Away point halts losing run for Mansfield Town in dull stalemate at AFC Wimbledon
Mansfield Town had to settle for an away point in a dire 0-0 draw away at AFC Wimbledon this afternoon.
With key players still missing and on the back of four successive League One defeats, this will ultimately be looked upon as a decent away draw for the Stags.
But they know just one moment of quality would have won this against a Dons side also very low on confidence and kept at bay with relative ease.
A poor first half saw Stags blow the best chance when Lucas Akins failed to tuck away a first minute one on one and they also had a Baily Cargill finish disallowed for a foul.
The Dons did strike the Mansfield crossbar and put a few testing balls into the box, but Liam Roberts remained untested with the Akins shot the only one on target from either side in a scrappy opening 45 minutes from two sides struggling for form.
Matters did not improve after the break with the game continuing as a scrappy midfield battle with little excitement in either penalty box and a tame shot from the home side the only shot on taget all afternoon.
Nigel Clough made two changes to the team that lost at home Bolton in midweek with Ryan Sweeney and Nathan Moriah-Welsh replacing Aaron Lewis and the suspended Rhys Oates, while the home side made four changes of their own after their midweek defeat at Exeter.
Mansfield should have taken a first minute lead as Reed intercepted a pass and threaded Akins away clear on goal, but ex-Stags keeper Bishop denied him as he got down and spread himself well to block the finish from close range.
Asiimwe was well over after cutting in from the left in the Don's first raid on five minutes.
Immediately at the other end Evans swapped passes with Moriah-Welsh and sent a 20 yard first time shot wide of the mark.
The Dons came close on 18 minutes as Asiimwe crossed from the right, Browne flicked on and Seddon, on the far side, met it with a rising shot that came back off the crossbar with Roberts beaten – the home side’s best moment of the afternoon.
Mansfield then had the ball in the net on 21 minutes only to see it chalked off for a foul.
Hewitt sent in a long throw from the right and, with Sweeney and Lewis wrestling in a packed six yard box, Cargill poked the ball over the line amid the melee.
With so much holding going on from both sides, Stags could count themselves unlucky to have the goal ruled out.
The referee played advantage after a sliding challenge from Cargill took out an opponent but minutes later on 26 minutes when play halted, out came the yellow card for the Stags defender.
On 35 minutes Johnson powered a header just wide from a Dons corner.
Two minutes later Hewitt was booked for kicking the ball away on the touchline but Seddon somehow escaped one for a silly shove on Hewitt.
McLaughlin began the second half in place of the booked Cargill.
Blake-Tracy was fortunate on 53 minutes when his attempted backpass beat his own keeper and rolled narrowly wide for a corner – a real heart in mouth moment.
After Dwyer had come on for Akins, Brown was booked on 62 minutes for chopping down Moriah-Welsh.
Lewis was the visitors' second change as he took over from Hewitt.
Dons sub Bugiel gave us the game's second shot on target on 68 minutes, but it was a tame one from distance and straight to Roberts, who had barely touched the ball all game.
With 10 minutes to go Reed sent a 25 yard free kick into the Wimbledon wall as the score remained deadlocked with time fast running out.
A foul by McLaughlin in the third of five added minutes saw the yellow card out again, Stags surviving from the free kick and subsequent corner.
Nkeng was then booked for tripping Evans in the last added minute as a poor game finally petered out.
STAGS: Roberts, Oshilaja, Sweeney, Cargill (McLaughlin HT), Hewitt (Lewis 64), McDonnell, Reed, Moriah-Welsh, Blake-Tracy, Akins (Dwyer 56), Evans. SUBS NOT USED: Mason, McAdam, Taylor, Dickov.
DONS: Bishop, Asiimwe (Nkeng 83), Seddon, Johnson, Orsi (Bugiel 64), Maycock, Browne, Smith, Hippolyte (Reeves 64), Lewis, Ogundere. SUBS NOT USED: McDonnell, Hutchinson, Bauer, Harbottle.
REFEREE: Elliot Bell.