Crawley 0 Mansfield 1: Reds suffer third defeat in a row
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Chris Beardsley settled a game by nodding home a corner on the hour mark.
A minute’s silence was held and immaculately observed in memory of the club’s president Les Turnbull who died this week.
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Hide AdMark Yates made three changes to the side which lost 2-1 at Yeovil with Lee Barnard, Bobson Bawling made his first start since September and Ross Jenkins in for Roarie Deacon, Chris Atkinson and Jon Ashton.
Crawley goalkeeping coach Andy Little, 41, was named on the Reds’ bench alongside Luke Rooney who has recovered from illness.
The game took a long time to get going with Mansfield looking the better side and Crawley not able to get our of their own half.
It took 25 minutes before either side had a clear-cut chances.
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Hide AdMansfield broke away and Matt Green forced a great save with his feet by Reds keeper Callum Preston, who put in a great display in goal in opnly his sixth start for the club
Crawley finally had a go themselves at the other end as Gwion Edwards took a shot which was easily gathered by former Reds keeper Scott Shearer.
It was a poor first half but to be fair Crawoley managed to start passing the ball around better without actual chances to show for their efforts and can count themselves lucky to go into half-time still goalless.
Green again went close moments later with another ball through the middle. He held off a challenge by Lewis Young and shot narrowly wide.
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Hide AdMansfield took the lead from their ninth corner of the game when Mal Benning whipped in a good ball for Chris Beardsley to head in his first goal for the club.
The Stages pressed for a second goal when James Baxendale was thwarted by a fantastic save by Preston.
Barnard, Young and Jenkins made way for Deacon, Fenelon and Atkinson as Crawley pushed players forward.
Crawley produced their best chance of the game when Walton’s corner was headed narrowly over the bar by skipper Sonny Bradley.
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Hide AdMansfield finished the game reduced to ten men when Green was sent-off in the 89th minute for handball which was his second yellow card of the game.
It made for an exciting end to the game as Crawley through everyone forward for an extra five minutes of added-time but despite a series of corners and heart-stopping close-run moves could not find an equaliser.
Finally the heroic Preston made another one-one-save to deny Matt Blair after Bawling gave away the ball which allowed a breakaway attack as Reds’s efforts ended in defeat.
REDS: Preston, Walton, Bradley, Edwards, Barnard (Deacon 64), Young (Fenelon 71), Bawling, Harrold, Jenkins (Atkinson 71), Yorwerth, Smith
UNUSED SUBS: Rooney, Ashton, Tomlin, Little
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Hide AdMansfield: Shearer, Benning (Kavanagh 85), Pearce, Collins, Clements, Beardsley (Thomas 75), Green, Tafozolli, Blair, McGuire, Baxendale (Rose 82)
UNUSED SUBS: Chapman, Westcarr, Jensen, Yassuf
REFEREE: Graham Horwood
ATTENDANCE: 1,981 (164 away)
MAN OF THE MATCH: Callum Preston
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