Derby Day Delight For The Stags As They Decimtate Notts County 4-1 At Meadow Lane
After going 1-0 down in the first five minutes, Mansfield Town valiantly fought back to win 4-1 over Notts County to gain the bragging rights in the Nottinghamshire Derby.
The league-leading Magpies broke the deadlock in the third minute as County flooded men forward and Dan Crowley eventually fired the ball in from close range.
In the 24th minute, the game was levelled at 1-1 as a sweeping move by the Stags saw George Maris square the ball to Louis Reed who guided his effort into the bottom corner.
Three goals in the space of 11 minutes in the second half saw Mansfield Town run away with the game.
It was Baily Cargill who put the Stags in front as he met Davis Keillor-Dunn’s corner with a towering header that beat County goalkeeper Sam Slocombe.
Another Keillor-Dunn corner four minutes later saw the amber and blues go 3-1 up as Lucas Akins’ diving header hit the post before it was fired in from close range by Aden Flint.
Akins was able to get on the scoresheet in the 81st minute as Keillor-Dunn’s ball in found the forward who turned it in past the diving Slocombe.
Stags boss Nigel Clough named two changes from the side that drew 0-0 to AFC Wimbledon last weekend. Lewis Brunt and Will Swan dropped to the bench as Calum Macdonald and Ollie Clarke stepped into the starting XI.
Notts County boss Luke Williams named four changes from the side that drew 1-1 with Barrow in the Magpies’ previous League Two game. Aidan Stone, Kyle Cameron, Tobi Adebayo-Rowling and Jodi Jones were replaced by Sam Slocombe, Conell Rawlinson, Aaron Nemane and Sam Austin.
The first chance of the game saw County score as the ball fell for Crowley in the box and he smashed it in from close range with a deflection from Flint guiding it in.
Akins had Mansfield’s first chance of the game but his shot was too weak to beat Slocombe as the Magpies’ goalkeeper gathered the ball with ease.
The Stags continued their momentum as Clarke drove forward but dragged his effort from outside the box wide of the target.
Keillor-Dunn went awfully close to equalising as his effort hit the post before hitting the back of Slocombe and going behind for a corner.
Up the other end, a massive defensive header from Macdonald denied Nemane a free header from David McGoldrick’s cross at the back post.
In the 23rd minute, the amber and blues scored the leveller as John Bostock was dispossessed by Akins. The forward found Maris who squared it to Reed with the midfielder placing the ball into the bottom corner.
Macaulay Langstaff looked to find his feet in the game but he failed to find the target as he curled his effort wide of the target.
In the final moments of the first half, Crowley fired a shot goalwards but Macdonald cleared the midfielder’s effort off the line.
The Stags’ first chance of the second half saw Maris fire a cross into the box but the ball evaded both Akins and Aaron Lewis as Mansfield Town looked to gain the lead and complete the comeback.
Clarke galloped forward before cutting the ball back to Maris who stabbed an effort goalwards which was well saved by Slocombe.
A brilliant pass from McGoldrick found the run of Nemane but his effort could only find the side-netting as the game entered its final 20 minutes.
One minute after County’s chance, Keillor-Dunn’s corner was met by Cargill who powerfully headed the ball past Slocombe.
Four minutes later, another Keillor-Dunn corner created as goal as the forward’s cross was headed onto the post by Akins, however, the ball fell to Flint who smashed it into the back of the net.
Lewis had the chance of scoring a fourth for the Stags as he latched onto Macdonald’s cutback but the midfielder failed to keep his effort down.
Mansfield Town managed to make it 4-1 minutes later as Akins turned the ball into the net following a Keillor-Dunn cross.
A fantastic display from the Stags saw them maintain their unbeaten record and extend it to 17 games as they were able to get their first win following three consecutive draws.
Notts County dropped down to second following their heavy defeat in the Nottinghamshire Derby as Mansfield Town closed the gap down to one point between them and the Magpies as they moved up to third in League Two.
Both sides as back in action next weekend as County take on Gillingham away whilst the Stags welcome Forest Green Rovers to the One Call Stadium.
Notts County’s XI: Slocombe, Baldwin, Rawlinson, Brindley, Austin (Adebayo-Rowling 75′), Nemane, Bostock (O’Brien 57′), Palmer, Crowley, McGoldrick, Langstaff
Mansfield Town’s XI: Pym, Bowery, Flint, Cargill, Macdonald, Reed, Lewis (Johnson 90+1′), Clarke (Williams 90+1′), Maris (Boateng 78′), Keillor-Dunn (Gale 83′), Akins (Swan 83′)
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