The Bulls recorded their 6th straight win at The Throstle’s Nest, home of Albion Sports on Wednesday night. They did it despite a depleted squad and in dramatic style with a last-minute winner from top scorer Oliver Fearon.
Fearon had set AFC on the way in the first half with an opening goal but The Bulls were pegged back through Daniel Facey 10 minutes from the end. But they rolled their sleeves up and grabbed the winner in stoppage time to send them up to 8th in the league.
Jason White was in action in the first 5 minutes when he got in front of a rasping drive from Karl Hall. 2 minutes later and Fearon raced into the box but opted to square the ball instead of shooting and the chance was gone.
It is fair to say that the home side looked the stronger in the opening 15 minutes, but this was all undone when the ball as given away cheaply by Temour Khan to Lynton Karkach. The diminutive striker raced forward and squared the ball to Fearon. The striker took a touch in the box before firing a low drive past the Albion keeper.
Albion continued to dominate possession but looked very shaky at the back. A couple of chances were blocked in the away box before a long punt up field by the keeper found Daniel Facey bearing down on goal. The home side will have the netting above the goal to thank for not losing a ball as Facey launched his effort towards the stars from the edge of the box.
Facey went close before the break forcing White down to his right to parry and then collect at the 2nd attempt. And finally, another mistake at the back for the home side saw Karkach race towards goal his low drive tipped around the post for a corner.
Both teams had half chances inside the first 10 minutes of the 2nd half and then Hall’s downward header from a corner met by the safe hands of White on 65 minutes. Fearon’s glancing header on 72 minutes was always going wide from a Karkach free kick.
Facey was again guilty of squandering a good chance when he fired high and wide after good work down the left flank from Hall and Omar Habeeb. Facey found the target on 80 minutes after a clever ball from Habeeb sent him clear in the box and a clinical finish past White drew the sides level.
At this point it would have been prudent to shut up shop and weather the final minutes for a point. But The Bulls are made of sterner stuff and they went in search of a winner. It was Fearon who went close a few minutes later, firing wide from just inside the box.
Facey again fired wide with 5 minutes to go as Albion also looked for a winner. A scramble in the Albion box saw two efforts blocked before the ball was hooked away.
With time ebbing away Joe Cheeseman made a thunderous challenge just over the halfway line that sent the ball spinning towards Fearon. The striker held off his marker before firing low past the keeper from 10 yards to take all 3 points.
For the neutral it was a great game of football and the home side will say they did enough for at least a point. But AFC have a habit of scoring late goals. 11 of their last 14 goals have come in the 2nd half, with 7 in the last 15 minutes and 3 in the last 10. 2 of those have been scored in added on time to win games.
Up next is a local derby against Rainworth MW and guess what? The Bulls scored a 90th minute penalty to take a share of the points in that game as well.
AFC Mansfield: White, Plummer, Annable, Cheeseman, Timons, Cullingworth, Wall (Paling 78), Naylor, Fearon, Karkah, Ghaichem (C). Subs not used: Wilson, Allott & D’Laryea.
Referee: Mr Lee Hibble
Assistants: Mr Neil Munday & Mr Steven Lynch
Attendance: 41
MoM: Joe Cheeseman