Mansfield Town 5-4 Cardiff City (EFL League One) 02.05.2026

A nine-goal thriller to finish the season, and a top ten finish, their highest since 1987, was what Nigel Clough’s charges put out on the final day.

Hosting league runners-up, Cardiff City, the Stags found themselves three goals to the good at the break, with goals from Ryan Sweeney, and a quick-fire brace from Lucas Akins coming in the opening half hour.

Sweeney’s opener, inside the opening minutes, came off a delightful ball to the back post from Nathan Moriah-Welsh, and the Stags captain rose highest to head home.

Despite the visitors’ loftier position, and they finishing twenty-six points better off, it would be the hosts that continued the push for further goals, being rewarded with not one, but two more, just over the midway point of the first half.

Lucas Akins was the recipient of both goals, and in doing so took his tally for the season into double figures; hist first of the afternoon came in the 23rd minute, slotting home a through-ball from Louis Reed, whilst his second, just minutes later, put his won rebounded effort into the Bluebirds’ top corner.

In reply, the visitors saw efforts from Chris Willock and David Turnbull go wide of Liam Roberts’ goal, they trailing by three at the break; prior to getting back into the game, Ollie Tanner saw an effort crash against Roberts’ bar on the hour, the visitors having rung the changes early in the second.

One of those changes made an instant impact, Isaak Davies reducing the home deficit shortly after Davies had struck the bar, with the three-goal advantage quickly restored in the 63rd minute when Rhys Oates and Louis Reed combined well for the former dinked over Harry Tyrer for his eleventh of the season.

A crazy, ten-minute spell saw a third goal added in the 66th minute, the Bluebirds making it 4-2 as Omari Kellyman’s first of the game somehow found its way past Roberts in the home goal, fans not having to wait long for scoring to continue either.

As the contest headed towards the final ten, and with Clough’s Stags leading 4-2, they added a fifth through on-loan Tottenham Hotspur striker, Oliver Irow, the substitute firing into Tyrer’s bottom corner.

Into the closing minutes and, with another effort coming back off the bar, again from Tanner, Ronan Kpakio was on-hand to put home the rebound, before Kellyman grabbed his second, and the Bluebirds’ fourth, on an exhilarating afternoon of attacking football, three minutes into added time.

Rhys Oates’ eleventh of the season sees him finish a relatively successful campaign (tenth in the league, and a run to the FA Cup Fifth Round), as top scorer, one ahead of Will Evans and Lucas Akins, both on ten.

The last time they finished this high was a tenth-place finish in the old Third Division days, and the season in which the Stags won the Associate Members Cup (now English Football League Trophy), under another, long-serving Stags boss, Ian Greaves.

The win also saw the Stags finish just ten points and four places off Stevenage Borough, in sixth, and the last play-off spot, what a difference a couple of the draws being turned to wins would have made….

Mansfield Town: Liam Roberts, Kyle Knoyle, Jordan Bowery (Stephen McLaughlin, 72), Ryan Sweeney (capt), Louis Reed (Ollie Taylor, 84), Nathan Moriah-Welsh (Oliver Irow, 76), Jon Russell, Regan Hendry (Elliot Hartmann, 84), Will Evans, Lucas Akins, Rhys Oates.

*Article provided by Peter Mann (Senior Correspondent).

*Main image @mansfieldtownfc celebrations after a tenth placed finish for Mansfield.