Nigel Clough’s side still require at least a couple more victories from their remaining six matches, or hope that those beneath them slip up, to avoid relegation back to League Two, following another defeat, this time away to Huddersfield Town, on Saturday afternoon.

Burton Albion are sitting in the final relegation spot, just eight points and four places behind the often free-falling Stags, with that of Northampton Town, Wigan Athletic, and Bristol Rovers, sandwiched between.

Even then, there’s just five points between the sides sitting seventeenth to twentieth, with the home straight looking, for Mansfield especially, a daunting one.

At the John Smith’s Stadium, and following a goalless first forty-five minutes, the Stags found themselves a goal behind just after the hour, the unmarked Ruben Roosken firing calmly into Christy Pym’s bottom corner.

Ben Wiles then doubled the hosts’ advantage with ten minutes remaining, finishing well at the back-post; Roosen and Wiles combining for both of the Terriers’ scores; the Stags did get on the scoresheet shortly after the hosts had gone two-up, but it was a case of too little, too late.

A free-kick from Aaron Lewis, with six minutes remaining, was headed home on a narrow angle, past Lee Nicholls, by substitute Dom Dwyer, on for Elliot Hewitt some twenty minutes earlier.

Mansfield Town – Christy Pym, Jordan Bowery, Elliott Hewitt, George Williams (Aden Flint, 74), Baily Cargill (Dom Dwyer, 67), Lucas Akins, Keanu Baccus, Louis Reed, Matthew Craig (Hiram Boateng, 74), Will Evans (Jordan Rhodes, 74), Caylan Vickers (Aaron Lewis, 63)

There’s now six, huge cup finals ahead, for Clough’s side, two of which come over the Easter weekend; Leyton Orient (h, 8 April) are up first, followed by the Easter double-header against Rotherham United (a, 18 April), and Reading (h, 21 April).

After that it’s title-chasing Birmingham City (a, 27 April), Peterborough United (h, 30 April), and Exeter City (h, 3 May) – those two home games, at the season’s end, could prove pivotal, more with three of the previous four opponents challenging for promotion 9at the time of writing).

With a mixture of games to come over the closing stages of the 2024/25 season, the Stags’ relegation rivals can all still catch the East Midlands side; Clough’s side (winning all six) can finish the season on 65 points.

Of those beneath them, Northampton Town can make 61 points, and face relegation battles with both Crawley Town and Wigan Athletic in their closing fixtures, Wigan meanwhile can hit 66 points and face fellow relegation battlers, Burton Albion and Northampton in their final two games, Bristol Rovers can reach 57 points but face a pair of promotion-chasers on

Wrexham and Reading in the run-in, and Burton Albion can get 50 points on the board, they having battles with both Wigan, and Charlton Athletic, in the closing stages.

The bottom two of Cambridge United and Shrewsbury Town, although not relegated, are both far enough, just, from catching Mansfield – it means that the final two relegation places will certainly be from the next six sides, and could well be (on points tallied thus far), as high as up as eleventh place Lincoln, on 54 – there is just the twelve splitting them and Bristol Rovers in twentieth, after all.

For Mansfield though, the brief is simple, they need another three wins at least (Rotherham, Peterborough and Exeter the best chances), as well as a couple of draws from the other three (Orient, Reading, and Birmingham), and hope results go their way elsewhere.

*Article provided by Peter Mann (Senior Correspondent).

*Main image @mansfieldtownfc action during Stags latest defeat.