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In-form Mansfield Town kept up the pressure on the top three automatic promotion places with a convincing 2-0 win over Tranmere at Prenton Park this afternoon.

Goals from Riley Harbottle and Davis Keillor-Dunn ensured the Stags picked up their eighth away win of the season as they stay three points adrift of the top three.

It was a sixth game unbeaten and a third clean sheet in a row as they defended superbly, preventing the home side getting a shot on target with Christy Pym having no saves to make and little to do.

It was the home side who started the game the brighter with early chances from Harvey Saunders and Lee O’ Conner before Mansfield were able to settle.

Stags go ahead through Riley Harbottle at Tranmere Rovers. Photo by Chris Holloway / The Bigger Picture.media

But the visitors grew in confidence as the first half progressed and began to assert their pressure with Davis Keillor-Dunn and Lucas Akins forcing saves from Rovers keeper Joe Murphy while Stephen Quinn stabbed wide from close range.

And the Stags’ pressure was rewarded in the 34th minute when Riley Harbottle headed home from close range following a short corner routine on the left hand side for his fourth goal of the season from Stephen Quinn's cross.

The goal seemed to spring Mansfield into life and they continued to dominate for the remainder of the first period with the impressive Keillor-Dunn drawing another save from Murphy when put through on goal just before the break.

It was a similar story after half-time and Stags doubled their lead in the 54th minute when Davis Keillor-Dunn had the simplest of tap-ins after Tranmere keeper Murphy could only deflect Ollie Clarke’s goal-bound shot onto the crossbar.

Riley Harbottle nets against Tranmere Rovers. Photo by: Chris Holloway / The Bigger Picture.media

Mansfield continued to press and could have added to their tally when Murphy was once again called into action, this time to deny Jordan Bowery from close range.

Following their impressive 4-0 win at Carlisle in midweek, Clough’s side have now won three games on the bounce for the first time since an eight-game winning run between November 2021 and January 2022.

TRANMERE: Murphy, Dacres-Cogley, Bristow, O’Connor, Davies (capt), Hawkes, Jameson, Hendry, Mumbongo (Burton 58), Saunders, Turner-Cooke (Chalmers 58). SUBS NOT USED: Hewelt, Merrie, Nolan, Lewis, Fisher.

STAGS: Pym, Hewitt, Harbottle, Kilgour, Perch, Bowery, Clarke, Wallace, Quinn, Keillor-Dunn (Boateng 78), Akins. SUBS NOT USED: Maris, Johnson, Flinders, Law, Anderson, Wauchope

REFEREE: Lee Swabey

ATTENDANCE: 6,332.

Six unbeaten as impressive Mansfield Town coast to victory at Tranmere Rovers