them top of the league.

After suffering a 4-0 thrashing at home to local-rivals Bognor on Tuesday in the Isthmian League Cup, three points was the perfect response from Simon Colbran's side.

Ryan Woodford made his first start for Rebels in place of absent captain Paul Kennett, as Glen Woodburn took over the arm-band for the day.

It was a fairly uneventful first half to a game much affected by the wind but Leafe's Mark Hammond went closest to opening the scoring after 16 minutes.

His lofted free kick from out to the left of the area needed Mansfield to push onto the bar, with the ball then crashing down onto the post and bouncing off of the line before it was cleared.

Steffan Ball then had a golden opportunity after 42 minutes as Woodburn missed a challenge at the edge of the area and Ball skipped inside, but he fired well over.

A minute later, Gavin Gordon was put plain through and, with only the keeper to beat, side-footed right of the post.

Woodford's game was then brought to an abrupt end, as the midfielder was stretchered off with an injury a minute before half-time.

Mansfield saved well with a foot from Ball's effort on 50 minutes before the visitors had a goal disallowed three minutes later.

Ball tapped home from close range after Sam Butler's cross but the assistant had his flag up for offside.

Gordon fired another chance high and wide from outside the area and Brotherton went close after skipping round three players but fired just wide.

Brotherton then headed home on 79 minutes, finishing the move he started on the right.

He laid off to Brett Patton who slid in Luke Denton out wide and the right back's cross to the back post was headed home by Brotherton, to cap a fine move by Rebels.

It was fairly end-to-end for the final 10 minutes but Worthing stood strong and held out.

Colbran said: "It was always going to be difficult with the weather and wind today, but it was great to bounce back like that, although I did expect us to. Jamie doesn't score many headers but that's put him into double figures for the season, he's been brilliant."

"You always start to think that maybe the goal won't come, especially in conditions like that and it'll stay nil-nil. But we kept pushing and I think our fitness showed. I think we're the fittest team in the league, and I think we can sustain the run we've got going."

"Without Paul Kennett, the oldest player, we had out there on Saturday was 26. I was looking in the changing room before the game and I thought that is a really young side.

"But we keep asking questions of them all the time, and if they can keep answering them, and up to now they keep doing it."

Worthing: Mansfield; Denton, Woodburn, Axten, Farmer; Brotherton, Akehurst, Woodford, Johnson; Gordon, Treleaven. Subs: Patton (Woodford 44), Koroma, Mitchell (Gordon 64), Booker, Di Bernardo. Attd: 241.

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