Exeter City come out on top

Match report: Mansfield 2 Exeter City 3

A topsy-turvy fixture at Field Mill saw Exeter City come out on top in a five-goal thriller with Mansfield Town – ultimately triumphing 3-2.

A breathtaking game saw action aplenty at either end of the field – it was Tom Nichols’ tenth goal of the season that opened the scoring in the first half.

However Mansfield got back ahead after the break as Billy Kee and Vadaine Oliver put the home side into the ascendency.

But the tide was turned back once again when Scot Bennett swept in, before David Wheeler won a penalty in the final ten minutes to allow Alex Nicholls to win it from the spot.

Two changes were made to the Grecians’ line-up ahead of kick-off – Christian Ribeiro’s training ground injury kept him sidelined completely, while Danny Butterfield took a seat among the substitutes.

That meant Scot Bennett came into defence, as did Jordan Moore-Taylor, making his first start since picking up an injury against Coventry City in the Johnstone’s Paint Trophy clash in October. Mansfield began with five home debutants.

It was the hosts that registered the first effort – Junior Brown slipped clear of his marker to square a ball from the left, and Billy Kee slashed his effort wide from the edge of the area.

Arron Davies, playing in a right-sided wing-back role, was on hand to clear off the line. After he had headed a Callum Elder throw behind for a corner, Chris Clements picked out defender Martin Riley’s head and Davies was alert to away from under the bar.

Davies then came close to making an impact at the other end too – striker Tom Nichols was played in and just onside and managed to find Ryan Harley, who in turn found Davies, but his shot from 12 yards was blocked.

Scot Bennett, back at centre-half as part of a back three, then made an all-important touch to deny Junior Brown a tap-in as Reggie Lambe delivered a dangerous low cross from the right.

It was Liam Sercombe that was next to have a pop – he received on halfway from a Nichols lay-off, drove goalwards, but could only find the gloves of Adam Smith.

Nichols then won a free-kick in Stags territory, and after some nice interplay around the area by David Noble and Harley, Sercombe pulled the trigger and found the side netting.

City were growing into the game more and more but goalkeeper James Hamon had to claw as Vadaine Oliver headed goalwards – the follow-up was blocked out by a mass of bodies as Kee shot.

Both goalmouths were seeing plenty of action and as Nichols broke, he found Davies inside the area but the City man’s shot bounced clear off the legs of Smith. City then went close as Bennett headed a yard wide when he arrived unmarked on Harley’s corner.

But the first goal finally came – David Wheeler, who had replaced the injured Clinton Morrison on the half-hour mark – linked up with Davies the right for the latter to put in a delightful cross and allowed Nichols to head in his 10th goal of the season.

Mansfield came close to levelling before the interval as Michael Raynes’ header was saved instinctively by Hamon, and then Kee’s follow-up was cleared away and hadn’t crossed the line, according to the assistant.

Half-time: Mansfield Town 0 Exeter City 1