Mansfield Town

With One Call Stadium buzzing ahead of the crunch derby clash, Paralympic swimming champion and Mansfield-born Ollie Hynd led the Stags out for today’s Saturday lunchtime fixture.  

Adam Murray named an unchanged starting line-up for the third consecutive league match, whilst Jack Thomas was deemed fit enough to be named on the bench for the first time this season.  

The game was off to a high-octane start, with both sides making their attacking intent clear from the off, but the Magpies carried the first real threat on five minutes, as skipper Carl Dickinson swung in a free-kick from 20-yards, which flew over Scott Shearer’s goal. 

Shearer was in action again between the Stags’ sticks, as he thwarted frontman Jonathan Forte twice with reflex saves to keep the score 0-0. 

Another formidable delivery from Dickinson’s followed, creating mayhem in the Mansfield penalty area. Notts striker Jon Stead swiveled and let fly a goal-bound attempt, but towering centre-back and Stags’ captain Lee Collins headed it off the line.

Mansfield, on their part, looked to stave off the early pressure from the visitors and regained a decent spell of possession, moving their way up the park with pinball-like passing. 

In their attempt to rattle the Magpies’ five-man rearguard, they sprung two promising attacks, the first of which forced a corner and was dealt with by the opposition defence, while midfielder Mitchell Rose dragged his shot wide from outside the area moments later.

On 35 minutes, the home side carved two of their best chances of the first half. Defender Rhys Bennett floated a searching ball for winger Danny Rose, only to see the former Bury man miss a telling touch by whiskers at the far post. 

Attacking midfielder Mitchell Rose then found acres of space after a darting run through the midfield but fired his shot off target from 25 yards.

The first-half ended 0-0, with neither side managing to have a complete say over proceedings. 

The battle for supremacy was resumed as the rivals hurled attempts at each other’s goal soon after the restart. County’s midfielder Stanley Aborah tried his luck with a looping free-kick from 25-yards, but failed to find the target, for which Jamie McGuire received a yellow card for the foul.

At the other end, the ball fell to Danny Rose in the box on 47 minutes, but his sliced effort from the left of the penalty area, but the score remained deadlocked. 

Mansfield’s goal-scoring hero against Port Vale, Matt Green, replaced Danny Rose on 54 minutes and immediately changed the game. 

The frontman scored from his very first touch off a feed when strike partner Pat Hoban headed the ball down from a cross and Green swiveled and the ball deflected off a Magpies’ defender and wrong-footed County ‘keeper Adam Collin to give Stags the lead. 

Buoyed by the goal, Adam Murray’s men were now purring. Hoban himself almost doubled the lead on 62 minutes as he audaciously lobbed the ball over Adam Collin in the opposition goal, but found his shot marginally overhit and it bounced off the crossbar and away to safety.

For Mansfield, imposing centre-back Pearce then barged in with a powerful header at the end of Malvind Benning’s flag-kick, but could not keep it down enough to trouble Collin. 

Notts County chief John Sheridan used all three changes with 20 minutes remaining as they looked to forge a way back into the game. 

With the game finely poised with Stags holding on to their lead and Notts coming forward to try and find an equaliser, County won a free-kick.

Left-back Carl Dickinson curled the ball in to the box and as the ball broke loose, midfielder Alex Rodman drove the ball beyond Scott Shearer via a deflection to get John Sheridan’s men back on level terms. 

The Stags than had a penalty shout turned down by referee Carl Boyeson as substitute Darius Henderson looked to have been obstructed inside the area by an opposition defender.

The former Nottingham Forest man reacted quickest to reach the ball in the box before being clearly obstructed by Louis Laing, but the referee waved away Stags’ appeals.

In an exciting final few minutes, Mansfield went close to taking the lead again through Henderson, as he steered a header from an inch-perfect cross by midfielder Chris Clements, but the attempt was off-target.

However, the home side were awarded a spot-kick on 90 minutes when Magpies’ defender Matt Tootle bundled over Benning inside the 18-yard box. 

The left-back drove in to the box with the ball and as he nipped it past Tootle, the Notts County man stepped across him and this time, referee Boyeson had no hesitation in pointing to the spot. 

Opening scorer Green stepped up to take the penalty and hammered the ball in to the top corner to again give Stags the lead. 

One Call Stadium was rocking and they soon put the finishing touches to a fantastic afternoon in Mansfield. 

Substitute Henderson showed great determination to reach the ball, bring the ball down with his head and drive the ball past Adam Collin to wrap up three fantastic points. 

Stags’ XI: Shearer, Bennett, Benning, Collins, Pearce, Clements, Hoban (Henderson 84’), Hurst (Gobern 60), M.Rose, McGuire, D.Rose (Green 54’).

Subs not used: Jensen, Thomas, Hamilton, Hemmings.

Magpies’ XI: Collin, Tootle, Dickinson, Duffy, Hollis (Richards 70’), Forte, Milsom, Laing, Rodman, Stead (Oliver 70’), Aborah (Collins 70’).

Subs not used: Loach, Campbell, Burke, Audel. 

Referee: Carl Boyeson

Attendance: 5,763 (1,546 away)