Doncaster Rovers 1-3 Mansfield Town (EFL League Two) 03.09.22
A superb performance saw the Stags come away from South Yorkshire with all three points as Nigel Clough’s men leap into the playoff picture, hitting seventh in the table after seven games played.
Club captain Ollie Clarke scored a special goal, the opener of the game on fifteen minutes as he volleyed home from the edge of the area past a diving Jonathan Mitchell who was hapless to stopping the thunderbolt left footed swing of the boot which rippled the net at high speed.
At the other end, Christy Pym made a stunning save from George Miller, acrobatically turning his header over the crossbar, but on the stroke of half time, Doncaster were awarded a way back into the match when James Perch was softly adjudged to have bundled over Harrison Biggins. The veteran Lee Tomlin scoring from the spot.
Mansfield were back in the lead little over ten minutes after the break, a neat move saw Akins race down the right before crossing to Lapslie who played back to Maris who fired home first time to send the travelling army of near 3,000 Stags fans behind the goal into raptures.
That noise got even higher, on 71 when Lapslie was taken down inside the area. The games second penalty awarded to Mansfield, where Lucas Akins made no mistake.
After the match, Captain Ollie Clarke spoke of his stunning strike for thee first goal, commenting “I don’t think I’ve struck as many as sweet as that.
“When you see it nestle in the net like that, I was quite shocked myself to be fair.”
He continued, of his sides performance “It was much better than last week and it’s probably set the standard now for us to go on and kick on away from home.
“We’ve obviously got stuff to develop and build on but as a team, so far, that was probably one of the better performances.”
Doncaster Rovers: Mitchell, Knoyle, Williams, Molyneux (Taylor 64), Clayton, Miller, Rowe, Biggins (Maxwell 64), Hurst, Tomlin (Agard 78), Faulkner.
Mansfield Town: Pym, Bowery, Perch (Wallace 73), Hawkins, Harbottle, McLaughlin (Gordon 87), Clarke (Quinn 87), Hartigan, Maris, Lapslie (Swan 90), Akins.
Venue: Eco-Power Stadium (8,978)
*Main image @mansfieldtownfc celebrations as Lucas Akins scores for Mansfield.
