News

17/11/2008 - Slick Sinclair adds spice to Stags

On a day when Mansfield badly needed some inspiration, Emile Sinclair stepped forward to provide it - and how.

The 20-year-old Nottingham Forest loanee has proved himself to be a quick learner at Blue Square Premier level, improving with every match.

But it was on Saturday that he really hit his stride and in doing so, catapulted Mansfield out of the doldrums.

On the back of five straight defeats, smiling faces had been in short supply at Field Mill.

The fans, too, had become increasingly frustrated, reflected by a season-low home crowd of 1,921 - the first time a gate has dipped below the 2,000 mark.

In those circumstances it was hardly surprising the Stags seemed nervous and edgy.

But Sinclair almost single-handedly put Mansfield in charge of a game in which they had not enjoyed the most auspicious of starts.

First he opened the scoring in the 18th minute and then soon after the half hour mark he won a penalty - that also saw Djoumin Sangare sent off - which was converted by Adnan Ahmed.

Two goals to the good and playing against ten men, that double contribution from Sinclair effectively decided the game.

The hard-working frontman might, perhaps should, have gone on to record a hat-trick.As it was he had to settle for just the one - taking his tally to three goals in a promising first month with the club.

There was little wonder when he left the field with 16 minutes to go, Sinclair was given a hearty ovation and received a pat on the back from his manager. Nor is it surprising that McEwan is eager to get the City Ground youngster to stay on for a second month.

Only the formalities of the paperwork need to be completed for that to happen.

Sinclair's searing pace was a constant source of danger to the City defence and now the challenge must be to find that level of performance week in, week out.

Like Mansfield, Salisbury have had a difficult time of late and were hampered by the loss of four key players who have left the club to cut a wage bill the Whites can no longer afford.

But you wouldn't have known it the way Nick Holmes' plucky side came out of the traps.

They had two good chances to go in front but former Stag Darrell Clarke headed wide from close range before Charlie Griffin did the same.

However, the visitors were caught out when Sinclair nicked the ball away from Scott Barrett as the full-back waited for Matt Somner's hooked clearance to bounce. The Mansfield player raced away before delivering a deadly 12-yard finish just inside the left-hand post.

Sinclair's opportunism, as he squeezed between two City defenders, then looked set to yield him a second goal until he was tripped by Sangare.

Instead, the ball was handed to Ahmed from the resulting penalty and he scored his first goal for the club by sending James Bittner the wrong way.

Before half-time, Sinclair was in the clear again but this time he was thwarted by Bittner's excellence, as was Ahmed from the follow-up.

Disappointingly for Mansfield, they could not find a killer third goal straight after half-time, although Sinclair missed a sitter from four yards following Nathan Arnold's pinpoint cross.

That meant Salisbury were never out of the game and there were one or two hairy moments for the Stags.

Two more good saves from Bittner denied substitute Mark Stallard.

But with two minutes of regulation time to play it was third time lucky for the former Notts County man who smashed home from six yards after Bittner had thrown himself in front of shots from Arnold and Gavin Hurren.

Perhaps even more important, though, was a first league clean sheet since Grays Athletic were beaten 1-0 in August.

It was still not entirely convincing stuff and it could be argued that the team have not played to the best of their ability this season. But the bottom line was that it was three points and, after the recent trough of form, that was all that really mattered.

Now come two more tricky away games at Forest Green Rovers and Weymouth. At least now, with Sinclair's excellence, they will approach those trips with new optimism.