Stevenage 1-1 Mansfield Town (EFL League One) 08.03.2025

The tide has been stemmed a little of late for Nigel Clough’s Mansfield Town when, following a bad run of defeats, the Stags have now drawn their last four outings; but have been made to battle for each and every point at the bottom end of the table.

Travelling to mid-table Stevenage on Saturday, Clough’s side knew they’d have to get something from the game, or risk being dragged further into the mire at the bottom; the day before the club announced the signing of striker Dom Dwyer, following the expiration of his contract with Oakland Roots, in US Soccer’s second tier.

That signing was made to strengthen a front-line that has been hampered of late, but it would be a winter window signing, the evergreen Jordan Rhodes, on for Dwyer just after the hour, who’d earn another point for the East Midlands side.

There have been some subtle changes in Mansfield’s line-up of late, Christy Pym being replaced in goal by Scott Flinders, along with some first-team fringe players, and new signings, being afforded run-outs, and their gelling together is slowly paying dividends.

At Stevenage it would be the hosts who eventually led, lighting up a dour, first forty-five, with a goal on the stroke of half-time; Dan Kemp found himself with space in the Stags box and, having hooked the ball across goal, team-mate Jamie Reid was on-hand to tap-in past Flinders.

That was to be the only real effort of the half, the hosts leading at the break; the second period started much the brighter however for both sides; Jordan Roberts put himself about early doors heading wide of Flinders’ goal, getting booked, and being brought down by Baily Cargill (which saw the Stags player booked), before Dan Kemp hit the upright, all within the opening fifteen of the restart.

During that run-of-play for the hosts, the Stags boss made a pivotal substitution, replacing one new boy with another, Dwyer being replaced by Rhodes, in the sixty-third minute, and, shortly after Kemp hit the post, the Stags levelled.

With the game heading into the final ten minutes, Hiram Boateng and another substitute, Will Evans, combined, the latter’s ball over the home defence finding Evans whose effort rebounded back to him, and he laid off for Rhodes, who wasted little time in firing past Murphy Cooper in the home goal.

It would be all either side could muster though, a goal at the end of each half, as both settled for a point which perhaps benefitted the hosts more, but stretched an unlikely, unbeaten run for the visitors, to four.

Sitting in sixteenth place, level with Northampton Town, Clough and the Stags need to be wary of what’s happening beneath them going into their next match, as they travel to eighteenth place Exeter City, one point and two places down, on Tuesday (11 March) night, before consecutive home games against the top-ten pairing of Barnsley (15 March) and Leyton Orient (22 March); needing to get something from all three of those matches, failure to do so could find them, very quickly, being on the precipice as just two points split that of Mansfield, Northampton Town, Exeter City, Peterborough United, and Bristol Rovers (41-39 pts).

Stags: Scott Flinders, George Williams (Will Evans 63), Deji Oshilaja, Baily Cargill, Stephen McLaughlin, Louis Reed (Aden Flint 91), Jordan Bowery, Hiram Boateng (Alfie Kilgour 94), Aaron Lewis (Stephen Quinn 92), Caylan Vickers, Dom Dwyer (Jordan Rhodes 63).

*Article provided by Peter Mann (Senior Correspondent).

*Main image @mansfieldtownfc a late goal by Jordan Rhodes helped Mansfield to a point.