An agonising way to end 2025 saw Wanderers' season-long unbeaten home run end in painful fashion, writes Pete Oliver.
After 17 matches at the Toughsheet Community Stadium without a loss – a sequence stretching back to April – the Whites were finally defeated in a game they probably dominated more than any other in that run without having the killer instinct to make it pay.
Steven Schumacher’s men played almost the entire 90 minutes in the opposition half but were undone just before half-time by a rare Mansfield effort on goal as Rhys Oates headed in what turned out to be the winner.
Wanderers had 22 shots to Town’s seven and missed clear-cut opportunities early in each half before virtually camping around the visitors’ penalty area.
But the most frustrating moment of all came in stoppage time when the last chance to salvage the record was denied them when Max Conway appeared to have a cast-iron case for a penalty waved away as Wanderers were somehow left empty-handed and smarting ahead of the chance to try and get another run going and re-assert themselves in the top six in the new year.
Schumacher made three changes to his starting line-up for the second of four games in 10 days over the holiday period, with Sam Dalby one of those to step in following Wanderers’ Boxing Day win over Rotherham.
And the big striker had the perfect opportunity to mark his return with a goal just 10 minutes into a blistering start from the Whites after Town keeper Liam Roberts gifted the ball straight to Thierry Gale. Gale picked out Dalby but his finish allowed Roberts to make amends as he dived across goal and managed to block the ball with his legs.
If Wanderers were guilty of anything in a completely dominant opening half it was not testing Roberts enough as they toyed with the visitors in search of a quick double following a 1-0 win at Field Mill earlier this month.
Jordi Osei-Tutu got the winner that night and, like Gale on the opposite flank, was another to make a lively start following his re-call to the ranks.
Josh Sheehan oozed confidence on the back of his Boxing Day double and after rifling an early long-range effort over the top kept punching holes in the Stags’ rearguard before almost catching out Roberts with a superb swerving effort the keeper could only parry out for Dalby and Osei-Tutu to have goes at forcing home the rebound.
But Nigel Clough’s men, fresh from a first win in seven league games at Barnsley on Friday managed to hang on as Amario Cozier-Duberry whistled another effort just wide and then nick the lead on the stroke of half-time.
Wanderers had been unable to make 10 first-half corners count and from Mansfield’s first, Oates – sent off in the previous meeting between the sides – was strong enough to hold off Teddy Sharman-Lowe and meet Nathan Moriah-Welsh’s delivery with a header he glanced just inside the far post.
Not for the first time in recent weeks Wanderers therefore needed a response and four minutes into the second half they had the chance to provide it and quickly get themselves level.
Sheehan’s defence-splitting pass was a thing of the beauty to leave the unlikely figure of full-back Conway furthest forward and free in the penalty area but just unable to beat Roberts, who again got just enough on the ball to deflect it wide of the target.
The possession and territorial advantage remained all Wanderers but there was no easy way through as Mansfield played with almost six along their defensive line at times.
Schumacher tried to change it up from the bench, using all five substitutes before going into the last quarter of an hour with George Johnston one of those sacrificed given Town’s lack of attacking intent as they looked to hold onto what they had.
Aaron Morley plugged the gap when needed but it was also his inviting cross which saw Kyle Dempsey nod wide as the clock began to run down before he crossed again for fellow substitute Ibrahim Cissoko to pass up a heading chance as the Whites peppered the penalty area.
Sheehan saw a penalty shout turned away and if at that point Wanderers thought it just wasn’t going to happen then they knew for sure in injury time. Sheehan had again almost worked an opening for Mason Burstow before Conway’s mazy run into the box was seemingly ended by an obvious-looking trip only for referee Peter Wright to remain unmoved as the Whites’ proud home record came to an end at the final hurdle of the year.
Wanderers: Sharman-Lowe; Osei-Tutu, Toal, Johnston (Forss 75), Conway; Simons (Morley 58), Sheehan; Cozier-Duberry, Randall (Dempsey 66), Gale (Cissoko, 75); Dalby (Burstow 66). Substitutes: Miller, Forino.
Booked: Sheehan, Cissoko
Mansfield Town: Mansfield Town: Roberts; Oshilaja, Sweeney, Cargill; Hewitt (Reed 28), Moriah-Welsh, Lewis, Blake-Tracy; Dickov (Evans 55), McAdam (McLaughlin 66); Oates (Bolton 66). Substitutes: Mason, McLaughlin, Dwyer, Bolton, Taylor.
Booked: Hewitt, Moriah-Welsh
Referee: Peter Wright
Attendance: 22,320 (1,306 away)