A change from league action with the Stags facing Surrey side Knaphill in the first rounds of the FA Vase on a sunny afternoon at the Lancer Scott. And for the first 23 minutes a completely changed Stags side, in attitude at least. They were in awe of the visitors, no great desire, a plethora of missed passes and poor positioning. It was not as if the visitors were better, yes, Woods, Williamson and Thomas were certainly lively, the latter pair linking to force a rushed parry from Coombes within the first eight minutes. And so there was almost an inevitability about Bishop fouling Thomas in the box, for Williamson to score the penalty to give Knaphill the lead.

That did at last sting the Stags into some form of action, with Man of the Match Banks and Saunders joining and getting a shot at least on target for Barker to save, but the visitors were still looking for a second and Nash might have made better of Thomas’s supply on 19 minutes. However four minutes later something very strange occurred.

A long Hedges ball forward seemed to mesmerise the visiting defence, Banks was on the ball at once, rode a foul from Tanner, strode around Barker and slotted home the equaliser, the referee sensibly playing advantage. This seemed to instil a massive amount of self-belief back into the Stags. Connor Saunders dribbled into the box and forced a corner, after multi-player interplay Newman strode into the box, moved the ball to Banks to shoot for Barker to gather and generally there was now much more drive in possession and better control and movement. Just on half time a Cattermole corner was headed goal bound by Hedges, Wright stopping on the line and to show the improvement was at both ends, as Thomas picked up on the clearance ball, Sollars snuffed out any chance.

After the interval Knaphill were the more lively, forcing two quick corners and Coombes had to be at his best to push away a sharp shot from Woods on the right, with Thomas firing the loose ball fortunately over. Tanner was allowed to move the ball along the goal line, Coombes saving from a narrow angle. And Stags seemed happy to let this happen.

Then another sudden swing, 67 minutes gone, and Preddie went wide down the left, shooting, Barker comfortably covering, but the ball was not cleared and Cattermole in possession was fouled, perhaps 25 yards out. His fiercely struck free kick beat the wall, Barker, surprised, could only parry and Pearce, following up, slotted in low for the Stags second and in the end the winner. This time too they did not sit back, Bishop and Hardidge both having good efforts to increase the lead and we are still on the way to Wembley!!

MAN OF THE MATCH: BANKS, COOL HEADED WITH THE FIRST GOAL AND MADE HIMSELF A DAMNED NUISANCE TO KNAPHILL ALL AFTERNOON.

Team: COOMBES, ANTHONY, SOLLARS, CATTERMOLE, HEDGES, BISHOP, NEWMAN [SUB PEARCE 57M]
CONNOR SAUNDERS © [SUB HARDIDGE 57M], BANKS, CHARLIE SAUNDERS
PREDDIE

YELLOW CARDS: PREDDIE 29M; 85M BOTH FOULS = RED

Report Don Davies