Harrogate Town hoodoo goes on as Mansfield Town crash in first half horror show

Stags suffered their worst away league defeat since losing 4-0 at Portsmouth in November 2016 while Harrogate enjoyed a first clean sheet in two months.

Luke Armstrong’s brace after Alex Pattison’s opener did the damage at the rainswept EnviroVent Stadium as the Stags were stunned by the struggling Yorkshire club in a disastrous first half.

It was only Harrogate’s second home win since the opening day as they dealt Nigel Clough’s side a blow as the Stags slipped out of the play-off spots to eighth after their second away league loss in eight.

The only bright note from the afternoon for Mansfield was seeing strike ace Rhys Oates come off the bench to make his first appearance after three months out injured with 17 minutes to go.

Clough made three changes from the win against Rochdale as injured trio Elliott Hewitt, Ollie Clarke and George Lapslie were replaced by Jordan Bowery, John-Joe O’Toole and George Maris.

The visitors got off to the worst possible start as they went behind inside the first five minutes as Pattison perfectly curled his effort home early on on a breakaway after Keiran Wallace had seen a cross cleared at the other end.

Armstrong grabbed his first as he raced through one-on-one and calmly slotted under Stags’ keeper Christy Pym to double the hosts’ advantage in the 19th minute after Hiram Boateng had been dispossessed in the middle of the park.

Down the other end, Anthony Hartigan forced Peter Jameson into a good stretching stop from the edge of the box.

The Stags continued to pile on the pressure as Oli Hawkins headed over before Lucas Akins was denied by Jameson at the near post after Joe Mattock’s slip.

Instead, Armstrong put the game to bed with his third goal in as many games as he fired home Harrogate’s third in first-half stoppage time, Jaheim Headley slipping over as he slipped the ball to Armstrong to poke in from close range at the near post.

After the break, Stephen Quinn hit over from close range before Akins nodded wide.

Pattison missed a chance for his second when he headed wide.

Stags continued to press and Akins was frustrated once again as his back-heel was cleared off the line on 71 minutes while Will Swan smashed a header against the bar six minutes from time with the Stags best chance from an Elliott Hewitt cross.

HARROGATE: Jameson, Ramsay, Burrell, Mattock, Headley, Falkingham, Pattison, Muldoon (Frost, 86), Daly (Thomson, 51), Grant (Coley, 75), Armstrong. SUBS NOT USED: Folarin, Richards, Welch-Hayes, McArdle.

STAGS: Pym, O’Toole (Hewitt, 45), Hawkins, Perch, Bowery (Swan, 45), Hartigan (Lapslie, 66), Boateng, Maris, Wallace (Page, 45), Quinn (Oates, 73), Akins. SUBS NOT USED: Flinders, Gordon.

ATTENDANCE: 2,421.

REFEREE: Scott Oldham.