Bulls go five points clear thanks to Williams' winner

Action from AFC Mansfield v Hull United. Photo by Peter Craggs.

The two sides met at the fourth time of asking after three previous games were postponed due to Hull’s ongoing ground issues.

And it was Hull-based player/coach Ryan Williams who scored a second half wonder goal to give the Bulls a five-point cushion over the chasing pack.

The Bulls started the brighter with Grant Allott heading over after just three minutes from a Williams corner. A few minutes later and it was Luke Jeffs who fired wide from 20 yards, then Phil Buxton saw his effort go inches wide after a Jeffs free-kick was only half cleared.

Hull then found their feet and a cross from the right by Martin Foster hit the top of the bar and Jason White made a superb save to deny Brett Agnew on 20 minutes.

Phil Dobson got down well to deny Jimmy Ghaichem and at the other end a superb Matt Plummer volley went narrowly over the bar from 25 yards.

The best chance of the half came around the half hour mark when Dobson managed to palm Buxton’s initial effort away. The midfielder’s follow up hit the bar before the ball was hooked away out to the left. Williams collected the loose ball and his cross bounced on top of the bar before going out for a goal kick.

AFC Mansfield did have the ball in the back of the net on 35 minutes from Buxton but the referee chalked it off due to an infringement in the build up.

The Citizens had the first chance of the second-half when Nick McNamara headed over on the far post from a well delivered free-kick.

The goal came on 59 minutes with Danny Naylor sending Craig Mitchell down the right hand channel. Mitchell held off two defenders and then laid the ball back to Rob Paling who delivered a high curling cross to the far side of the Hull box. Running in was man-of-the-match Williams who calmly hit a side footed curling volley past Dobson from 12 yards.

Gary Bradshaw fired wide on 70 minutes when he should have done better with Hull now chasing the game, but Jason White has not got 13 clean sheets on his own this season and a series of blocks and headed clearances by TImons, Allott, Paling and Jeffs made sure that the points were staying in Mansfield.