Rushden and Diamonds grabbed a last minute winner in the most fortuitous of circumstances to claim a 1-0 win at Nene Park this afternoon.
With 60 seconds left to play, Kurt Robinson crossed from the left and Cliff Akurang's header was going nowhere until it took a wicked deflection off Luke Jones and over Alan Marriott.
It was a heartbreaker for the Stags who had commanded the second period.
Both sides played most of the match with ten men after Mansfield's Gary Mills and Rushden's Lee Tomlin saw red after a confrontation on 28 minutes..
The home side were quickly out the starting traps and attacked well in the opening stages.
Within the opening minute and completing a neat move, Rushden's Mark Byrne threaded it through the middle to ex Stags striker Aaron O'Connor, but he was adjudged to be offside and his shot was aimed straight at Alan Marriott in the Stags' goal, anyhow.
Lee Tomlin then struck ferociously from the left of the area on three minutes but Gary Silk was in the way of the shot and his follow up effort narrowly shaded the post.
Three minutes later, O'Connor managed to break into the box and unleash a shot just wide on the far post.
On nine minutes, Mark Pattison advanced towards the goal line before whipping it in from the right for Lee Tomlin who should've done better from inside the area - hitting the ball at the ground with his attempt.
Tomlin was Rushden's dangerman and he soon acted as provider, floating a free kick into the box which captain Jamie Stuart headed straight at Alan Marriott from ten yards.
Less than a minute later, Mansfield's Blair Sturrock twisted and turned on the left before flighting it in perfectly from the head of Rob Duffy, whose well placed downward header was only denied by a fine one handed stop by debutant goalkeeper Nathan Abbey.
It was fine setup play by Sturrock, making his full debut for the Stags since signing at the start of the month.
On 18 minutes, Duffy, on his old stomping ground, again had a headed chance. But Ryan Williams' cross from the left was a little too high for the Welshman and he aimed over.
Mansfield gradually grew into the match, with most of their threat coming down the left channel. This time, Armstrong's pin point cross was missed in mid-air by goalkeeper Abbey, and the waiting Blair Sturrock could only see his shot blocked on route to goal.
Then at the other end, Rushden had a chance of their own to take the upper hand.
With 22 minutes on the watch, the Diamonds' chief tormenter Lee Tomlin rattled the inside upright.
Suddenly both teams were reduced to ten men on 28 minutes. Lee Tomlin reacted badly when challenged by Gary Mills, and the pair subsequently went head-to-head. Referee Ross Joyce brandished the red card to the duo for violent conduct, although it was difficult to tell what actually happened from the vantage point of the press box, on the other side of the ground.
Soon after, Steven Istead replaced Ryan Williams as Stags adopted a 4-4-1 formation.
Marriott had to be alert ten minutes from the end of the first half when Craig Farrell turned past Luke Jones in the area and struck it with venom at the Stags' number one.
Town had a penalty appeal turned down a minute later when Steven Istead went down in the box, but it would have been harsh to award the spot kick.
Rushden goalkeeper Nathan Abbey needlessly mis-handled outside his area on 53 minutes, with Louis Briscoe in hot pursuit of the loose ball. The offence occurred to the right of the penalty area, away from goal, and so a yellow card was issued, instead of a red.
But Abbey made amends from the resulting free kick, getting down low to a Rob Duffy headed after Blair Sturrock's cross - not too dis-similar to the chance in the first half involving the same duo.
Rushden's Craig Farrell registered the hosts first shot of the second half, but his long range effort was easy for Marriott.
Mansfield certainly stepped up a gear in the second half, with Gary Silk rarely putting a foot wrong at right back.
Kyle Nix then replaced Blair Sturrock with five minutes left.
A minute later, Armstrong floated in from the left and Louis Briscoe got the deftest of touches for Jake Speight running through the middle, but the ball was just too far ahead of the nippy frontman from inside the area.
Speight looked lively in an otherwise largely uneventful second half.
Nine minutes from the end, he threaded perfect through ball into the path of Kyle Nix, but instead of hitting it first time, the angle became too acute and Nix shot tamely at goal.
Speight, full of endeavour, tried hard to test Nathan Abbey in the home goal. Moments later, he blasted a shot over the target from outside the area.
Stags finished the stronger of the two, backed by a healthy 506 supporters from Mansfield.
Then came the decisive goal in the last minute of the three added on and it came in the most fortuitous of circumstances.
A cross from the left from Kurt Robinson was headed goalwards by Cliff Akurang but it took a massive hit off the back of Luke Jones and the ball spun and looped over Alan Marriott in the Stags' goal.
