CATLING'S CORNER STAGS BLOG: Missed chances prove so costly again

As the play-off dream came to an end this week, we start this week's blog by looking at a game we should have won.
By The Newsroom
Published 25th Apr 2016, 09:55 BST
Updated 25th Apr 2016, 10:58 BST
Mansfield Town v Barnet. Jack Thomas in second half action.Mansfield Town v Barnet. Jack Thomas in second half action.
Mansfield Town v Barnet. Jack Thomas in second half action.

We don’t half make it hard for ourselves, though.

And that is probably the reason we aren’t in the play-offs as we didn’t finish the chances that we had and we should have beaten Barnet easily. Barnet had very little threat other than John Akinde, who had one chance in the whole game and he took it.

They spent more time during the game time-wasting or using their boring long throw until the lad went off.

I am sure if you look back at the game, half of it was either both keepers taking goal kicks or their lad taking a throw in.

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That is probably the reason we weren’t as good as last week.

I should be sat here again with Matt Green having scored a hat-trick and us winning by three or four goals to one.

In my opinion Adam Chapman, Jack Thomas and Matty Blair all had good games again, but the mistake from Scott Shearer early on cost us the three points.

So now that the play-offs are no longer a target, eighth place surely has to be. And for next season we certainly need to take the chances like we had on Saturday in order to get promotion.

Player of the season for me is Ryan Tafazolli as he has been outstanding throughout and deserves it, even if he is to go at the end of this campaign. If he does then we will need to get a very suitable replacement to replace him and that is definitely not going to be easy.

I also think he should have been in the 15-man team of the season players for this league.

I haven’t seen a better centre back in this league than Ryan Tafazolli and if someone knows of one then please let me know.

Also, Mal Benning must be the best left back in this league as very few left backs have impressed me this season.

But we all know the FA don’t like us, so maybe that’s a good thing to hopefully keep our better players at our club.

So we now head to Leyton Orient this week needing to keep our form up and getting those three vital points.

It certainly would be good to get them against former players in Nicky Hunt and a man I certainly don’t like, Ollie Palmer.

So when people write back to me after this please let me know your player of the season and I’ll do my own poll and tell you after next week’s blog who you all have chosen.