Mansfield Town's pre-season fixture schedule started in strong fashion, with an encouraging display against Championship outfit Sheffield United, which ended in a 1-0 victory.
To add to fine performance, all players involved appeared to have emerged from the game unscathed.
Louis Briscoe's cool finish in the second half separated the two sides, and it was no less than the Stags deserved.
Kevin Sandwith, Steve Foster, Adam Smith and Paul Stonehouse were the new faces on show in the first half.
Meanwhile, Lee Gregory, who had spent last season on loan with captained the side against his hometown club, and could have put his name on the scoresheet in the first half.
Paul Stonehouse, a summer signing from Forest Green Rovers, fired the first shot of the match, cutting in the from the left inside the opening two minutes.
Stags started brightly and Kevin Sandwith was next to pull trigger from outside the area following a Kyle Nix free kick on the right.
Then Adam Smith burst infield before shooting over before Stags forced the first corner of the match, following a Steven Istead right wing cross.
United's first serious test on goal came on 20 minutes when Ched Evans received a cross-field pass from Daniel Bogdanovic. Evans, bearing down on goal forced Marriott to parry.
Stags' Kyle Nix drifted a free kick over the wall from 18 yards just two minutes later as Stags remained the more positive of the two sides heading forward.
Marriott was called into action on 25 minutes, getting down well to a strong strike from United trialist Jordan Chappell.
With 15 minutes of the first half to play, Steve Foster made a vital intervention on Jordan Chappell just as he was set to open fire inside the area.
With seven minutes to go, Steven Istead, one of Stags' strongest players in the first half, struck low on the right after a good run, forcing Simmonson to push wide.
Istead turned provider with two minutes remaining, sending a delicious through ball to the unmarked Lee Gregory. And the young forward's effort was thwarted as he tried to take it round Simmonson after a one-on-one with the United keeper.
Stags broke the deadlock just five minutes into the second half with a cool finish from Louis Briscoe. Ryan Williams fed the winger from the left and Briscoe finished with aplomb from inside the area, sending it through the legs of the goalkeeper.
The second period saw the introduction of the Boulding brothers up front as David Holdsworth brought on 11 fresh faces in the second half. Fellow trialists Ashley Cain, John Leonard, Danny Mitchley, Michael Abnett and Liam Francis were also given a run out during a second half which saw few chances.
Conor Higginson replaced Ryan Williams on the left wing with 18 minutes left.
Three minutes later, Neill Collett performed acrobatics in the Stags goal, having to tip over a Richard Cresswell shot He performed heroics less than a minute later, tipping over a header from short range.
Ex youth team midfielder Niall O'Rafferty, now out of contract, saw the last ten minutes of the game.
Then Higginson almost scored what would have been a beautiful goal as Stags hit United on the counter. Mickey Boulding sent the youngster through the middle and Higginson, bringing the ball down well, was denied by the United goalkeeper who pushed the ball around his upright for a corner. The Sheffield shot stopper was called upon seconds later having to save a Michael Boulding header from the resulting flag kick.
United then struck the upright at the other end after a left wing cross, as the visitors searched for an equaliser. But a leveller for the visitors never came as Stags ran out deserved victors.
Att: 1,797 (826 away)
First half line up: Marriott, Silk, Sandwith, Foster, Naylor, A. Smith, P. Stonheouse, Nix, Istead, Gregory, Duffy
Second half line up: Collett, Abnett, C. Smith, Francis, Turner, Briscoe, Mills, Somner, Williams, R. Boulding, M. Boulding
