Mansfield Town battle back to rescue a draw against Stevenage
Stags battled back to rescue a hard-fought point following a 1-1 home draw with on-form Stevenage this afternoon.
Charlie Goode’s 70th minute opener looked like it had given the visitors a sixth win of the league season.
But Mansfield showed a great response to level just three minutes later following Joe Gardner’s brilliant run and finish after Stags broke from a Stevenage corner.
They had keeper Liam Roberts to thank for an excellent reaction save to keep out Gassan Ahadme in the closing stages.
Lewis Freestone should have put Stevenage ahead when he blazed over from 12 yards out in the opening five minutes.
Dan Kemp scuffed a long-range shot at the keeper before WIll Evans shot wide from a narrow angle at the other end.
Frazer Blake-Tracy was booked for a ‘studs showing’ tackle on Harvey White as both players lunged for the ball on the half hour mark.
Jamie Reid fired well over from distance on 40 minutes, before a stretching George Maris headed Louis Reed’s deep cross wide.
Liam Roberts got down well to gather a low shot from Kemp as the visitors started well after the break.
White was inches away from a brilliant opener when he volleyed wide from 20 yards.
Phoenix Patterson had a goal-bound shot blocked by Nathan Moriah-Welsh following a 67th minute corner.
But there was nothing Liam Roberts could do to keep out Charlie Goode’s header from Harvey White’s resulting corner.
The lead was gone three minutes later when Joe Gardner kept his cool to finish off a Stags counter-attack.
And it was kept in tack by a fine reflex save from Roberts to keep out Gassan Ahadme with ten minutes to go.
Sub Aaron Lewis was inches off a dramatic winner with a deflected shot as Stags put Stevenage under pressure in the closing stages.