Paul Stephen reports
The Stags may have got their Christmas stuffing against York three days ago but were given the icing on the cake this afternoon as they beat Cambridge United 2-1.
Mansfield had to settle for the scores being level at half time after taking the lead through Kyle Perry in the 26th minute before substitute Jake Speight won all three points with his 73rd minute strike.
David Holdsworth made two enforced changes to the side that was beaten 3-0 at Kit-Kat Crescent on Boxing Day. Michael Brough was moved into defence to replace the suspended Luke Jones whilst Ollie Hotchkiss was recalled in the place of midfielder Jon Challinor who missed out on playing against his parent club today as the terms of his loan agreement precluded any involvement on his part.
The Gaffer also opted to start with leading scorer Rob Duffy in favour of Andy Burgess and played Lee Morris and Ryan Williams on the flanks as he sought to reshuffle things and get the promotion bandwagon back on the road again after a barren run of only a single win to show from our last seven games.
Martin Ling, whose Cambridge side have had an indifferent start to the season and trailed the Stags by four places and eight points prior to kick off, named a line up with three changes from the team conquered 3-1 by high-flying Stevenage three days ago.
Josh Coulson stepped in for defender Wayne Hatwell following his sending off at the Abbey Stadium against Boro whilst Rory McAuley played instead of the injured Brian Saah. U's Captain Paul Carden was also absent and was replaced by Jai Reason. The U's lined up with Danny Crow and highly-rated 17-goal top-scorer Chris Holroyd in attack.
It was the away side who got proceedings underway kicking off towards the Quarry Lane End on a pitch far from perfect and which had been cleared of snow by groundstaff only yesterday.
The first chance fell to the Stags in only the second minute as a long throw from Paul Heckingbottom down the left fell right on the edge of the six yard box. Kyle Perry had two stabs at hitting it goalwards in the ensuing melee but couldn't control it and sent it his effort looping over the bar.
Cambridge came close to taking the lead barely a minute later as Robbie Willmott was left to skip past three defenders on the edge of the box before sending a through ball to the left foot of Courtney Pitt. He unleashed a powerful low drive destined for the bottom right corner and forced an incredible reflex save from Marriott in the Stags' goal who managed to tip it round the post.
In the 10th minute, the U's won a free kick dead on the right hand corner of the 18-yard box as Chris Holroyd was sent flying by the outstretched leg of Paul Heckingbottom. Courtney Pitt beat the wall with his curling effort but wasted the opportunity nonetheless as it flew a foot over the cross bar.
Making any headway was proving hard work for the Stags against a tight and disciplined Cambridge back four. A corner on the quarter hour mark fell to Hotchkiss who desperately tried to play it into the path of Rob Duffy but he was eventually dispossessed by a United shirt.
It was the visitors who were enjoying most of the possession and went close from a corner on the 20 minute mark shortly followed by a dangerously in-swinging cross from Courtney Pitt that dangerman Chris Holroyd narrowly missed flicking into the back of the net.
Mansfield could have done a lot better with an opportunity that presented itself from a defensive lapse by the visitors on 24. Anthony Tonkin lost control of the ball down the right flank where it fell to Gary Silk. He had Kyle Perry and Ryan Williams in front of him and in acres of space but he found neither with his aimless pass and the momentum was quickly snatched away again.
Despite this set back, the home side continued to prod away at the Cambridge defence for any signs of weakness and duly found one in the 26th minute. The lively Ryan Williams cut inside from the right hand by-line and found the unmarked Kyle Perry on the edge of the six yard box with his low cross. Under little pressure from any United defenders, Perry has the easiest of tasks to steer the ball on the half volley past the helpless Danny Potter and into the right hand corner of the net for his 11th goal of the season.
Mansfield were almost punished for a moment of complacency in the 37th minute as Gary Silk conceded a free kick on the left hand side of the area by clumsily piling into the back of Danny Crow. Robbie Willmott's in-swinger caught nearly everyone off their guard and almost crept inside the near post but for the sharp reflexes of Alan Marriott who punched it away to safety.
Desperate to make a quick reply after falling behind, Cambridge tried to break away at every opportunity. A neat pass from Jai Reason found Chris Holroyd in space on the edge of the area but he had strayed too far behind the Stags' back four and was flagged offside.
Their pressure was eventually made to count in the 41st minute though as that man Chris Holroyd fired in the equaliser for Cambridge. Left back Anthony Tonkin drove forward down the left flank before cutting inside the area by rounding Lee Morris. It was 50/50 over who would connect with the ball he threaded across the face of goal out of Marriott or the onrushing Holroyd but the latter put a foot out to prod it home for the U's and his 18thstrike of the season.
The last action of the half came from the home side as a Rob Duffy header drew a save from Potter in the visitors' goal before two minutes added time were played out and the teams returned down the tunnel at one apiece.
The Stags made an inauspicious start to the second half as Chris Holroyd narrowly failed to connect with a Courtney Pitt free kick only a minute in when he looked certain to score from six yards out.
Holdsworth made the first substitution of the afternoon not long after by sending on Jake Speight in the place of Lee Morris. His impact was an instant one but for all the wrong reasons as he was booked by referee R J West less than a minute after coming on for a mistimed tackle from behind on Anthony Tonkin.
Mansfield thought they had taken back the lead in the 54th minute and had the ball in the back of the net only for it to be ruled offside. A neat 1-2 between Ryan Williams and Kyle Perry put the winger through on goal and whilst he rolled his shot past Danny Potter, it was to no avail as the flag had gone up on the far side.
Two minutes later, it was Rob Duffy's turn to test the U's keeper as he shot from 25-yards out but he hit it straight down the middle and straight into Potter's hands.
A moment of controversy occurred on the 60 minute mark as Paul Heckingbottom and Robbie Willmott became entangled after a 50/50 tackle in front of the visitors' dugout. An altercation occurred between the two players causing Martin Ling & Co to go beserk after claiming that Heckingbottom had hit the Cambridge player. The referee had other ideas though and issued the Stags' left back with a yellow card rather than the red which would have been deserved had any violent conduct taken place.
David Holdsworth took this pause as an opportunity to make a second substitution by sending on Louis Briscoe for Rob Duffy.
The crowd were on their feet again in the 70th minute and thought the Stags had gone ahead for the second time this afternoon with a spectacular overhead kick from Jake Speight. Williams took a free kick from the left hand side of the area after Kyle Perry had been felled by Rory McAuley. The ball was cleared and then whipped back in to Speight who was lurking at the back post with his back to goal. As spectacular as his effort was, it went wide and Mansfield were left to try again.
And try they did in the 73rd minute as Jake Speight was on target this time and fired the Stags into a 2-1 lead with little over a quarter of an hour left to play. A defensive lapse allowed the striker to run onto the end of a flick on from Kyle Perry and completely unimpeded into the area where he calmly rounded Danny Potter to roll the ball into the bottom left hand corner.
The last ten minutes were characterised by both sides urgently pressing forward as the Stags tried to increase their slender lead and Cambridge searched for another equaliser. Courtney Pitt fired a free kick straight at Marriott in the 80th minute before Speight dragged his shot wide shortly after.
Frustratingly, the play was far from free flowing and frequently punctuated by stoppages and needless free kicks symptomatic of both teams desire to keep and win back possession as the points were far from settled.
Danny Crow headed wide for the visitors in the 87th minute before the Stags made their final substitution of Andy Burgess who came on for the hard working Ryan Williams.
A nervy six minutes added time were played out before the Stags could celebrate the end of a winless run here at Field Mill that dated all the way back to October.
Attendance: 3,368 (395 away)
Sponsors' man of the match: Ryan Williams
Team: Marriott, Silk, Garner, Brough, Heckingbottom, Morris (Speight 48'), Somner, Hotchkiss, Williams (Burgess 89'), Duffy (Briscoe 61'), Perry.
