Mansfield began life in their new Blue Square Premier surroundings in shaky fashion and found themselves trailing 2-0 at half-time following strikes by Luke Moore and Stacy Long.

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But Billy McEwan's men did themselves and the band of away fans proud after battling back in the season-opener with a fantastic second-half display.

The game turned with the introduction of substitute Jason Lee and the growing influence of tricky winger Michael Blackwood, who began to terrorise the Ebbsfleet rearguard with their height and pace respectively.

• Billy McEwan hails battling Stags

Goals from Blackwood on 65 minutes - though Nathan Arnold may have got a touch to his cross - and a last-gasp strike by Mark Stallard then capped a wonderful comeback and brought Stags' a well-deserved away point.

Mansfield will now be looking to build on their impressive final 45 minutes and earn their first Blue Square Premier victory when they entertain Histon at Field Mill on Tuesday.

• Goalscorer admits strike was a fluke

New-look Stags, who were relegated from the Football League for the first time in 75 years, came into the season-opener looking to hit the ground running.

The Blue Square newboys, who were trounced 3-0 by Unibond North Division One side Boston United in their last pre-season friendly, named nine debutants for the curtain-raiser.

On-loan goalkeeper Paddy Gamble took his place between the sticks, while there were also first starts for experienced defender Adie Moses, former Notts County forwards Lee (as a substitute) and veteran striker Stallard - with former Grays striker Aaron O'Connor on his 25th birthday preferred to Lee to start the match ip front

Midfielder Jon D'Laryea and Arnold - the only players to feature in last season's relegation heartbreak - also took their places in the starting line-up.

But Stags' life in the Blue Square Premier got off to the worst possible start after just seven minutes when a long ball from the Fleet midfield picked out forward Michael Gash on the edge of the box.

He then unleashed a sweetly-struck shot which hit the foot of post and agonisingly rebounded off the back of the diving Gamble to trickle into the back of the unguarded net, helped over the line by the alert Luke Moore who reacted quickest to the loose ball.

The shock goal seemed to deflate Mansfield as they fell back to the edge of their box to defend a spell of good pressure from upbeat Ebbsfleet.

The increasingly confident home side then missed a glorious chance to double their lead after 15 minutes, when goal-scorer Michael Gash blazed over the bar from 12 yards out with the goal at his mercy.

He had been picked out after tricky winger Ricky Shakes outpaced his marker down the right flank to fire in a cutting cross, which caused confusion amongst the Stags' rearguard.

The lead was finally doubled on 25 minutes when Stacy Long picked up the ball in midfield and started running at the retreating Stags' back four,

He then unleashed a pin-point curling shot into the top far corner from 22 yards, which left Paddy Gamble with no chance and put the band of traveling fans into despair.

It was nothing more than rampant Fleet deserved following a spell of sustained pressure, which saw wingers Long and Shakes and Michael Gash boss the game.

As the rain continued to fall powerful Shakes nearly made it 3-0 moments later after he sent a firm header narrowly over the bar from a Stacy Long corner.

Stags' debutant Stallard gave the lacklustre away side a glimmer of hope on 40 mins when he drilled a shot from 25 yards into the chest of home keeper Lance Cronin.

Ebbsfleet, who won last season's FA Trophy at Wembley, soon responded with a shot of their own when Neil Barrett placed his neat shot two yards over the Mansfield bar shortly before half-time.

And as the bleak weather began to improve so did Stags' second-half performance.

With Mansfield's first attack of the half winger Blackwood went close when he drilled a shot wide of the goal from a narrow angle following neat interplay with Arnold on 50 minutes.

Stags brought on former Forest and Notts County forward Lee in search of a goal to bring off-the-pace Mansfield back into the game for the injured Aaron O'Conner on 57 mins.

And Mansfield finally hauled themselves back into the contest after a swift counter-attack caught the home side napping on 65 mins.

Stallard and Blackwood broke at pace from a corner to find space through the middle.

Blackwood then fired in a deep cross over the head of a stretching Cronin which appeared to be just missed by Arnold and go in off the back post.

The strike lifted the Stags side as they began to grow in confidence and demonstrate a new fighting spirit in midfield.

Delight nearly turned to ecstasy for the drenched away fans as substitute Lee was picked out in the Ebbsfleet box just moments later.

But the experienced striker failed to control a long ball coming over his shoulder and the glimpse of a chance was gone.

Pacy Blackwood become increasingly influential along with Arnold as their speed from deep midfield positions began to cause bother for the stretched Ebbsfleet defence.

Lee nearly leveled the scoreline on 72 minutes, but his glancing header from a D'Laryea free-kick just drifted over the Ebbsfleet bar.

Stags continued to plug away in search of an equaliser, which nearly came when Lee nearly picked out Arnold with a flicked on header from a deep free-kick on 85 minutes.

Ebbsfleet sub Jon Akinde nearly put the game out of sight moments from time when he broke at speed down the right flank as Mansfield pushed on, but his cross-cum-shot drifted wide to the relief of Paddy Gamble.

Mansfield's sustained pressure finally on 90 minutes told as Blackwood burst down the left flank at pace and cut inside past his defender.

He then dinked a neat cross over to the back post which was headed home by Stallard through the legs of despairing keeper Lance Cronin.

Lee nearly won the game in injury time, but his piledriver was well blocked by diving defender Sacha Opinel to the relief of the home fans, leaving Stags to settle for a well-deserved point.

Ebbsfleet United: Cronin; Hawkins; Opinel; Smith; Long; Gash; Stone; Shakes (Akinde 77 mins); Moore; Barrett; Charles. Subs not used: Mott; Ricketts; Purcell; Appiah)

Mansfield Town: Gamble; Silk; D'Laryea; Moses; O'Hare; Arnold; Somner; Stallard; Blackwood; Jeannin; O'Connor (Lee 57 mins). (Subs not used : Shaw; Hurren; Herriot; Robinson)

Referee: Ray Lee (Essex)

Stags man of match: Michael Blackwood

Attendance: 1,872

Goals ( Moore 7mins, Long 25mins, Blackwood 65mins; Stallard 89 mins)