DESPITE controlling almost the entire 90 minutes, Mansfield Town were beaten 1-0 by the only quality finish of the game on a frustrating Saturday afternoon at Forest Green Rovers.
It was the relegation-haunted Gloucestershire club's first win in 13 games stretching back to August Bank Holiday weekend and one of Stags' worst results in a poor season to date.
To be fair, Stags boss Billy McEwan could not have asked too much more from his troops as they pinned the home side back into their own half for long spells on their first ever visit to the New Lawn.
- We are not panicking says McEwan - post-match reaction
But home keeper Terry Burton saved an Adnan Ahmed penalty kick and a goal bound Mark Stallard effort while Jason Lee headed against a post as Rovers stole the points thanks to a superb top corner finish by Alex Lawless on 11 minutes.
The last time Rovers were in the Mansfield headlines was way back in 1982 when they beat Rainworth Miners' Welfare in the FA Vase final at Wembley Stadium.
This BSP clash on a freezing cold November afternoon was a million miles away from that big day with Stags fans making up a quarter of a paltry crowd that all left wondering how Forest Green had managed to emerge victors.
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Stags had all the possession, all the creativity and a string of chances but were short on luck and a finish of the precision of Lawless.
Arnold might have given Mansfield a fifth minute lead after running onto a cutting low through ball Sinclair but chose to shoot early and gave Burton a relatively easy save.
Rovers' reply came in the shape of two corners which were both cleared first time.
On 10 minutes Low went inside onto his left foot 20 yards from goal and pulled a shot narrowly wide into the side netting.
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But within a minute Symons knocked down a right wing throw and Lawless picked up the loose ball 25 yards from goal and beat Gamble with a superb rising shot into the top right hand corner.
Gamble needed two attempts to grab a right wing cross after good work from Platt and was fortunate no one punished him for not holding on first time.
But Stags were almost level on 18 minutes as Sinclair used his pace to get down the right and cross long for Arnold. He put the ball back into the centre and Lee leapt to beat Burton with a dropping header that came back of the post and the keeper was able to claw clear.
Arnold threatened again when he cut in from the left onto a fine low pass from Ahmed and curled over the far angle.
Symons was almost in on the half-hour as O'Hare allowed a long ball forward to bounce over him which invited Symons to run on and fire a low shot wide.
On 32 minutes Lee headed the ball on or Arnold to run onto but his shot was always wide of the near post. Then Ahmed saw the keeper comfortable catch his shot on the turn and Arnold sent a volley wide from Lee's nod-down as Stags continued to dominate.
Scorer Lawless left the action injured six minutes from the break to be replaced by Fowler.
Stags won their first corner on 41 minutes but Rovers cleared.
Gamble had to leave his box ahead of two home players running in and managed to get half a header forward before O'Hare completed the clearance.
A minute from the break Low was in acres of space on the right and crossed low. The ball was cleared as far as Fowler who shot on target through a crowd of players and Gamble managed to get there to make a good save.
Sinclair had a deflected shot easily saved to his right by Burton at the other end as the home side went in with the advantage.
Six minutes into the second half Rovers made hard work of clearing an Arnold free kick and the ball was eventually volleyed wide by Somner.
Fowler wasn't far wide with a low shot at the other end after after a neat triangle of passing just outside the Stags box.
It was end to end as Ahmed tried to get Sinclair away inside him on the right and Burton had to clear with a sliding tackle before the Forest loanee could get a finish away.
Gamble was always behind Low's grasscutter. But on 55 minutes a Jeannin header hit team mate O'Hare and dropped for Low to set up Symons for a low shot across goal that Gamble could only watch as it narrowly beat the far post.
Stags wasted a golden chance to level on 62 minutes from the penalty sport.
A great through ball by Ahmed put Sinclair in on goal and Stonehouse had little choice but to foul him as he shaped to finish and give away the spot kick, Stonehouse appearing to be the recipient of a loosely brandished yellow card.
Ahmed tried to bag his second penalty in successive games and it was well struck but keeper Burton went the right way and managed to push it up and against the bar for a superb stop.
At this stage Lee and Somner were withdrawn and replaced by O'Connor and Stallard as Stags went for broke.
Jones headed away Mansfield's second corner at the near post, then neat link work between D'Laryea and Stallard saw Stallard curl a shot straight at the keeper.
The visitors' onslaught continued and Sinclair let Arnold's low cross from the left run past him for Stallard who saw Burton somehow keep out his close range finish.
As Stags pressed forward they were almost undone near the end as a half clearance was poked just wide by Clist from 18 yards.
Stallard was booked for a niggly late tackle on Jones with two minutes to go.
In the last minute of the 90, Sinclair sent a low cross cum shot across the face of goal with O'Connor despairingly unable to turn it home at the far post.
FOREST GREEN: Burton, Lawless (Fowler 39), Stonehouse, Jones, Gill, Clist, Platt, Smith, Symons (Mohamed 73), Low (Afful 73), Kempson. Subs: Robinson, Mangan.
STAGS: Gamble, Silk, D'Laryea, Moses, O'Hare, Arnold, Somner (O'Connor 63), Lee (Stallard 63), Ahmed, Jeannin, Sinclair. Subs: Chanot, Hurren, Herriott.
REFEREE: Paul Tierney, of Lancashire.
ATTENDANCE: 872 (215 Stags).
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