Penalty kick halts winning run for Mansfield Town Ladies as they are held by Dunton and Broughton United

A change in management has seen an uplift in the Leicestershire visitors’ form since the Stags comfortably beat them 3-0 last month, and it was Dunton who applied much of the early pressure.

But the Stags created the real first chance after seven minutes.

A fabulous passage of quick one-touch football involving Geo Beckwith, Libby Bartlett and Maia Taylor released striker Olivia Wheatcroft, but her lob over advancing Dunton keeper Sasha Barrett did not quite dip enough to find the net.

Stags lived dangerously for a few minutes midway through the first half with an underhit backpass and some hesitancy allowing Dunton’s Emma Aspinall and Eve Aston opportunities to try their luck.

Thankfully, Stags keeper Amy Price was characteristically quick off her line and bravely in the thick of things to smother the threat, while Monica Bowley was also typically uncompromising in restricting Dunton's progress down the Stags’ left.

Set pieces offered Mansfield their best chances of the half, with skipper Chloe Hutsby striking the post and Olivia Standeven, again deployed in midfield today, heading over from teasing corners delivered by Eve Shaw and Amy Pashley.

However, they went into the break goalless.

Ten minutes into the second period Mansfield looked set to take the lead. Taylor cut in from the left and seemed to have found the net with ease until Barrett somehow tipped the effort on to the post.

By now, Mansfield were creating real problems down both flanks with Millie Edwards and Martha Roper providing boundless energy, keen to carry the ball forward along the right side at every opportunity.

On the left, Gabby Foulkes, Taylor and Standeven were mirroring those efforts as Stags got a firmer grip of the game.

Their endeavour was rewarded on 69 minutes when Pashley’s deep free-kick eluded everyone but the tireless Taylor, whose cutback was curled into the net from the edge of the area by Hutsby.

Within minutes though, Dunton were level when referee Lucy Gill, consistently excellent this season, deemed that an Aspinall shot struck Beckwith’s arm, even though there was nothing the Stags defender could do to avoid the contact given the proximity and power of the strike.

Although Price guessed right, her dive could not prevent Ellie Towers’ well-struck spot-kick from finding the bottom right-hand corner, the first goal conceded by Mansfield in almost 400 minutes of football.

Keen to keep the winning momentum of recent weeks going, Stags boss Andi Bell turned to youngsters Erin James and Grace Shipman to return to the fray with urgency and energy for the last 15 minutes.

But, try as they might, Mansfield's afternoon was to end in frustration, and what should have been a hard-earned three points was confined to one.

Grimsby Town, still in danger of relegation, are the visitors on Sunday (2pm) and remain one of only three teams to beat Mansfield in the league this season, after a penalty gave them a 1-0 win on the Lincolnshire coast in September.

Stags did enjoy a 4-0 cup victory at home against the Mariners in January, but nothing can be taken for granted.