Ian Evatt celebrated his 250th game as Wanderers manager with one of his biggest wins as the Whites staged another fantastic fightback to stay on the cusp of the top six, writes Pete Oliver.
Evatt kept his win ratio at over 50 per cent as his side again dug deep to register a fifth victory in six home league games with three goals in a sensational 11-minute spell.
The crowd were getting restless as Wanderers trailed with 15 minutes of normal time to go and faced the prospect of dropping further points in their quest to try and chase down the early-season pace-setters.
But Evatt kept his nerve and saw his substitutions pay off in spectacular style as Mansfield went down to 10 men following the dismissal of goalscorer Hiram Boateng and were then over-run in a power-packed finish from the Whites.
Dion Charles was one of those to come off the bench and the substitute equalised with his seventh league goal of the season to spark a revival that was then capped by goals from the returning pair of Victor Adeboyejo and John McAtee as Evatt reached a notable milestone with an eighth win in 12 league games to keep his side climbing.
Evatt’s landmark line-up showed three changes to the side that has started last week’s draw at Cambridge as Szabi Schön, McAtee and Adeboyejo all returned.
Schön, available following the one-match ban that ended his ever-present record, swapped flanks with Josh Dacres-Cogley in the wing-back roles and both played their part in a positive start from the Whites.
The early openings came Wanderers’ way as Town keeper Christy Pym was tested by Jay Matete and John McAtee. The second save came at the expense of a corner which saw a header from Gethin Jones – wearing the captain’s armband in place of the suspended George Thomason – blocked in front of goal with Adeboyejo hooking the loose ball over the bar.
Aaron Collins should also have done better with a heading chance after McAtee and Dacres-Cogley had opened up the Stags’ defence.
But having failed to take any of the chances that came their way and lost some of their initial zest, Wanderers were then stung by an opening goal from the visitors with just over half an hour gone.
A long free-kick from Pym got Mansfield up the pitch and when Lucas Akins delivered a right-wing cross, Boateng climbed to home a header off the underside of the bar.
For the second home game running Wanderers therefore had to try and come from behind and five minutes into the second half they should have been given the lift of an equaliser.
A mis-cued back-pass from Jordan Bowery presented Adeboyejo with the ball in front of goal but his hurried finish was off target to let Mansfield off the hook.
It was then Wanderers’ turn to live dangerously as Nathan Baxter made a vital save from Boateng and then dived at the feet of Will Evans as he looked to pounce on a short-back pass from George Johnston.
And with half an hour to go, Evatt made four substitutions to try and wrestle back the momentum and set up a comeback, which almost came immediately when Pym dropped a cross from Randell Williams but Jordi Osei-Tutu couldn’t force the ball home.
It was tense stuff and the drama then increased when Boateng collected a second yellow card to receive his marching orders and leave the Whites with a man advantage for the final 20 minutes.
That put Mansfield on the defensive and even more onus on the Whites and the growing pressure quickly paid off as Wanderers struck twice in five gripping minutes.
Osei-Tutu had made a big difference and the wideman was involved in both goals as he exploded into life down the left flank and delivered crosses which Charles, via a header on from McAtee, and Adeboyejo converted with close-range efforts that just crossed the line.
It had been a fantastic fightback which was then completed with a third goal four minutes from the end. The substitutes had all made a major impact and this time it was Klaidi Lolos who provided the spark with a surging run forward to the edge of the box where McAtee pounced with a superb first-time strike to provide a thrilling finish to a big night for the manager.
Wanderers: Baxter; Jones, Almeida Santos, Johnston; Sheehan (Lolos 61); Schön (Osei-Tutu 61), Matete, McAtee (Sharples-Ahmed 90), Dacres-Cogley (Williams 61); Adeboyejo, Collins (Charles 61). Substitutes: Southwood (GK), Forrester.
Booked: Collins
Mansfield Town: Pym; Hewitt, Oshilaja, Bowery; Akins, Reed ((Kilgour 83), Boateng, Blakje-Tracy; Baccus; Evans (Flint 78), Maris (Lewis 78). Substitutes: Flinders (GK), McLaughlin, Quinn, Waine.
Booked: Bowery, Boateng, Oshilaja
Referee: Sebastian Stockbridge
Attendance: 19,823 (1,164)