‘Keeper harshly red carded as Stags bow out to Handsworth Parramore.
Our youngsters bowed out of the H-K-L North Midlands League Cup following a controversial 3-1 defeat to Handsworth Parramore.
The Stags opened the scoring inside five minutes courtesy of a strike by Anthony Dwyer, who scored from close-range after a header goalwards by Corbin Shires, but the visitors levelled before the break thanks to a goal from Jed Phillips.
Mansfield were left to rue some wasteful finishing – Corbin Shires and Joe Fitzpatrick both clearing the woodwork from a few yards when on another day they would have probably found the back of the net.
Handsworth, who played some attractive football, went 2-1 up just shy of the hour mark courtesy of a close-range effort by Matt Blakemore.
With Mansfield searching for an equaliser, the referee was thrust into the spotlight in the final few minutes when he judged Frazer Hampson to have fouled an opponent, but failed to notice that the Stags’ ‘keeper had already been fouled in the same incident.
Josh Dacre, playing his first game since returning from injury, kept his composure from the resulting spot-kick and sent substitute goalkeeper Sam Wilson the wrong way to seal Handsworth’s progress into the final.
