Mark Stevenson reports

Mansfield Town turned on the style but were denied the three points they so dearly craved after an entertaining 2-2 draw at Rockingham Road.

Stags, watched by 339 travelling fans, came from behind to lead at the break but a Pascal Ebigbo strike in the closing minutes rescued a point for Kettering.

Mansfield played with all the attacking flair and attractive forward-thinking football of which they are capable and they would have been fully deserved of maximum points had they come their way.

One change was made to the last line up, with captain Luke Foster returning to the heart of the defence at the expense of Scott Garner. And it was he, who in the opening two minutes, was adjudged to have upended James Dance inside the area as Kettering burst out the traps.

Peerless goalkeeper Alan Marriott was equal to the spot kick diving to his left, but he could do nothing about the rebound, as taker Jean-Paul Marna blasted home.

Stags were soon level on ten minutes, however, after Kyle Perry did well to force his way to the byline before crossing for a sliding. Jon Challinor who met rom seven yards to slot home.

Perry, in rich form, nodded the ball deep into the area from a Silk free kick two minutes later, but recipient Blair Sturrock shot off target from an acute angle on the left.

Louis Briscoe impressed with some positive runs in the early stages and it took two poor challenges from left back James Jennings to halt his advancing progress. It was Briscoe who tried his luck on 23 minutes, but Kettering were able to block and clear.

As the game's tempo increased, Kettering drilled wide from distance on 28 and then Alan Marriott was called upon to make a save following a corner five minutes later.

But it was Stags who made it count with Perry again the architect.  Marriott's long free kick found the burly front man who headed on to Sturrock, and after slipping away from his man he fired beyond Nathan Abbey with 15 minutes of the first half remaining. It was a cool finish from Sturrock who is experiencing his best football for the club since signing last September.

On 39, Louis Briscoe smashed wide from the edge of the area, after picking up possession from a poor Nathan Abbey clearance.

Briscoe was soon at it again, taking the ball from Jennings before laying off Mills down the right, whose right-wing cross found Sturrock to shoot off target.

Three minutes after the restart Patrick Noubisse hit an ambitious drive from 25 yards, but Marriott was well behind it.

Stags continued as they left off, with Mills spraying the ball well in midfield and Briscoe causing problems down the right.

Briscoe then embarked on a run down the channel and after playing a lovely one-two with Sturrock, he advanced into the area before losing his footing just as he was about to unleash a shot in the goal area.

From the second resulting corner, Michael Brough did well to twist and turn inside the area but blasted over.

On 65, Kyle Nix took the field, replacing Andy Burgess.

Stags then had Alan Marriott and Gary Silk to thank after performing heroics on the goal line. James Dance's close range effort was blocked by a brilliant point-blank save from Marriott, and Silk flung himself to block the follow up on the goal line.

A second Stags' change was then made as livewire Jake Speight replaced Blair Sturrock.

Mansfield continued to attack and with 17 minutes to play, Perry collected Briscoe's cross field pass and fired over.  Moments later, Greg Taylor's poor clearance fell to Jake Speight, who tried to curl it past Nathan Abbey, racing back to his goal.

Kettering substitute Kwesi Appiah's flashed an effort over the target from 20 yards as Kettering searched for a leveller, which was to come.

Gary Silk did well on the right, before laying it off to Nix, who, after a run, smashed low at Nathan Abbey, forcing him to spill. But Greg Taylor was on hand to clear any subsequent danger.

Briscoe lofted a ball agonisingly across the face of goal as Stags looked to put the game to bed.

But despite Stags' efforts, they were pegged back. With four minutes left on the clock, Danny Thomas swept in from the left, and after both sides failed to get a hold of the ball, substitute Pascal Ebigbo struck home from 12 yards at Marriott's near post.

A final Stags substitution was made in the closing moments, with Rob Duffy replacing Kyle Perry in attack.

Then Gary Mills, who produced another good shift, smashed goalwards in the dying seconds, but it flew wide and Stags had to settle for a point heading into the final six games of the season, seven points adrift of the play-offs.