Oldham Athletic 1-2 Mansfield Town (EFL League Two) 26.03.22

A 95^th minute winner from George Lapslie gave Mansfield Town a huge three points at Oldham Athletic with the Stags back to within a point off the playoff places.

The win from behind leaves Mansfield in eighth position in the League Two table on 62 points from 36 played with ten games remaining this season, Nigel Clough’s men are just four points of the automatic places with significant games in hand on those around them.

At Boundary Park, the Stags had to do it the hard way coming from behind and leaving it late, the Latics took the lead midway through the first half after some wizardry wing play by Jack Stobbs saw him race down the right before crossing to KD Davis who nodded in at the near post.

Mansfield hit back early in the second half when after a slick passing move Rhys Oates let fly from the edge of the area and after a number of chances, the best of which when Stephen McLaughlin blasted inches wide, it was left to the last minute of injury time, when another thumping effort by Oates looked destined for the goalkeeper’s right hand corner, the ball cannoning off the post to the fortunate Lapslie running in for a rebound the ball seemed to hit the former Charlton midfielder as he ran into the box and slide effortlessly into the empty net.

A massive relief of emotion from the travelling army behind the goal, an important winner in what is becoming a hotly contested and awfully tight promotion race, at least ten teams still gunning for four places in League One for next season.

After the match, Manager Nigel Clough stated “I thought we created more than enough chances in the second-half but we were quite wasteful in front of goal.”

“I thought in the first 20 minutes we were in control but, again, we have to do more to get the first goal. They pop up with a goal and then for the rest of the first half they played very well indeed.”

“Oatsey had two unbelievable strikes. We knew if we got one in the second half, the fans would suck another goal in. They did that in the end. It feels pretty important at the moment, I thought we were a little bit fortunate today.”

Oldham Athletic: Rogers, Clarke, Piergianni, Adams (Hunt 67), Whelan, Hope, Keillor-Dunn, Stobbs (Vaughan 74), Bahamboula, Sutton, Couto (Fage 67).

Mansfield Town: Bishop, Hewitt (Bowery 46), O’Toole, Hawkins, Perch, McLaughlin, Wallace (Stirk 67), Longstaff (Lapslie 80), Quinn, Murphy, Oates.

Venue: Boundary Park (6,045)

*Main image @mansfieldtownfc George Lapslie celebrates his late winner.