Boro are let off the hook
CHRIS WILDER’S Middlesbrough bandwagon rolls on – but his muchchanged outfit needed luck and a late, late show to see off brave Mansfield.
With five minutes of added-time gone, substitute Isaiah Jones put the ball in from the right, his low and hard cross meant for fellow sub Onel Hernandez.
Mansfield’s John-joe O’toole and Elliott Hewitt desperately battled to cut out the danger in front of goal.
But although O’toole was at first credited with diverting the ball into his own net, he insisted: “It was Elliot who got something on it, as he was tracking the ball coming in. Not me!”
Wilder admitted to feeling “massive relief” after what he called “a stop-start week, a mix-andmatch side” due to Covid and other lay-offs.
He admitted: “We started so well, took a quick two-goal lead, and then our young guys began to run out of legs. Credit to Mansfield for coming back so well, but in the end we made it to the fourth round. Now, we wait to see who we get, but in the meantime I just want a bit of calm to concentrate on the league game against Reading.“
Stags boss Nigel Clough said: “After the break, we played some brilliant stuff and I felt we could have got there. We could have crumbled, but didn’t, so I take heart from that performance. Now my message is: Play like that on Tuesday.”
Boro’s opener came courtesy of Uche Ikpeazu after just four minutes when the striker bustled his way through Mansfield’s defence to unleash a powerful left-foot blast that gave Stags keeper Nathan Bishop no chance.
Boro tightened their control with a debut goal by new signing Caolan Boydmunce, 21, who hit his shot through a crowded defence and past keeper Bishop. Gradually, Mansfield gained the confidence that has seen them win 10 times in their last 11 outings, powering their way from bottom of League Two to potential play-off contenders.
They were rewarded when Ollie Hawkins gave keeper Joe Lumley no chance with his header, and a victory push looked on when Rhys Oates deservedly levelled with five minutes to go.
Then came that addedtime own goal to let Boro off the hook.
MANSFIELD TOWN: Bishop 6; Mcloughlin 6 (Lapslie 58, 5), Hawkins 7, O’toole 6, Hewitt 6; Clarke 7 (Johnson 58, 5), Stirk 6, Maris 7, Quinn 7; Oates 8, Bowery 6.
Subs not used: Stech, Turner, Nartey, Charle, Burke, Ward, Law.
MIDDLESBROUGH: Lumley 7; Peltier 7, Wood 6, Bamba 7; Gibson 6 (Crooks 6), Howson 6, Kokolo 7 (Jones 77), Mcnair 6, Boyd-munce 7 (Tavernier 58, 6), Ikpeazu 7 (Dijksteel 77, 5), Coburn 6 (Hernandez 62, 6). Subs not used: Daniels, Mallory, Sykes
MAN OF THE MATCH: Rhys Oates. Mansfield’s hard-running striker was finally rewarded with an equaliser.