Mansfield Town 3-0 Exeter City (EFL League One) 03.05.2025

Nigel Clough’s Mansfield side finished the 2024/25 League One season with a little bit of style and attacking football, following up their midweek home win over Peterborough United, with a final day flourish against Exeter City.

Midfielder Stephen Quinn was handed the captains armband on what was his final game for the club; the 39-year-old having joined from Burton Albion, initially on loan, during the 2020/21 season.

The former Republic of Ireland international has been pretty much a mainstay of Clough’s midfield over the past four-and-a-half years, making over 170 appearances, chipping in with the occasional goal along the way.

On Saturday, at the One Call Stadium, Quinn took his place in a packed midfield, playing his part as the Stags ran out 3-0 victors over the visiting Grecians, going in at the break two goals to the good.

Mind, the visitors could have led themselves straight from kick-off, Scott Flinders’ post being rattled by Reece Cole following a low, quick cross by Ilmari Niskanen, the visitors also seeing early chances from visiting captain, Jack Fitzwater, as well as Alex Hartridge, and Joel Colwill come to nothing before the hosts struck.

It would be the Stags however that took the lead, and from which they never looked back; twenty-five minutes in a free-kick from Louis Reed, over twenty yards from goal, crashed back off the underside of Joe Whitworth’s crossbar, bouncing into the path of the onrushing Stephen McLauglin, who proceeded to head home from close range.

The lead was doubled seven minutes before the break, Caylan Vickers, on-loan from Premier League side, Brighton & Hove Albion, beat his marker and, having cut inside the box proceeded to give Dom Dwyer a tap-in past Whitworth, the former USA International netting his fourth goal in nine outings since joining in early March.

Vickers came close to adding a third before the break as well, this time Whitworth equal to the effort and palmed the ball over his crossbar, the Stags going in two goals to the good at the interval.

Cole and Niskanen were at it again for the visitors early in the second half as the former released the latter, six minutes in, he rounded Flinders in the home goal, but proceeded to put his effort into the side netting, instead of the goal.

Flinders was also called into action with twenty-three minutes remaining, Cole’s effort from twenty-five yards out being gathered up at the second attempt, whilst the same player saw not one, but two efforts on the Stags’ goal blocked right before the hosts added their third.

That decisive third goal for the hosts arrived late on, Ben Waine, on for George Maris with twenty minutes remaining, collected a defence-splitting pass from Reed and slotted past Whitworth; but again, the visitors kept coming, both they, and the hosts, hitting the woodwork in the closing stages.

The Grecians did so via Cole a minute after Waine had netted, then Jordan Rhodes, on for Dwyer at the same time Waine entered the field of play, hit the post on the break with the game’s final kick.

Mansfield Town – Scott Flinders, Jordan Bowery, Aden Flint, Baily Cargill, Keanu Baccus, George Maris (Ben Waine, 68), Louis Reed (Ronnie Kokkinos, 88), Stephen Quinn (Hiram Boateng, 61), Stephen McLaughlin, Dom Dwyer (Jordan Rhodes, 68), Caylan Vickers (Taylor Anderson, 88)

Victory for the Stags meant that they finished the campaign in seventeenth place, ten points off the top ten, with fifteen victories and nine draws to their name; add into that a little run to the Third Round of the FA Cup then it’s been a season in which they’ve maybe even surpassed what they set out to do.

Survival in League One was always the aim for the Stags, and they achieved that with a couple of games to spare; starting the season with just two defeats in twelve league games perhaps raised the bar a little, but a seven-match winless streak before Christmas, and thirteen without a win once New Year kicked in, certainly hampered higher thoughts.

Overall, though, they did what they had to do, and that’s all that can be asked and now, adjustments and changes are to be made ahead of going again in the Summer, again in League One.

*Article provided by Peter Mann (Senior Correspondent).

*Main image @mansfieldtownfc a solid season in League One ends with a win over Exeter.