Mansfield Town

After scoring a dramatic 99th minute equaliser from the penalty spot, frontman Kane Hemmings has expressed his delight at rescuing a point for Mansfield Town against Notts County this afternoon.

The Stags fell behind in the 33^rd minute when Terry Hawkridge headed in from close range but after a hefty amount of time was added on at the end of the game, Mansfield were awarded a last minute penalty after County’s Lewis Alessandra handled inside the area.

Under huge pressure, Hemmings stepped up to dispatch the ball past ‘keeper Adam Collin to spark scenes of jubilation from the Mansfield players, management and supporters.

Speaking after the game, the on-loan Oxford United forward spoke of his joy at scoring in such dramatic fashion.

“I’m delighted to get the equaliser and get something from the game,” said the former Rangers man.

“I’m sure [Notts County] will be a bit disappointed with the way the penalty was given but you earn your luck in football.

“There’s pressure on it but you put it down, pick your spot and just go for it. If you miss, you miss. If you score, you’ve seen what happens.

“It was a big moment, it means a lot. It’s a big game for us all to be playing in. There’s 4,000 Mansfield fans here.

“It’s two good teams in the league going for promotion. It’s nice to get that kind of atmosphere and score in that way.”

“It’s a local derby, they’ve come out in force. It’s nice to give them something to go away with.

“It’s two good teams in the league going for promotion. It’s nice to get that kind of atmosphere and score in that way.”

After a first half in which neither side could really take a foothold in the game due to the testing wintery conditions, Hemmings believes Stags showed vast improvement in the second period.

“I think we threw everything at them in the second half [and] I think we definitely deserved something from the game.

“It’s a nice way to finish the game, everyone’s buzzing to get the point but the gaffer (David Flitcroft) reiterated the point that we need to be better in the first half and I think everyone’s very aware of that, which is good.

“I think in the second half we dug really deep, everyone really stood up and was counted for. We’re more so disappointed with our first half performance.

“We came here to win the game and I think we’ve shown over the season that we don’t get beat very often.

“We go into every single game, it doesn’t matter where we go, we want to win so we’re disappointed in that regard.”

Supporters can view Kane Hemmings’ full post-match interview on iFollow Stags.