LOMAS ON MANSFIELD TOWN: Stags hoping for brighter days ahead

Well it could not have got a lot darker for Mansfield Town last weekend when they took on Newport County in the eye of Storm Dennis with lingering relegation fears bubbling in the background.

But victory was achieved against all the odds and elements and maybe, just maybe, this is now the dawn of something much brighter for the club.

With Stags winning and Stevenage losing, the drop zone is now 13 points away with only 12 games to go and safety is surely now Mansfield's to lose.

There was every worry that Saturday's home clash with a big, physical, direct Newport side could be lost to the weather with powerful wind and heavy rain lashing the One Call Stadium.

It was only when we went down to conduct interviews after the final whistle at pitch level that you could appreciate the strength of the wind.

And the puddles that appeared on the pitch, even before kick-off, told their own story.

But Mansfield dug grimly in and, having gone ahead, were finally like the proverbial dog with a bone that new boss Graham Coughlan has been demanding.

It really didn't matter if it was pretty or by how many goals they won.

In those conditions and with the league table situation it was win at all costs.

Danny Rose's fine strike had put them ahead in the first half and all 11 players then dug deep to make sure Newport were not given the slightest sniff of coming back.

With the Exiles' size and reputation for direct play, it was inevitable there would be a late push and grandstand finish.

But, unlike against Carlisle when Stags blinked twice, this time they shut up shop firmly and decisively.

Even so, home fans were watching the five or six added minutes through gaps in fingers in the stands while at the same time superbly raising the noise levels to help see their side over the line.

The celebrations from both fans and players on the whistle showed exactly how important this result was.

You'd have thought Stags had booked a Wembley final!

But they had certainly proved a point to themselves and the supporters and, having made it seven points out of nine in three home games, gone some way to halting their appalling record at the One Call this season.

A few eyebrows were raised pre-match when Aidan Stone was given his Stags EFL debut in goal and Bobby Olejnik dropped to the bench.

But, although needing to keep his wits about him and concentration levels high in such testing conditions, Stone knows he will rarely get an easier clean sheet than this one.

The 10 players in front of him put everything on the line to ensure Newport did not even manage one on-target effort to test him.

The only moment of crisis came on 62 minutes when Jamille Matt held the ball up well and laid it to Dale Gorman who sidefooted wide of the inviting target.

Otherwise the Welshmen were kept at bay as Stags gained some small revenge for that play-off semi-final defeat last season with both sides now looking resigned to another season of League Two football.

Everyone stood up to be counted and players like Will Tomlinson and Neal Bishop, who have had their critics this season, were magnificent on the day.

Bishop may not have hit the heights of last season but he didn't deserve to be booed by a small number of his own 'fans' when his name was read out pre-match. He certainly answered in the best possible way over the following 90 minutes.

Of course Mansfield next face four games in a row against teams in the top eight – three of them in the top five – and points will be very hard to come by.

But with only 12 games left, the players know time is running out to ensure they will be a part of Graham Coughlan's plans going forward with a summer influx of his own men expected to be matched by the bombing out of those considered surplus to requirements.

Assistant boss Joe Dunne rightly stressed this week that, although some supporters may believe the Stags are already safe, no one in the club is believing the job is done until it is mathematically certain.

Football can bite you on the backside when you start to believe anything is certain and no one will be making that mistake as Stags prepare to battle hard all the way to the finishing line.

Macclesfield Town, Morecambe, and Carlisle United are all down there at the wrong end of the division with the Stags.

But bottom club Stevenage remain the benchmark to stay above and, after appointing their fourth manager of the season this week, remain in huge crisis.

Six defeats in a row and only one win in 13 saw Graham Westley quit to end his fourth spell with the club with just two wins and 10 defeats in his 15 games in charge.

Former player Alex Revell has taken over and he has appointed the more experienced Russell Slade as his 'management consultant' in a bid to conjure up a late miracle.

They are also in hot water with the EFL over their decision to postpone a game with Oldham due to having the requisite three players called up for international duty only to find that only two of the players were eligible to be counted towards the total required by the policy.

It's an additional headache the Boro will not want as they fight for their Football League lives.

Something of a surprise package this season, Stags' next opponents Cheltenham have won their last four home games in succession and three of their last four games overall as they stay hot on the heels of the automatic promotion spots.

But Mansfield have only lost one of their last six games at Whaddon Road and will certainly be boosted by last weekend's victory as they aim for an upset at Whaddon Road.

The Robins have much more to lose if they fail to win on Saturday which means they will be on the front foot, taking the game to the Stags.That may suit Coughlan’s men after several weeks of intense defensive training while showing against Newport last weekend how quickly they can break forward from a mistake and make the opposition pay in devastating fashion.