Five things we learned last night from Mansfield Town v Colchester United

Here are five things we learned from the game.

1: One Call Stadium really is Home Sweet Home now

Last night's win was Stags' ninth League Two victory in a row on home soil as well as a 10th league game unbeaten.

It's a far cry from earlier in the season when they couldn't muster a home win at all.

Crowds are hugely on the rise and if they can get a reasonable return from the three away games on the bounce that they now face, you can bet that figure will rise as the town senses this could finally be their season.

2: Lucas Akins and Jamie Murphy are excellent additions after eye-catching full debuts.

The first half last night underlined that January signings Jamie Murphy and Lucas Akins are as fine additions to the squad as their records suggested they would be.

Akins started for the first time, having come off the bench three times since joining, and looked strong, awkward and powerful – a nightmare for defenders.

He had a couple of good chances to score but was denied by a fine save and then by being crowded out by defenders at the vital moment and shooting over.

Clough recently said Akins was short on full fitness so it was no surprise his contribution faded in the second half.

On his debut, Murphy, like Stephen Quinn, showed exactly what was expected of his experience – the skills, movement and nous of someone who has and still can play at a much higher level.

Happy to run at players, he was heavily involved in some of Stags' best moments of the first half but, like Akins, faded in the second due to lack of recent action.

Once both are full fit – watch out League Two!

3: The last 90 seconds were as crucial as the whole of the 90 minutes

Clough warned pre-match that Colchester were no mugs and were full of quality – and their late rally almost earned them an unlikely point.

No one was quite sure where the referee found seven extra minutes at the end – which eventually stretched out into nine.

But when Jordan Bowery coolly sent the keeper the wrong way from the penalty spot on 90+2 to make it 2-0, everyone in the ground felt three points had been sealed – however, Colchester were far from finished.

Stags had dominated the first half, created a wealth of chances but only taken one, then matched improved Colchester in the second half and protected Nathan Bishop, and may have felt their night's work was done.

But Alan Judge scooped a brilliant free kick into the top corner from a tight angle on 90+7 and United went for broke.

It was like a boxing match with Stags on the ropes.

But they defended with the passion and determination Clough and the fans demand, putting bodies on the line with a succession of fantastic blocks on Colchester shots.

That nervous, frantic last 90 seconds proved as crucial as anything that had gone before as Stags made sure they held on to what they had earned, though massive credit to Colchester for coming so close to an unlikely point.

4: Rhys Oates runs on Duracell and has probably wrapped up Goal of the Season already

I can't ever remember seeing a player like Rhys Oates in a Mansfield shirt.

He is like the 'Duracell Bunny' and terrifies opponents.

He chases lost causes, closes people down so quickly and his two epic runs from his own half in recent games that have now earned a penalty and a goal have been little short of staggering.

Three defenders tried to hack him down en route from his own half to netting a pearler from 25 yards last night and it would have been easy for him to go down and get one of them booked or more.

But he was determined to finish what he started and if that is not the Goal of the Season for Stags I can't wait to see the one that beats it.

5: Stags have finally halted barren run against one of their bogey sides

Having finally avoided defeat for the first time ever against Harrogate Town last week, Mansfield Town halted another poor run against another bogey side last night with their first home win over Colchester in 20 years.

Going into the game, Stags did not have the best of records against the U's, winning only once in their last 13 meetings – and that was away.

Their last home win over them had been back in November 2002 with five of the six since drawn and one lost until last night.

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