Stags Cruise To Victory

Mansfield Town 4-1 Leyton Orient (EFL League One) 23.08.25

A fourth straight win in all competitions, four goals scored, and a second successive brace for a Stags player, made for an exciting afternoon for Nigel Clough and his charges at the One Call Stadium on Saturday afternoon.

Just four days earlier and Jamie McDonnell bagged two in Mansfield’s home win over against Blackpool, fast-forward to Saturday and Regan Hendry fired two of his own, in the 4-1 win against visiting Leyton Orient.

The visitors, who finished with ten men following the second half dismissal of Idris El Mizouni just after the hour mark, found themselves two-down inside the opening half hour as Hendry put them to the sword.

Orient probed early on but, minutes after the Stags’ Will Evans had seen his headed attempt on goal hit the crossbar, Hendry scored with a peach; collecting the ball in the middle of the park he had the vision to see Tommy Simkin and, from the centre-spot, take aim and lift a shot over the back-pedalling ‘keeper, and into the net.

A quarter hour later and Hendry doubled the hosts’ advantage after some great link-up play between Nathan Moriah-Welsh, Max Dickov, and Frazer Blake-Tracy, the latter firing a low ball across goal and Hendry tapping home.

A third goal was scored as the game ticked towards half-time, Orient getting on the scoresheet when a corner from Ollie O’Neill was headed past Liam Roberts by Josh Koroma, the visitors halving the deficit, and they came close to levelling on the stroke, Aaron Connolly’s free-kick saved well by Roberts.

El Mizouni found himself dismissed early in the second period, following two bookable offences, his first after a foul on Hendry after fifty minutes, before committing another foul less than twelve minutes later, referee Carl Brook seeing reason to dismiss.

In-between those two cards for El Mizouni, his ‘keeper, Simkin, tipped a free-kick from Hendry over the bar, and a third goal from the hosts was also added; Jordan Bowery snagged the ball off Connolly and plays in Evans, the Stags number eleven turned and fired a powerful effort, from the edge of the box, past Simkin.

Both Jamie McDonnell and Kyle Knoyle had efforts on Simkin’s goal as the game moved into the final twenty, the hosts looking to run away with the contest, before Luke Bolton added a decisive fourth, in stoppage time, after both he and Evans had had efforts blocked – it was his first for the club, and capped what was an exciting, entertaining run-out for Clough’s Stags.

Victory for the Stags saw them move up to ninth in the table, three points off joint-second pairing of Huddersfield Town and Stevenage, and four behind leaders Cardiff City; next for Mansfield, it’s the midweek trip to Merseyside (Wednesday 27 August, KO 1945), and a visit

to the Hill Dickinson Stadium, home of Premier League outfit, Everton, in the Carabao Cup Second Round.

MANSFIELD TOWN – Liam Roberts, Kyle Knoyle, Jordan Bowery, Baily Cargill (Ryan Sweeny, 72), Frazer Blake-Tracy (Stephen McLaughlin, 63), Jamie McDonnell, Louis Reed, Nathan Moriah-Welsh (Luke Bolton, 63), Regan Hendry (George Maris, 72), Max Dickov (Aaron Lewis, 80), Will Evans

Mansfield’s win was the biggest in League One that afternoon, with leaders Cardiff winning 1-0 at Lutton Town, and the joint-second duo of Huddersfield and Stevenage clashing, the former winning 1-0 also.

Stockport County saw off visitors Burton Albion 2-1, whilst AFC Wimbledon, and Northampton Town, both registered 2-0 home wins, against Barnsley and Exeter City respectively.

Meanwhile, in League Two, Notts County were held to a 2-2 draw when home to Bromley, Mathew Dennis’ early brace not enough to see the hosts over the line.

In doubling his early season tally, Dennis was on-hand to connect to a clearance from home shot-stopper, Kelle Roos, and firing past Grant Smith in the opposite goal; Dennis then added his, and County’s second, from a Matthew Palmer free-kick, heading home at the far post.

County though, couldn’t capitalise and, with Ben Thompson having netted the first equaliser, three goals arriving in the opening half hour, Idris Odutayo levelled for a second time, with seven minutes remaining, firing past Roos from distance.

The point leaves Martin Paterson’s side in sixteenth place, four off Walsall in seventh, and seven off joint-leaders Crewe Alexandra and Chesterfield, the Notts club having won and drawn two of their opening six games (in all competitions).

Next up for Paterson’s charges, it’s a trip to Merseyside, and mid-table Tranmere Rovers, this coming Saturday (30 August) before their EFL Trophy campaign begins early next month.