LOMAS ON STAGS: Point still precious as cynical Colchester United dig deep for draw at Mansfield Town

Getting over the promotion line is never an easy job and anyone expecting to coast past a struggling U’s side managed by Danny Cowley was proved very wrong.

Colchester used every trick in the cynical football handbook with players wasting time and going down injured to allow Cowley regular team talks.

It was not pretty but it was effective and, however much home fans shouted ‘cheats’, the buck stops with the officials and how firm they are.

Only two United players were booked for wasting time in the first half and only three minutes added when both figures could and should have been more.

Staying in the Football League is precious, so no one can blame Colchester for pushing rules to the limits – it was down to the referee to clamp down earlier and harder.

Cowley also enjoyed his Steve Evans-style ‘panto villain’ confrontations with the home fans, waving and blowing kisses. That made it all the more annoying they escaped with a point.

But the one thing Stags did not need to do was concede a sloppy goal and give the visitors something to cling on to.

To be fair, Colchester deserved their point in the end and might have had all three if Christy Pym had not turned a late shot onto his post.

Wrexham did take advantage to edge closer to Mansfield ahead of Good Friday’s exciting televised showdown. And title-rivals Stockport County in some ways did Stags a favour by smashing promotion rivals MK Dons 5-0 to keep them further at bay from the top three.

The title would be icing on the cake. But a top three spot is the first priority and it looks very rosy for Stags whatever happens on Friday ahead of Easter Monday’s visit of Accrington.

Talking of titles, the sight of Chesterfield’s celebrations on Saturday brought back memories of 2013. Like Stags they have served their time in the National League and deserve their EFL return. Stags will now hope to deny them the joy of the big local derbies returning for them next season.