Xmas gift for Stags as Rose is in bloom
DANNY Rose handed Mansfield an early Christmas present as he popped up with two minutes to go to stun Morecambe, with Steve Evans already setting his sights on a festive double on Boxing Day.
The Stags took the lead after just eight minutes when Kane Hemmings latched onto Rose’s flick-on before confidently finishing past Barry Roche.
Morecambe got back on level terms five minutes into the second half when Callum Lang fired a low effort past Conrad Logan in the Stags’ goal.
But with just minutes remaining, Rose climbed highest to nod home Paul Anderson’s cross, which eventually turned out to be the winner.
The header was Rose’s 12th goal of the season as he keeps leading the line remarkably well as the Stags’ top scorer.
Mansfield boss Evans was understandably delighted with his striker’s contribution.
He said: “I am very happy with those three points. We had to fight and battle but we got what we deserved in the end.
“Danny (Rose) keeps popping up with important goals. He’s a brilliant player and we’re delighted we’ve got him with us here at Mansfield.
“The festive period is a hectic time of the year, so to get the three points going into Boxing Day is very satisfying, I hope the fans enjoyed an early Christmas present and we’ll hopefully be able to give them another one on Boxing Day.”
Morecambe goalkeeper Roche almost stole the headlines when he went up for a corner deep into stoppage time.
He managed to get his head on the ball and direct it goalwards but Logan palmed the ball away to spare his side’s blushes and deny his counterpart.
Roche couldn’t keep himself out of the action as he also picked up a booking for a push on Rose after both sets of players were involved in an altercation late on.
And while there was elation for Evans and the Stags, Shrimps boss Jim Bentley was left to try to pick up his team after throwing away a point.
He said: “We’re bitterly disappointed to lose in the manner that we did.
“I felt like we deserved something from the game as we were in the ascendancy just before they scored but that’s football and a game can change in seconds. I thought my players played well and showed a lot of quality throughout the game, as well as putting in a lot of work, especially going 1-0 down so early.
“We’ll move on and work a bit harder on the training ground ready for Notts County.”