Mansfield 0-1 Cardiff

E-mail your reaction to Football Talk

Bottom club Mansfield gave highflying Cardiff a real scare at Field Mill before Peter Thorne snatched a 70th-minute winner to secure victory.

Thorne rose unchallenged at the far post to head home a Graham Kavanagh corner and settle a tense thriller.

But Mansfield more than played their part in a fine night's entertainment, and Cardiff goalkeeper Neil Alexander had to make a great save to keep out Wayne Corden's ninth-minute curler.

Mansfield's Colin Little was denied by Gary Croft's great last-ditch tackle.

Little also had a penalty appeal waved away after going down under a challenge from Alexander.

For Cardiff, Leyton Maxwell sent a first-time blast over the crossbar from eight yards after 31 minutes and Rob Earnshaw did the same early in the second half.

Mansfield were also fortunate when goalkeeper Kevin Pilkington saved well from Thorne, and Liam Lawrence cleared Kavanagh's follow-up off the line.

After Thorne had made the breakthrough, the plucky Stags almost levelled at the end when Little stretched to hook a shot past Alexander only to see it bobble inches wide of the far post.

---

Mansfield: Pilkington, Vaughan, Lever, Moore, Lawrence, Disley, Williamson, Corden, Little, Christie, Sellars. Subs: White, Bacon, MacKenzie, Clarke, Holyoak.

Cardiff: Alexander, Weston, Gabbidon, Prior, Croft, Maxwell, Boland, Kavanagh, Barker, Earnshaw, Thorne. Subs: Campbell, Fortune-West, Whalley, Hamilton, Margetson.

Referee: N Barry (N Lincolnshire)