LOMAS ON STAGS: Fans start to dream again as new boss doubles home wins in four days!

Mansfield Town V Blackpool.
Blackpool 'keeper Sam Slocombe takes a hit in the ribs.Mansfield Town V Blackpool.
Blackpool 'keeper Sam Slocombe takes a hit in the ribs.
Mansfield Town V Blackpool. Blackpool 'keeper Sam Slocombe takes a hit in the ribs.
After three months of misery and mutterings it has taken new Mansfield Town boss Steve Evans just two games to start fans dreaming of better days to come once more.

After poor home results last season, the Stags had only won twice at home in 11 games all season, but it took Evans just four days to equal that.

His side also entertained in both games – one of the biggest complaints against the previous regime.

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It was also the first time the Stags have managed back-to-back League wins all season and the six points edged them into ninth and only a point off the play-offs.

The club and squad are still both light years away from getting out of this division and challenging for a place in the target Championship.

But Evans believes it can be done or he says he wouldn’t have joined the club – and having done it all before at Rotherham you wouldn’t bet against him.

Crawley arrived in poor form on Saturday and were sunk under wave after wave of Mansfield attacks.

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Once the first goal went in you sensed there would be more, though no one quite expected three in 10 minutes.

Blackpool’s league position in the play-offs last night suggested they would be made of former stuff – and so it proved.

The game last night was much more physical with referee Darren Handley continually blowing his whistle and often handing out overly-long lectures which meant the game was never allowed to get going as a spectacle.

But, unable to dominate the Seasiders as they had Crawley, Evans’ men displayed a resilience and grit last night.

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Determined not to get beaten, even if they couldn’t win, Stags defended well against a potent Pool attack and Scott Shearer pulled off a couple of good saves before Danny Rose came on to steal a stoppage time winner at the end.

It was a magical moment which saw a huge outpouring of emotions, so be booked for his celebrations was ridiculous.

Quite frankly the FA need to abolish this rule unless it the celebration is something extreme and provocative against the opposition fans as they are killing the big moment for players and fans and will ultimately leave clubs shorn of players through suspension who score a lot of goals.

They are simply sucking the fun out of the game – and what else is it there for but to provide fun and entertainment?

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Why upset your customers and participants just because you are so stuffy and formal?

That complaint aside, a damp, misty night left fans with a warm glow as they wandered home as, despite the inevitable hiccups ahead along the way, it really does feel like a ship that was cruising nowhere has suddenly set sail again.

Saturday’s opponents Carlisle have been crushing almost all before them in reaching the heights of second this season.

So anything brought home this weekend will be a bonus.

A win there and Stags fans will be pinching themselves!

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