Mansfield Town 2-0 Blackpool (EFL League One) 19.08.2025

A missed penalty, a brace, and three, hard-earned points, all featured for Nigel Clough’s Mansfield Town side as they not only picked up their first home win of the season, but also registered a third successive victory.

A dominant first half for the hosts, in front of a crowd of over 7,500, the Stags could well have been out-of-sight by the interval, but instead went in goalless; Regan Hendry and Will Evans both missed a pair of chances, the best coming from Evans on the stroke of half-time.

Blackpool’s Lee Evans, on his fiftieth appearance for the club, handled in the box, Will Evans stepped up to take the resultant spot-kick, however, Bailey Peacock-Farrell, in the visiting goal, dived at full stretch to save brilliantly.

Goalless at the break, it didn’t take too long upon the restart for the deadlock to be broken, in-fact, within ten minutes of the restart the hosts found themselves two goals to the good courtesy of a brace from Jamie McDonnell.

Both goals were similar in nature, corners from Hendry being finished well by the Stags newcomer; the first arrived on 47 minutes when a corner from the right was headed home at the far post then, eight minutes later, on 55 minutes, the lead was doubled when Hendry’s corner was poked into the bottom corner, again at the far post.

The Stags managed to restrict their visitors throughout as Steve Bruce’s side only managed one real effort on Liam Roberts’ goal, that coming in second half stoppage time, the home shot-stopper with a routine catch from a Jordan Brown header.

Next up for the Stags, a home game on Saturday (23 August) when they welcome ninth place Leyton Orient to the One Call Stadium, before the big one next Wednesday (27 August) night, and the trip to Merseyside, in the Carabao Cup.

Mansfield Town – Liam Roberts, Kyle Knoyle, Jordan Bowery, Baily Cargill, Frazer Blake-Tracy (Elliott Hewitt, 86), Louis Reed, Jamie McDonnell, Luke Bolton (Nathan Morian-Welsh, 70), Regan Hendry (Aaron Lewis, 85), Max Dickov (Kyle McAdam, 86), Will Evans (Dom Dwyer, 86)

One of ten games played in EFL League One on the Tuesday night (Bolton Wanderers host Reading on Wednesday), all would be close encounters with none scoring more than two goals, and a couple of former Stags would also find the net.

Stevenage presently top the table, with a maximum twelve points from four games, coming from behind to win 2-1 at Port Vale as Jamie Reed netted in the 89 and 91 minutes; beneath the early leaders sees three sides in ten points, and three on nine, with Cardiff, Barnsley, and Bradford City taking those first three slots.

Cardiff picked up a late three points also, winning 1-0 at AFC Wimbledon after Isaak Davies netted in the 92-minute, ex-Stag loanee Caylan Vickers scored the only goal of the game as Barnsley won 1-0 at Peterborough United, whilst another former Stag, Will Swan, was on-

target as Bradford came from behind to win 2-1 at Stockport County, Antoni Sarcevic with the winner.

*Article provided by Peter Mann (Senior Correspondent).

*Main image @mansfieldtownfc a third win in succession for the Stags.