Mansfield Town halt in-form Gillingham’s impressive run with comfy home victory

Big-spending Gills, who signed 10 new players in January, had won three and drawn one of their last four games with much-improved form as they try to claw out of the bottom two.

But Stags controlled most of today's game with skipper Ollie Clarke rightly winning man of the match, leading by example and finding the net

Mansfield weathered early Gillingham pressure before starting to dominate and go ahead on 21 minutes through a low finish by Clarke.

On 35 minutes Lucas Akins then won and put away a penalty kick to double the advantage.

The Gills ended the half on the front foot, but Timmy Dieng headed their best chance wide while Oli Hawkins had an on-target header saved.

Akins forced Glenn Morris into a great save on the restart while Scott Flinders pulled off a magnificent save to thwart George Lapslie on his return as Stags saw out the game in comfort.

Nigel Clough made three changes to the side that drew at Bradford last Saturday.

Riley Harbottle, George Maris and Davis Keillor-Dunn replaced Callum Johnson, Louis Reed and Rhys Oates, who were all injured in the first half at Valley Parade.

Of the two Stags who joined Gillingham last month, Oli Hawkins started the game with Lapslie among the subs.

Both were applauded by the home fans during the warm-up.

Also starting was another former Stag in Alex MacDonald.

Before kick off a minute's silence was held in respect for the huge loss of life in the Turkey/Syria earthquake this week.

Harbottle got in a good sliding challenge to halt an early Gills raid down the left.

Then Stags had to turn a dangerous long McKenzie throw away for a corner in the third minute, which was cleared.

Tutonda's run into the box on the left earned another flag kick soon after as the visitors made a powerful start.

Clarke, stretching, poked harmlessly over from Stags' first sight of goal after Wallace had crossed into the box.

Stags were starting to grow into the game and the visitors survived a scramble in front of goal after some good approach play.

On 16 minutes Keillor-Dunn almost broke through but his flicked hear post header went wide from Harbottle's cross.

Tutonda was booked on 19 minutes for a late challenge on Hewitt as he crossed from the right by-line.

From the free kick by Maris, Harbottle got his header on target but Morris was able to claw away from under the angle.

But the opener was not long in coming and on 21 minutes Quinn fed Clarke on the right and from the edge of the box he rifled a powerful low shot in off the inside of the near post.

Clarke was then well wide with a header from a left wing cross on 31 minutes.

But on 34 minutes Ehmer was adjudged to have held Akins in the box as he tried to turn him and was booked with a spot kick awarded.

Up stepped Akins on 35 minutes and buried a finish inside the right hand post, the keeper guessing correctly but unable to get there.

Kilgour almost added a third on 39 minutes but planted a firm header wide from Hewitt's right wing cross.

Then Hewitt sent another ball long to beyond the far post where Akins chested down and Wallace fired over first time.

On 43 minutes Quinn squared the ball to Akins whose shot was straight at Morris.

On 45 minutes the Gills came as close as they had all half as Williams sent the ball into the box and Dieng beat Kilgour to it but saw his header go wide.

There were jeers as MacDonald stabbed wildly over soon after.

In the third of three added minutes Flinders was behind a Hawkins header from MacDonald's corner as Stags went in two to the good.

On the restart Stags won a 50th minute corner which Quinn sent over and Akins met with a firm header that Morris had to save at full stretch.

On 56 minutes the visitors made a triple change with Lapslie among the new faces.

Soon after Wallace cleared a Nichols finish off the line but an offside flag was already up.

Keillor-Dunn was rightly booked on 62 minutes for halting a breakaway down the middle, Lapslie added for doing the same to Clarke six minutes later.

On 70 minutes Harbottle intercepted the ball on the edge of his own box and raced forward, with little support, choosing to go alone and fired over the bar from 20 yards.

Lapslie almost pulled one back on 73 minutes as he met Dieng's cross with a powerful header from six yards, but Flinders produced a great reaction save to deny him.

With 10 minutes to go Flinders was down to his right to keep out a low MacKenzie effort.

Maris was added to the book soon after for bringing down O'Brien.

Flinders was again in action to punch away a cross before O'Brien could reach it while Masterson got a block in on a low Swan shot at the other end.

In the fourth of five added minutes Clarke won the all and set up Swan, but Morris got down to deny Stags a third.

STAGS: Flinders, Hewitt, Harbottle, Kilgour, Perch, Wallace (Bowery 73), Maris (Boateng 83), Clarke, Quinn (O'Toole 83), Keillor-Dunn (Swan 79), Akins. SUBS NOT USED: Pym, Law, D. Johnson.

GILLINGHAM: Morris, Tutonda (Alexander 56), Ehmer, Williams (Abrahams 88), MacDonald (Lapslie 56), McKenzie (Wright 88), Jefferies (O'Brien 56), Nichols, Masterson, Hawkins, Dieng. SUB NOT USED: Turner.

REFEREE: Thomas Kirk.ATTENDANCE: 6,937 (631 away).