Mansfield Town: Jason White, John Mullins (c), Jonathan D'Laryea, Matthew Hamshaw, Stephen Dawson (Horlock, 68), Michael Boulding, Alex-John Baptiste, Nathan Arnold (Brown, 87), Jefferson Louis, Christopher Wood (Martin, 83), Keith Briggs
Subs: Carl Muggleton, Simon Brown, Dan Martin, Kevin Horlock, Rory Boulding
Town: Scott Bevan, Darren Moss, Darran Kempson, Marc Pugh, Dave Hibbert (Humphrey, 49), Ben Herd, Steve Leslie (Lee, 77), Colin Murdock, Marc Tierney, Kevin McIntyre (capt) James Constable (Madjo, 68)
Subs: Glynn Garner, Graeme Lee, Chris Humphrey, Guy Madjo, Jimmy Ryan
Ref: G Hegley
Assistants: R Wigglesworth, A Greenwood
Fourth Official: P Barnes
Attendance: 3,334 (420 away)
Martin Wild reports from Field Mill
Paul Simpson announced the same starting line-up for the third game in a row. The only change was on the bench where on-loan defender Graeme Lee returned from a facial injury at the expense of Jimmy Ryan.
In an enforced late change, James Constable started the game ahead of skipper Ben Davies who suffered an injury in the pre-match warm-up. Kevin McIntyre took the captain's armband and Ryan made it back into the sixteen.
It did little to upset Town's approach to the game as they stormed into a lead inside two minutes. Marc Pugh found the corner of the net with the aid of a deflection to increase the pressure on the home side, who remain most pundits favourites for the drop.
After 15 minutes the Stags had a superb chance to level. Matt Hamshaw got to the by-line and put the ball across for Jefferson Louis who looked certain to score. He hadn't bargained for Darran Kempson's timely intervention as the big centre-back got in a vital challenge inside the six-yard box just as Louis was about to pull the trigger.
Mansfield didn't have to wait long before the equaliser came. Hamshaw put in a swirling cross that went over the giant figure of Scott Bevan who was back-pedalling from his near post and there was Michael Boulding to plunder his 20th league goal of the season from virtually on the goal-line. He is unlikely to have scored a more simple goal in his career.
Just a minute or so later Town could have fallen behind. Keith Briggs - who had the briefest of stays with Salop in January - headed down at the back stick but Bevan got down well to parry the ball away.
Mansfield were fighting for their lives and not looking at all like a side who had suffered defeat in ten of their last thirteen home games. The raucous home support made the atmosphere somewhat intimidating in a game billed by the clubs press officers as The Great Escape. One of the banners held up behind the goal prior to kick-off read simply: Believe!
In a rare chance for the Shrews Dave Hibbert should have done a lot better than head wide after a decent cross by McIntyre. It was to prove a costly miss as in the next attack Hamshaw and Boulding combined again to raise the roof at Field Mill. Boulding notched his 24th in all competitions with a smart turn and swivel to knock a low left-foot shot past Bevan. The crowd responded like the Champions League trophy had been landed. Without the contribution of Boulding, Mansfield would already be preparing for life in the Conference next season, and if that is where the Stags end up in two weeks time, there will be plenty of clubs interested in the 31 year old.
Town had a succession of corners as they tried to force their way back into the game, but Jason White elected to punch clear on each occasion. As the half-drew to a close, Hamshaw again found the head of Louis but he couldn't direct his header on target on this occasion. It didn't stop the home side leaving the field to a standing ovation.
HT: 2-1
News came through at half-time that Ben Davies had been forced to sit the game out because of a back problem.
Hibbert had suffered an injury in the first-half that had caused him to momentarily depart the action, and his afternoon came to a premature end when he was replaced by Chris Humphrey just four minutes into the second-half.
Centre-backs Kempson and Murdock were having an uncomfortable time at the heart of the Town defence and when Louis left Kempson in his wake, Bevan was grateful that the striker's effort was too high as the hosts remained in the ascendancy.
Town just weren't at the races but the application shown by Mansfield's beleaguered players was in stark contrast to that shown by Wrexham at the Meadow last weekend.
Constable missed an absolute sitter with no-one near him from all of four yards as Salop enjoyed a brief sojourn into the opposition's danger zone, but really, the miss was in keeping with the majority of Town's play for the first hour. Constable didn't get a chance to redeem himself as he was hauled off and Guy Madjo went up front.
Nathan Arnold played a beautiful pass into Boulding who went in search of his hat-trick, but his angled drive was wide of the target as Mansfield came back into the game having soaked up a period of Town pressure.
Graeme Lee was Paul Simpson's final change with Steve Leslie the man making way and Pugh tested White as the home supporters continued to chew their finger nails. White then made a remarkable reflex stop to deny Madjo and the game had a good ebb and flow to it as it entered its final stages with the Shrews finally posing more of an attacking threat.
This three-sided ground went into raptures with just three minutes remaining as Boulding out sprinted Kempson and slotted the ball under Bevan to complete his treble and put Paul Holland's side clear.
With other results going their way today, Mansfield might yet stage the Great Escape and on today's evidence at least, they look more than capable of taking this season right down to the wire, with an away date at Dagenham on the last day likely to decide the final relegation place.
FT: 3-1
