Late drama but Mansfield Town are pipped at home by Bristol Rovers
Mansfield Town worked miracles to get their game on against the odds after a week of awful weather, but were probably wondering why they had bothered after suffering a disappointing 1-0 home defeat by mid-table Bristol Rovers this afternoon.
Luke McCormick scored the only goal early in the second half as Nigel Clough's men suffered back to back defeats in League One for the first time after promotion.
George Maris had a stoppage time effort disallowed right at the death for a handball by Ben Waine to pile on the agony for the home side.
Will Evans had fired over the only real chance of a first half full of hard work and endeavour but lacking quality at the crucial moment.
And it was Rovers who drew first blood four minutes after the break through McCormack.
It took Stags 66 minutes to really test the Rovers keeper, but Josh Griffiths saved well from Evans, who missed another chance soon after as Stags drew a rare blank.
The Mansfield side showed three changes to the side that faced Wrexham before the international break.
Baily Cargill, Aaron Lewis and top scorer Lee Gregory were replaced by Stephen McLaughlin, Stephen Quinn and Lucas Akins, with the versatile Akins joining Evans up front.
But keeper Christy Pym was deemed fit after going off injured at Wrexham.
The pitch was in a fantastic condition after week of heavy snow, frost and then heavy rain with fans coming in on Friday to help shovel the snow off.
A great crossfield ball by Blake-Tracy sent Hewitt down the right, winning the game's first corner on three minutes, but Rovers cleared.
Two minutes later Flint blocked a Conteh shot in Rovers' first raid.
Baccus then had a shot blocked at the other end from Mansfield's second corner of the day while Reed had his effort blocked from corner number three.
Rovers came close on 18 minutes but Blake-Tracy made a superb challenge as Martin tried to pull the trigger six yards out after being slipped in by Mola.
Reed was booked on 25 minutes for a late tackle on Forde to halt a Rovers break.
A minute later Conteh did the same to McLaughlin and the result was the same with another card brandished.
Mansfield's best chance so far came on 28 minutes as Baccus nodded down a Quinn cross the box and Evans rushed a first time rising shot over the bar.
Stags had a scare on the half-hour as a Hutchinson shot took a big deflection and a wrong-footed Pym was relieved to see it bounce wide for Rovers' first corner.
Flint got his header on target from Mansfield's fifth corner on 33 minutes but it was straight at Griffiths.
On 40 minutes Rovers won a free kick in a superb central position on the edge of the D only to see Martin drill it straight into the home wall.
Reed then hit a free kick from 30 yards into the visitors' wall as the stalemate continued.
A flurry of home pressure saw some desperate Rovers defending, but they stood firm.
Rovers had the first sniff after the break as McCormick burst into the box only to slice wide on 48 minutes.
But the visitors were ahead a minute later.
Hutchinson made space inside the box on the left and, with the angle tight to shoot, squared across the box past Pym to gift McCormick a far post tap-in at a gaping net.
A Stags raid on 55 minutes saw Akins' cheeky backheeled effort go straight at the keeper.
Soon after, a low Oshilaja cross failed to find a team mate in the box.
Blake-Tracy was added to the book on 56 minutes for fouling Forde and McCormick was next a minute later for his foul on Quinn.
The free kick was cleared as far as Quinn but he was well over with his goal attempt.
On 62 minutes Stags sent on Waine and Boateng for Akins and Quinn.
Griffiths finally had a serious save to make on 66 minutes as McLaughlin intercepted the ball and sent Evans into space on the left. His firm shot was on target but pushed away by the keeper.
Evans missed a third chance of the game on 72 minutes. Baccus sent Hewitt down the right with a great pass and his cross rebounded to Evans 10 yards out only to see him skewer his finish wide.
Mansfield made another double change with 17 minutes left as Lewis and Maris came on for McLaughlin and Baccus.
Three minutes later Blake-Tracy stayed down after a tackle and had to be replaced by Bowery.
Rovers defended well as Stags tried hard to find a way back into the contest with the rain getting heavier by the minute.
A minute from time Hutchinson lashed wide after a good counter attack.
In the third of six added minutes Hewitt grabbed the shirt of O'Donkor to see a late yellow.
There was high drama in a seventh added minute as Lewis put the ball across from the right by-line and Maris buried it high in the net only to see celebrations cut short after the referee spotted a handball by Ben Waine en route.
STAGS: Pym, McLaughlin (Maris 73), Hewitt, Akins (Waine 62), Evans, Flint, S. Quinn (Boateng 62), Baccus (Lewis 73), Blake-Tracy (Bowery 76), Oshilaja, Reed. SUBS: Flinders, Kilgour.
ROVERS: Griffiths, Moore, Wilson, Mola, Taylor, Martin (O'Donkor 84), Hutchinson (Forbes 89), Conteh, McCormick (Ward 84), Forde (Sinclair 89), Lindsay. SUBS NOT USED: Sotiriou, Thomas, Bilongo.
REFEREE: Carl Brook.
ATTENDANCE: 7,357 (451 away).