Mansfield Town were made to settle for a point as relegation-threatened Sutton United held on to draw 1-1 at a wind-swept One Call Stadium.
Former Stags’ frontman Lee Angol opened the scoring after just eight minutes, though Stags rallied to draw level ten minutes before the break as substitute Stephen McLaughlin drove a deadly ball into the six-yard box for George Maris to skilfully divert home.
Mansfield enjoyed the lion’s share of possession from start to end but were unable to create their usual treasure of chances as strong winds played a huge hand in the flow of the contest.
Boss Nigel Clough made two changes from the side that drew 1-1 at Morecambe ten days ago. Midfielders Aaron Lewis and Stephen Quinn replaced Ollie Clarke and the injured Calum Macdonald.
With the wind behind them, Sutton chalked up two corners inside the opening three minutes and should have broke the deadlock a minute later.
Winger Ryan Jackson sent an inviting ball into the box, but Oliver Sanderson’s first-time shot from ten yards flew beyond the post.
At the other end, Quinn fired low into the hands of Dean Bouzanis after being teed-up by left-back Jordan Bowery in Stags’ first charge.
Sutton were handed a golden chance on eight minutes and this time they made no mistake.
Lewis Brunt’s misplaced pass across his own box allowed striker Lee Angol to step in and slam home from 12 yards to give the visitors the advantage.
Stags started probing and Davis Keillor-Dunn was bundled down seven yards outside the area, but the same man struck the base of the defensive wall from the subsequent free-kick.
On 18 minutes, Lewis saw his flying hit deflect wide for a corner – from which a towering Aden Flint watched his close-range header hacked away.
Brunt was the first name in the referee’s notebook for a touchline challenge on Niino Adom-Malaki and on 27 minutes he was replaced by Stephen McLaughlin, who moved to left-back, with Bowery switching across to right-back.
Less than a minute later, Sutton’s Joe Kizzi was shown a yellow card after knocking down an advancing Keillor-Dunn.
Quinn then went into the book for remonstrating with the referee after he failed to give Stags’ a penalty when the same man looked to be pulled back inside the box.
Following a spell of testing pressure, Stags eventually found their reward on 35 minutes as Maris found the net.
From the left touchline, McLaughlin drilled a low ball into the goal area and Maris’ deft touch was enough to divert it beyond Bouzanis.
Maris tried to turn architect six minutes into the second-half when he sent a dangerous free-kick into the box before a well-monitored Lucas Akins nodded over.
The game then lost its tempo – largely due to stoppages for George Maris, who landed awkwardly, and Sutton’s Ben Goodliffe and Oliver Sanderson who required treatment after clashing heads.
Stags were dominating possession and Keillor-Dunn delivered a teasing ball into the box from the inside right flank which narrowly flew over the head of an advancing Maris inside the goal area.
Before play resumed, Stags made a treble change as Will Swan, Hiram Boateng and Ollie Clarke replaced Maris, Lewis and Quinn.
And Swan almost had an immediate impact as his effort with the outside of a boot was blocked against a Sutton player as the ball then inadvertently flew behind for a corner.
Mansfield had a glorious chance to take the lead on 84 minutes.
Clarke laid it down the right-hand channel for Bowery to send a delightful cross towards the near post, but Swan could only head wide from close range.
In the fifth minute of time added on, Flint poked an effort goalwards from Keillor-Dunn’s corner, but Sutton managed to hack away in the game’s final chance.
STAGS: Pym, Bowery, Flint, Brunt (McLaughlin 27), Cargill, Reed, Lewis (Boateng 73), Quinn (Clarke 73), Maris (Swan 73), Keillor-Dunn, Akins
UNUSED SUBS: Flinders, Williams, O'Toole
SUTTON: Bouzanis, Adom-Malaki (Hart 79), Sowunmi (Patrick HT), Goodliffe (John 71), N'Guessan, Eastmond (Beautyman 64), Kizzi, Jackson, Lakin, Angol, Sanderson (Coley 64)
UNUSED SUBS: Arnold, Moore
REFEREE: Ed Duckworth
ATTENDANCE: 6,490 (40 Sutton fans)
