Mansfield Town beat Derby County on penalties to keep Papa John's Trophy hopes alive

The match had finished 1-1 in 90 minutes after George Maris cancelled out Lewis Dobbin’s opener.

But Stags kept their nerve best to win 6-5 after Richard Stearman failed to answer Oli Hawkins' successful spot-kick.

It was nothing more than Stags deserved following an impressive match which saw them dominate the second half.

The home side had been slow to get going but they responded in fine fashion to falling behind with Maris dragging them level in first-half stoppage time.

And the hosts can count themselves unlucky not to have found a deserved winner, and the extra point that would have come with it, with Lucas Akins, Will Swan and Jason Law all going close during a dominant second-half.

Dobbin fluffed a good chance for Derby when he blazed wide after going clean through seven minutes in.

George Maris played himself into trouble soon after when he went into the book for a late tackle on Louie Sibley.

Bortosz Cybulski headed wide from close range when he should have put the Rams ahead.

But it didn’t matter when Dobbin opened the scoring after he turned his man and coolly finished six minutes later.

Will Swan fired wide from distance before Hiram Boateng hit the bar from as Mansfield stepped up the pressure.

And they were finally rewarded when a Maris corner beat everyone in stoppage time.

Sub Akins headed over three minutes after half-time as Stags picked up where they left off.

Cybulski saw a shot come back off the post on 54 minutes, before Swan was unable to beat Scott Loach in a one-on-one..

Law went close before Akins fired straight at the keeper as Stags continued to boss the half.

Scott Flinders was forced to make a rare save to keep out Cybulski after Nathaniel Mendez-Laing created an opening on 79 minutes.

George Lapslie was just unable to get on to a loose ball after Loach spilled a Swan shot in the closing minutes.

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