In the only Toolstation NCEL Premier Division fixture to survive the weather, Parkgate and AFC Mansfield served up a tremendous game for the neutral as the Bulls moved to the top of the table with a 4-2 win at Green Lane-and AFC Mansfield strikers Ollie Fearon and Nick Guest gave their post-match insight to the Parkgate website and the Bootiful Game, writes Colin Muncie.
In front of 140 paying customers on a perfect playing surface at Roundwood, Mansfield went ahead after just eight minutes through Nick Guest, a lead they held until the break. Lynton Karkach doubled the visitors advantage four minutes into the second half, and when the prolific Ollie Fearon put the Bulls three up on 66 minutes, it looked like the game was over. But Billy Fox’s Parkgate hit back through Nathan Joynes on 77 minutes and Joynes almost added a second with a clever chip shortly afterwards; Cameron Dear put AFC Mansfield in the departure lounge with a fourth on 86 minutes, but there was still time for Joynes to head a second for the battling Steelmen.
Ollie –with thirty goals to his name this campaign-told the Bootiful Game “We’re delighted to keep our good run going and hit the top of the league. We are a side that is able to win in different ways and that's what we need to do well in this league. We have lost one game all season and that was a deflected last minute free kick after having a goal ruled out ourselves. We know we have a good side and we are showing that every week”
As you’d expect, Ollie shares the credit for his terrific goals haul with his team mates “It’s great to get to 30 goals for the season today and I owe it to the lads who create chances and work hard to get me in positions to do my job- putting it in the back of the net.
“We will now rest and look to pick up three points next Saturday”
Fellow striker Nick Guest feels that the side’s midweek preparation contributed to the win, and he offered generous praise for the work Billy Fox and Richard Haigh are doing at Green Lane. “I’m so happy with the result today, another goal on the score sheet and three points at a really difficult place at Parkgate” Nick told us “They have a new look side and management team which, moving forward, I believe will cause other teams problems in upcoming fixtures, so this win makes it all the better”.
Nick is pleased to be at the top of the tree, but he’s taking nothing for granted. “Credit to the Gaffer (Rudy Funk) and Wardy (Assistant Mark Ward), as during training previously in the week, we worked on certain aspects which I feel we implemented by coming away with the three points”.
“We’re going to take every game as it comes and not get ahead of ourselves. It’s a long old season”.