Stags:1 U's:1

Every day I travel down the A1198 to work, and almost every day, without fail, I get held up behind a tractor, a horse box, a caravan, or a slow moving lorry, delaying my progress and giving me mild road rage.

So you can imagine my displeasure when we got stuck behind ALL FOUR of the unholy quartet on the one-carriageway road into Mansfield on Saturday. Having already taken 45 minutes to get four miles along the A1 due to stupid roadworks, it probably wasn't a great surprise that we missed kick off.

Luckily nothing had happened in the first couple of minutes. United had lined up in a 4-4-2 formation, with Felino Jardim making a welcome return wide left, with Jon Challinor wide-ish right ahead of Dan Gleeson. However, Challinor's tendency to wander inside meant Glees was often exposed to the probings of Alex Jeannin and Michael Blackwood. Jason Lee headed the home sides best chance over the bar, while at the other end Evil perhaps should have done better with a header from a Jardim free kick.

Big Lee was described as a "veteran striker" by the non-league paper on Sunday, a statement which worryingly means I'll qualify for veteran status next April. Anyway, he got through plenty of work given that he had apparently been sick all week, linking up well on occasions with Holroyd and the tricky Jardim. However, none of these three were involved directly in our goal, which stemmed from a Tonkin long throw. With Bolland lurking at the near post, it was partially cleared by a defender as far as Danny Brown on the edge of the box, who unleashed a stonking volley across the keeper into the far corner. Back of the net. 1-0.

The Stags were never going to surrender their 100 per cent home record lightly, and they pushed United back in the opening stages of the second half, aided by penickity refereeing of Mr Brown, who seemed determined to disrupt the flow of play wherever possible. Blackwood and Nathan Arnold were the chief tormentors of the U's backline, and we were served notice of what was to come when Blackwood was given a free kick on the edge of the box after going to ground very easily.

Moments later, Arnold was awarded a dubious set piece in an almost identical position on the other side of the field. He swung the ball over to the back stick, where Alan O'Hare climbed above the otherwise immaculate Wayne Hatswell to head home the equaliser. 1-1.

After that it was mostly United on the front foot, with Evil and Hatswell shooting wide and the former having a goal disallowed for offside after he had wandered round the keeper and poked the ball into the empty net. An enterprising Holroyd dash saw him shoot disappointingly wide, and there was time for Danny Crow to make a positive ten minute cameo. He already looks fitter after a week of training with the squad, and will hopefully be a good addition once he's fully up to speed.

The U's could've stolen it with literally the last kick of the game when Jardim's cross was helped onto Evil on the left of the box. But his shot was blocked by O'Hare, and seconds later the final whistle sounded.

Mansfield were the best side I've seen so far this year, so we've got to look at this as a point gained, even thought it could have been so much more. We could with three points against Oxford tonight though, there have been a few too many draws lately.

Man of the Match: Felino Jardim - At times he had three of four players on his tail, but somehow still came away with the ball. It seems the rest has done him good.







Losers of the Match: The over-zealous Mansfield stewards, whose insistence that everyone sit down (while the Mansfield fans remained standing) caused some unnecessary aggro. A big special well done to the steward who spent five minutes offering to "settle things outside" with several United fans. Very professional eh?