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FA Cup Third Round, Saturday 8th January 2022  With two in form teams coming head to head, it was never going to be a dull encounter – and even at 2-0 down following two goals highlighting the difference in levels between the two sides, the Stags refused to lie down and take it. Yet again Clough’s men fought back to make a real game of it and after shaking off the cobwebs following another two postponements, really clicked around twenty minutes or so and started to open up the Championship side. With a bumper crowd eager to see a cup upset, you sensed that if Mansfield could get a goal, the roof would come off and the Stags WOULD draw level. It may have taken a while but when Oli Hawkins swooped in to head home Quinn’s inch perfect cross, you knew there was more to come and with five minutes to go, Jason Law’s splitting pass sent Rhys Oates through to do the rest. Seven minutes of added time were added on and I honestly think, had tiredness (Hawkins out paced) not set it and the unfortunate own goal from the diving bodies of O’Toole and Hewitt, we’d have won it in extra time. BUT, if you’re going to go out of a cup competition, that’s the way to do it – we gave it everything, we left our fans leaving bursting with pride and importantly, hungry for more. That can only bode well for the remainder of the season, starting again on Tuesday evening as Swindon come to One Call Stadium – where should the Stags bounce back with a win, could pull themselves into the playoffs. We’ve seen in previous seasons how much a good cup run can impact you, let’s hope the confidence of taking out two league one clubs and pushing a championship promotion chaser to the absolute brink, is enough to repeat memories of 2013! COME ON YOU STAGS! STAGS: Bishop, Hewitt, O'Toole, Hawkins, McLaughlin (Lapslie 60), Maris, Clarke © (Johnson 60), Stirk (Law 71), Bowery, Quinn, Oates Unused Subs: Stech, Turner, Nartey, Charsley, Burke, Ward Attendance: 7,297 Comments are closed.
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