Last-gasp goal sees Rovers overcome Mansfield

Stags took the lead in their first home game of the 2025/26 Sky Bet League One campaign through substitute Stephen McLaughlin, who found the net 12 minutes into the second-half with an emphatic strike from range.

Rovers equalised with a quarter-of-an-hour to play when defender Elliott Hewitt diverted a Doncaster corner into his own net before captain Bailey stole the headlines in the sixth minute of added time, turning the ball into the net from close-range to hand his team the points.

Manager Nigel Clough made one alteration to the side that fell to defeat against Burton Albion on opening day. Dom Dwyer replaced Rhys Oates in attack, with the latter being named amongst the substitutes.

Mansfield started quickly and forward Will Evans believed he should have been awarded a penalty when he hit the deck in the area under pressure after three minutes, but referee Andrew Humphries quickly waved away the appeals.

Left wing-back Kyle McAdam was harshly shown the first yellow card of the afternoon on 19 minutes for catching his marker with a high foot just inside the Mansfield half.

The resulting free-kick was floated deep into the box and headed back into a dangerous area at the far post by defender Matt Pearson.

From there, midfielder Harry Clifton met the knock down and fired his half-volley narrowly wide of the right post from 10 yards.

Midfielder Louis Reed forced Rovers ‘keeper Thimothee Lo-Tutala into the first save of the contest 11 minutes before the break, heading Evans’ cross into the hands of the goalkeeper from close range.

Stags came under some late pressure at the end of the first-half which saw McAdam make an important sliding intervention to stop Clifton’s pass reaching striker Brandon Hanlan at the back post.

McLaughlin was introduced to replace the cautioned McAdam at the interval, and the Irishman contributed to Stags creating a golden opportunity on 47 minutes.#

McLaughlin’s cross from the left was turned back into the area at the back post by Reed, and Evans looked certain to score, but could only head over the bar from close range.

Evans was proving a real problem for the Doncaster defence in the early stages of the second-half, this time latching onto midfielder Regan Hendy’s ball over the top on 54 minutes before forcing Lo-Tutala into a fine save low to his right.

McLaughlin produced a moment of magic to fire Stags into the lead on 57 minutes.

Collecting the ball on the left, the wing-back exploited the space in front of him before unleashing a thunderous strike from outside the area which flew straight into the top left corner and gave the ‘keeper no chance.

Defender Kyle Knoyle made a goal-saving clearance 15 minutes from time to deny winger Luke Molyneux from heading into an empty net at the back post, conceding a corner.

From the resulting set-piece, the visitors drew level. Doncaster’s inswinging corner from the left was diverted beyond Roberts in the Mansfield net by the unfortunate Elliott Hewitt, under pressure from Rovers’ full-back Owen Bailey.

Substitute Rhys Oates almost met McLaughlin’s cross in the area in the final minute, but the ball into the area was slightly too high for the striker.

Bailey poked home the winner for the visitors in the sixth minute of added time when the full-back found his way into the area and prodded the ball beyond Roberts from close-range.

Substitute Jordan Bowery was shown a late yellow card in the dying moments as Doncaster held out to claim maximum points.

Stags: Roberts, Knoyle (Bowery 83’), Sweeney ©, Cargill, Hewitt, Reed, McDonnell, Hendry (Maris 67’), McAdam (McLaughlin H/T), Evans (Moriah-Welsh 67’), Dwyer (Oates 67’).

Unused sub: Mason, Blake-Tracy.

Rovers: Lo-Tutala, Maxwell (Senior 68’), Bailey ©, Pearson, Molyneux, Broadbent, Hanlan (Sharp 62’), O’Riordan, Clifton (Gotts 61’), Middleton (Gibson 68’), Crew (Ajayi 62’).

Unused subs: Lawlor, Grehan.

Ref: Andrew Humphries

Att: 8,798 (1,573 away fans)