Stags Slip Out Of Playoff Zone

Mansfield Town 1-1 Rochdale (EFL League Two) 10.04.23

No matter how much they huffed, and they puffed, Nigel Clough’s Stags could not blow down bottom club Rochdale, settling instead for a 1-1 draw in this home, EFL League Two encounter.

It was to be a point that would see the Stags slip back out of the play-offs after Salford City edged a five-goal thriller away to AFC Wimbledon, and despite the Stags having taken an early lead through Hiram Boateng.

After Lucas Akins saw an early effort blocked by the visiting defence, the hosts would take the lead via Boateng, who, having played a deft, one-two, with Akins, fired a left-footed effort into the top, left-hand corner, of Richard O’Connell’s goal, from a dozen yards.

Scoring-wise, that was as good as it got the hosts, despite the number of efforts on O’Connell’s goal; saving first from James Gale after just ten minutes, before the injury curse struck again – George Maris finding himself replaced by Kieran Wallace a little over five minutes before the interval.

Moments later, and the visitors were level when Owen Dodgson, on-loan from Premier League-bound, Burnley, played a one-two on the left flank, before drilling home past Christy Pym inside the home ‘keeper’s far post.

Despite the goal for the visitors, the hosts were relentless, but somehow couldn’t find a way through; Davis Keillor-Dunn seeing an effort saved within ten minutes of the restart, Wallace seeing his saved five minutes later.

Boateng then has two, quick-fire efforts, the second of which was saved in the bottom corner, before Keillor-Dunn’s effort met a similar fate, all within a matter of minutes; then heading into the final twenty, the visitors woke up a little.

D’Mani Mellor had an effort blocked when shooting from six yards out, followed by Ian Henderson with the same shortly after, Mellor then hit Pym’s crossbar from the left of the box, before Danny Lloyd fired wide of goal, during a good, ten minute spell for the ‘Dale.

In-between those efforts from the visitors, Alfie Kilgour could have snatched all three points, if he’d kept his headed effort down, from a Wallace cross, however, it went over O’Connell’s bar instead.

Chances still flowing, in the closing stages, Boateng with another couple at the death, whilst Jason Law saw his effort blocked, one of many to meet that fate throughout the contest.

The Stags are now on the road for their next two games, away to Grimsby Town on Saturday (15 April), before a trip to Newport County on the Tuesday (18 April) night.

Mansfield Town: Christy Pym, Elliott Hewitt (Jason Law, 78), Alfie Kilgour, James Perch, Jordan Bowery, George Maris (Kieran Wallace, 38), Hiram Boateng, Stephen Quinn (Callum Johnson, 82), Davis Keillor-Dunn, Lucas Akins, James Gale (Danny Johnson, 78).