Late heartbreak as Swindon Town end Mansfield Town’s unbeaten run
There was late, late heartbreak for Mansfield Town as their 17-game unbeaten League Two run this season was ended by Jake Young’s dramatic 93rd-minute strike for Swindon Town.
It was looking as though the visiting Stags were about to extend their unblemished start to the league campaign, but Young stabbed home the Robins’ winner with seconds to go.
Given the confidence clearly flowing through the Stags team at present, it was no surprise to see Nigel Clough’s high-fliers get off to a hugely positive start in Wiltshire.
Louis Reed went close when his shot was blocked close to the line by defender Harrison Minturn, before Baily Cargill charged through the middle, only to then struggle to get a decent strike away.
The Robins - who were without a win in eight games in all competitions going into this one – finally threatened close to the quarter-hour mark.
Christy Pym was forced into a decent stop to keep out Remeao Hutton.
The Stags then had a major scare in the 23rd minute. Swindon defender Frazer Blake-Tracy was unmarked as he met William Kokolo’s precise cross into the box, only to head off target.
The warning signs had been there for Mansfield, and they ended up going in at the interval behind as the Robins struck seven minutes before the break when Young volleyed home his 14th goal of the season, steering home direct from Daniel Kemp’s free-kick into the box.
That made it five games in a row he had scored in.
Boss Clough made a couple of couple of changes at the interval, and one of the subs coming on – Lucas Akins – made an almost immediate impact.
In the 49th minute Akins latched on to Aaron Lewis’s through-ball before running on and calmly slotting home past Murphy Mahoney.
The Stags were buoyed by their equaliser, and Lewis and Davis Keillor-Dunn both missed great chances to hand the visitors the lead.
Akins also headed against the crossbar from three yards out on 77 minutes while Pym saved well from Kemp as both sides looked for a winner.
Oates and Lewis both had opportunities before five minutes were added in which the Robins dramatically snatched victory in the third of those minutes.
Veteran sub Charlie Austin, who had only just joined the action on 89 minutes, headed against a post.
The ball rolled towards Young, whose first effort came off the other post before he swept the loose ball home from close range to break the visitors' hearts as they dropped a place to third.
Ironically, Portsmouth, the only other unbeaten side in the league, also lost – going down 4-0 at home to Blackpool.
Stags had been trying to equal the club's all-time unbeaten record of 20 games but must now regroup and prepare to bounce back at home to Tranmere Rovers on Tuesday night.
SWINDON: Mahoney, Godwin-Malife, Minturn, Blake-Tracy, Hutton, Khan, McEachran (Shade, 77), Kinsella, Kokolo (Austin, 89), Kemp, Young. SUBS NOT USED: Genesini, Dworzak, Brown, Hart, Ward.
STAGS: Pym, Johnson, Flint, Brunt, Cargill, Lewis, Reed, Keillor-Dunn (Boateng, 89), Maris (Quinn, 46) Oates (MacDonald, 84), Bowery (Akins, 46). SUBS NOT USED: Flinders, Williams, Swan.
REFEREE: Lee Swabey.
ATTENDANCE: 8,322 (685 away).