Paul Stephen reports from Field MIll
The Stags' FA Cup dreams are over for another year as they lost to Forest Green at the second time of asking tonight courtesy of a cruel last minute goal.
After falling behind to a sublime strike in the 40th minute, Town put themselves back into contention through the head of Kyle Perry with 20 minutes to go. With extra time looking certain, our hopes of going into the next round were finally extinguished in the last minute of normal time by double goal scorer Conal Platt.
Tonight's game was the second in a hectic schedule of fixtures which will see Town play six matches in only 21 days.
Manager David Holdsworth made only one enforced change this evening as we locked horns with Forest Green Rovers to make a bid to go through to the FA Cup 2nd Round and claim the prize of an away tie at Blue Square South outfit Bath City.
Gary Silk replaced the suspended Matt Somner, following his dismissal at Crawley on Saturday, with the only other notable addition to the squad being that of Louis Briscoe who returned from injury to make the bench.
Forest Green lined up with Jared Hodgkiss and Sean Rigg in attack, the latter being their danger man and top scorer on seven goals this season and the former putting Rovers in the lead when we met at the New Lawn 10 days ago. Stags fans will also remember Tomi Ameobi, who had a loan spell here at Field Mill last season and is named among the substitutes on the oppositions' bench.
There was genuine anticipation before the kick off. The teams are separated by 17 places and 23 points in the Blue Square Premier but there is never any telling of what can happen in the World's oldest and most prestigious knock out competition.
It was the home side who drew first blood only 20 seconds after the kick off as Michael Brough played a through ball to the feet of Jake Speight. The front man broke free of his marker but scuffed his shot wide of the post.
Town had another decent opportunity to take the lead two minutes later with a free kick from just outside the 18 yard box. Skipper Gary Mills opted to shoot but drilled the ball into the wall where it was hacked away to safety.
In the sixth minute it was Forest Green's turn to try their luck from distance as Danny Powell was allowed to advance past two defenders and unleash a powerful shot from 25 yards which thankfully flew straight into the arms of Stags' custodian Alan Marriott.
It was clear that the away side had come with a definite purpose and were not shy to attack at any given opportunity. This was evidenced in the eighth minute by Conal Platt who went on a mazy run down the right flank and ghosted pass Heckingbottom as he launched himself into the area. He was overzealous as he approached the six yard box however and over hit the ball allowing it to roll harmlessly out of play.
Knowing that the best way to fight fire is with fire, Town took the game to Rovers and tried to force the opening goal. On 11 minutes, Williams drove a searching ball from the left hand side of midfield deep into the area where it eluded several defenders until arriving at the feet of the onrushing Speight. With his back to goal, his back heel was too weak and the keeper made an easy clearance.
On the quarter hour mark, Forest Green defender Curtis McDonald earned the first booking of the evening for a clumsy mistimed tackle on Scott Garner 30 yards out and in front of goal. Mansfield wasted the free kick however as it was driven high and wide.
The home side were guilty of criminal profligacy again only moments later as Speight played a neat one-two move with Kyle Perry. The striker had only the keeper to beat but was dispossessed as he was about to pull the trigger and had to settle for a corner instead. It was Jones who rose highest to meet the subsequent corner but could not connect with it as the ball whistled by only inches over his head and away to safety.
It was then the turn of the visitors who really should have taken the lead approaching the half hour mark as Sean Rigg chased a long ball that bounced behind the Stags' defence. He chipped the ball from the edge of the box over the head of Alan Marriott, who had been forced to come off his line and attempt to close down the Rovers' top scorer, but the ball narrowly missed its target and landed in the top of the net.
A minute later, a short corner was taken by the visitors to Conal Platt who found the head of Jonathon Smith with his cross who had beaten his marker to plant a firm header against the bar where it was eventually cleared by a shaken but grateful Mansfield defence.
Town had the ball in the net in the 33rd minute as the ever dangerous Jake Speight brilliantly turned his marker and unleashed a thunderbolt from the edge of the box which flew into the top left hand corner but the whistle was blown and referee Richard West signalled for offside.
Literally a minute later the away side saw the same thing happen as Jonathon Smith timed his run to beat Gary Mills. As he received the forward pass and then rounded the helpless Marriott, he slotted it calmly into the back of the net but his celebrations were cut short by the whistle and the linesman's flag.
The visitors disappointment didn't last long though as they took the lead in superb fashion in the 40th minute. Scott Garner brought down David Brown on the edge of the D providing Rovers with a direct free kick from a dangerous position. Conal Platt didn't waste the opportunity and curled his shot round the wall and past the fingertips of Marriott who had dived to his right but didn't really stand much chance of keeping it out.
Shell shocked from falling behind, the Stags failed to cope with increasingly confident away side who came close twice more before the end of the half through Sean Rigg and Jonathon Smith.
The whistle came after two minutes added time with Forest Green trotting off undoubtedly the happier of the two sides.
Confident that a result could be salvaged from the second half, Holdsworth sent out his side for the second half unchanged.
Play was stopped briefly on 47 minutes for Blair Sturrock to receive treatment off the field after being hit in the face with the ball from point blank range. Although he returned to the field, it was but for a brief moment as he then made way for striker Rob Duffy as Town searched for an equalising goal.
Holdsworth had another throw of the dice in the 53rd minute when he sent on Louis Briscoe in place of Jake Speight. It was difficult to believe that the winger was making his return from a lengthy lay off with injury as he ran at defenders and came close to scoring himself in the 57th minute when he beat Forest Green left back Curtis McDonald down the right flank before firing from a narrow angle where his shot was blocked at the near post by the alert Terry Burton.
Briscoe turned provider five minutes later by running past Rovers' Captain Paul Stonehouse on the edge of the box with relative ease before floating a cross over to Rob Duffy who was lurking at the back post. A black and white shirt was quick to prevent an equaliser and threw himself in front of Duffy to head the ball away to safety.
Rob Duffy was again involved in a promising attacking move and nearly added to his goal account a minute later as he advanced into the area and left defender Curtis McDonald in his wake. He shot across goal from the right hand corner of the six yard box but could only watch as the ball rolled agonisingly wide of the far post.
The breakthrough finally came in the 70th minute to the relief of the home crowd who were growing anxious as a cross was hit high and long from the right hand side of the area by Gary Silk. The ball was too high for Terry Burton who had strayed too far from his line and it instead fell to Kyle Perry at the back post who had the simplest of headers to claw a goal back for the Stags.
This appeared to be just the tonic to the Stags' so far lacklustre display as Holdsworth's charges grew resurgent as they looked to find a winner and settle the tie.
A Ryan Williams free kick from over 40 yards out was pumped into the area where Scott Garner's header was scrambled away for a corner from on the line. Garner connected with the corner as well but it was not on target and it was cleared away to safety.
Michael Brough was next to test Terry Burton in the visitors' goal with a snapshot from the right hand side of the area in the 85th minute and as the prospect of extra time loomed. Both sides stepped up their efforts in the closing stages of normal time as they sought to avoid another 30 minutes and Curtis McDonald raced into the area with only two minutes left on the clock. Scott Garner dealt with the danger well however and forced the ball out of play and behind for a goal kick.
Unfortunately it just wasn't to be and Stags' hearts were finally broken in the 90th minute. Two games and 180 minutes of open play were not enough to separate these teams before Conal Platt struck in stoppage time to end any ambitions Town may have harboured in the FA Cup this season.
Sean Rigg crossed the ball from the bye-line on the left flank which fell in between Marriott and the onrushing defender Paul Heckingbottom. The left back was forced to act in order to prevent the ball falling to Conal Platt but he only succeeded in prodding it goal bound and away from the clutches of Alan Marriott. Although there was some dispute over whether it was Heckingbottom or Platt who had the final touch, the damage was done and Forest Green were on their way into the next round.
Nearly five minutes injury time was played before the referee brought proceedings to an end and confirmed Mansfield's disappointing exit from the FA Cup. Defeat also brings the Stags' seven game unbeaten run to an abrupt end.
Manager David Holdsworth will now look to Saturday's showdown with Eastbourne in the league to get his side back into winning ways.
Forest Green Rovers will now face Bath City at Twerton Park on Saturday 28th November.
Attendance: 2,496 (41 away)
Sponsors' man of the match: Louis Briscoe
Team: Marriott, Heckingbottom, Mills, Jones, Garner, Williams, Silk, Speight (Briscoe 53'), Perry, Sturrock (Duffy 49'), Brough
