Toothless Mansfield Town edging towards equalling worst ever league run after defeat at Exeter City

A mistake by goalkeeper Scott Flinders and a set piece proved costly to a toothless and injury-hit Stags side that failed to muster a single shot on target all night and saw Stephen McLaughlin limp off inside 36 minutes.

The result saw the Grecians leapfrog Mansfield in the table and nudge them nearer the relegation dogfight into 18th, though the gap is still eight points with 10 games to go.

It was a 13th league game in a row without a win and failure to beat visiting Barnsley this Saturday would see the club equal their all-time worst winless league run.

Demetri Mitchell's goal after only eight minutes from Flinders' error put Stags onto the back foot.

And Exeter took full advantage with a lively half, pressing hard, and unlucky not to earn a penalty when it seemed Flinders had brought down Mitchell.

Sorry Stags failed to muster a shot on target in a tough first half for the visitors, despite enjoying lengthy spells of possession.

The uphill task became a mountain when Angus MacDonald headed in a second on the restart and Deji Oshilaja had to clear off the line soon after as City began to pour forwards in search of a third.

Caleb Watts hit the Mansfield crossbar and Flinders pulled off a couple of important saves while the visitors ended the night without a single shot on target as Exeter celebrated a third clean sheet in a row.

Boss Nigel Clough made two changes with Will Evans and Lucas Akins replacing Dom Dwyer and Jordan Bowery.

Purrington caught Evans with a nasty early tackle after just two minutes with the Stags man able to continue.

Akins was then caught by the boot of Jones in a scramble a couple of minutes later and hurt, the free kick given against him for handling the ball.

Once again the Stags then gave themselves an uphill task as they conceded a scrappy goal after just eight minutes.

Jones floated a high ball into the left of the box where Angus sidefooted it across goal with a first time touch.

Flinders tried to smother it but failed to hold on and Mitchell was handily placed eight yards out to punish him as he rifled home a rising finish into the inviting net.

On 14 minutes there was a nasty clash of heads as Magennis and Cargill, but both were able to get up and play on.

Seeing the keeper off his line on 17 minutes, Boateng tried to chip him from long range but was over the bar – Stags' first sight of goal.

Flinders cut out a dangerous low Jones cross at his near post before Stags had their first real chance on 28 minutes.

Vickers sent in a good cross from the left and Boateng, from 12 yards on the right, whipped his finish across the face of goal and wide.

There was controversy a minute later as Exeter believed they had won a penalty.

Mitchell was sent through by Magennis, shrugged off Oshilaja, and then tried to round the keeper to the left, but crashed down under contact from Flinders.

The Grecians were astonished the referee played on.

Flinders had to be alert to grab a Mitchell cross after he had beaten Cargill on the left by-line before another injury stoppage as McLaughlin went down off the ball.

This time he was unable to continue and was replaced by Bowery – yet another injury blow for the Stags – with Williams switching to left back.

Within a minute Bowery was booked for fouling Jones.

Oshilaja headed a home corner away in a fourth added minute as Stags went in with work to do yet again.

Rhodes took over from Vickers for the second half, but within four minutes the Grecians had doubled their advantage.

Francis sent a right wing corner to the far post where MacDonald out-jumped Cargill to power home a header across Flinders and inside the other post.

Clough immediately took off Cargill and sent on the towering Flint.

It was all Exeter now and Flinders had to force Magennis wide and then block his finish from a tight angle on 54 minutes. But the Exeter man then squared the loose ball to Watts whose finish was superbly blocked on the line by Oshilaja.

Stags had by now gone to a back three.

Francis was booked for shirt-pulling on 57 minutes before home keeper Whitworth went down injured and, with no spare keeper on their bench, had to soldier on.

A double change on the hour saw Stephen Quinn and new boy Dwyer on for Akins and Reed, but it was the home side who were quickly back on the offensive and a neat move from left to right saw Watts set up Yogane in space for a fierce shot that Flinders had to block.

Australian sub Watts then cut in from the left and smashed a shot against the bar from 18 yards with Flinders beaten all ends up on 67 minutes.

Mansfield began to enjoy longer spells of possession but were kept well away from the home box while Flint had to block a Trevitt shot on the turn at the other end.

With three minutes to go, Flint almost halved the deficit as Evans bustled a defender and the ball rolled to Flint 18 yards out and he sent a low shot inches wide of the left post – the closest the visitors had come all night.

Rhodes was then just unable to stab home amid a scramble as Stags gave it their all with Flint by now pushed up an extra forward.

With the visitors pushing so hard, Exeter almost caught them on the break in the second of five added minutes, but Flinders did well to smother the finish of the advancing Yogane.

Cole flashed a shot wide two minutes later as the visitors faced the long journey home empty-handed with their hopes of the previous three successive draws being a turning point shattered on another night to forget.

EXETER: Whitworth, McMillan (Woods 74), Turns, MacDonald, Hartridge, Purrington, Francis (Colwill 60), Trevitt, Jones (Watts HT), Mitchell (Yogane 60), Magennis (Cole 85). SUBS NOT USED: Aitchison, Cox

STAGS: Flinders, Williams, Oshilaja, Cargill (Flint 50), McLaughlin (Bowery 36), Reed (S. Quinn 60), Boateng, Lewis, Akins (Dwyer 60), Evans, Vickers (Rhodes HT). SUBS NOT USED: Mason, Kilgour.

REFEREE: Paul Howard.