Mansfield Town and Notts County both sit in ninth place, and a couple of points off the play-off places, in their respective divisions after Saturday’s victories, and clean sheets, on the road.

Nigel Clough’s Stags eased to a 2-0 win away to Luton Town and moved within six points off sixth place Lincoln City in League One, whilst Martin Paterson’s Magpies snatched a last-gasp, 1-0 win at Barnet to move withing two points of seventh place in Salford City in League Two.

The Stags netted either side the break for their win, and that after a hectic, opening half; both sides had chances in the first quarter of the contest, Mansfield’s best falling to Tyler Roberts in the opening minutes.

However, the game turned on a sixpence in the final fifteen of the first half; the Hatters were first awarded a penalty when Kyle Knoyle fouled Jordan Clark in the box, the same player having seen his curled effort saved brilliantly by Liam Roberts less than a minute earlier.

The visiting shot-stopper wasn’t too be denied from the spot either, saving Nahki Wells’ spot-kick just after the half-hour mark, whilst at the other end, seven minutes later, the Stags led, with a sublime finish from Rhys Oates.

Wells, having missed the earlier penalty, lost the ball in the visitors’ attacking third and Oates proceeded to cut in from the right, swing his left foot, and curl the ball past Josh Keeley in the home goal and into the top corner.

The Stags could have doubled their lead a couple of times before finally doing so, the best of those chances saw Roberts clip Keeley’s crossbar when shooting goal-bound from a tight angle, before another penalty saw the advantage doubled just before the hour.

Mads Andersen was adjudged to have handled in the box, the referee awarding the second spot-kick of the afternoon, and this time Roberts didn’t waste his opportunity, sending Keeley the wrong way from a dozen yards to make it three goals in three games.

A clean sheet at the back for Liam Roberts and his defence, was the third time this season the Stags shot-stopper had shut up shop, doing so against Blackpool in the league, and in their League Cup win over Chesterfield, both back in August.

MANSFIELD TOWN – Liam Roberts, Kyle Knoyle, Deji Oshilaja, Frazer Blake-Tracey (Ryan Sweeney, 85), Stephen McLaughlin, Jamie McDonnell, Aaron Lewis, Nathan Moriah-Welsh (Max Dickov, 85), Tyler Roberts (Regan Hendry, 68), Will Evans (Jordan Bowery, 75), Rhys Oates (Joe Gardner, 68)

Victory for the Stags sees them move up to ninth place in the table, just outside the League One play-off places, and eight points off the leaders Cardiff City; next up, the visit of thirteenth place Wigan Athletic to the One Call Stadium, this coming Saturday (25 October) lunchtime.

In League Two meanwhile, Notts County kept up with the league’s front-runners, following a late, 1-0 win away to Barnet; it was also a third clean sheet of the season for the Magpies shot-stopper, Kelle Roos., having done so against Fleetwood Town and Crawley Town last month.

At Barnet, the Magpies were reliant on a stoppage time winner from Tyrese Hall to bring the three points back to Nottinghamshire; Maziar Kouhyar’s shot was blocked and Hall was on-hand to slot home the winner in the 94^th minute.

The win for County moved them into ninth also, just off the League Two play-off places, and six points behind leaders Walsall; they’re also at home in their next outing, welcoming eighth place Cambridge United to Meadow Lane this coming Saturday (25 October) afternoon.

*Article provided by Peter Mann (Senior Correspondent).

*Main image @mansfieldtownfc celebrations during a great performance by Mansfield at Luton.