So weary of goals famine

RUNNING MAN: Ryan McLaughlin showed plenty of pace in attack

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HOW not to score, part 18.

It's a series that's been running on-and-off since August and it's fast becoming as tired as a soap opera way past its sell-by date.

On this occasion, viewers at Field Mill were left scratching their heads as the half-time credits rolled.

Exactly how did Darius Osei not find the net in the 42nd minute of this Checkatrade Trophy tie?

Ryan McLaughlin had surged impressively down the left, hanging up a lovely far-post cross. Ryan Flynn nodded back across goal rather than at the target and following in, Osei got over his shot from six yards only to see diving defender Mal Benning block the ball over the top.

Stephen Robinson's side were at that stage left to rack their brains over possible historical roadside incidents with black cats.

But there was no bad luck story in the second half. The performance deteriorated markedly in a disjointed and frankly tedious 45 minutes that made the reduced £10 entry fee seem steep.

Athletic, ponderous in possession and without a cutting edge, didn't force goalkeeper Jake Kean into any real work.

And just as the game seem to be crawling towards the false drama of a penalty shoot-out to determine which club would pocket £40,000 in prize money and be only two wins away from a day at Wembley, twice Pat Hoban - in the side in place of top scorer Matt Green - rose to head home to defeat questionable defending.

LOYAL FANS

It left the hardy band of 149 unfailingly loyal fans to watch their proud club fail to score for a fifth game running and only served to increase the pressure on Robinson's shoulders.

The manager had rolled the dice with his team selection for this one. Athletic made three changes to the line-up that dominated but only drew against Port Vale. Out went Cameron Burgess and Freddie Ladapo - to Bury on loan from Fulham and to Shrewsbury on loan from Crystal Palace respectively - and Paul Green was restored to a three-man central midfield in place of the benched Ollie Banks.

Also named as substitutes were youth team duo Dylan King and Brendan Glackin.

Striker Billy Mckay, a scorer of four cup goals this season, was also only a substitute, with McLaughlin given a go up front alongside Osei in an unorthodox bid to inject pace into an ailing attack.

Athletic took a while to get going in the opening period - and Edmundson walked a narrow tightrope when he took a free-kick early while on a yellow card - but had the better of the first-half chances.

McLaughlin had the first opportunity after 21 minutes. Slipped in down the left flank from just in front of the halfway line by Green, he cut inside and hit a low shot that was well saved by former Athletic loan goalkeeper Kean. The effort was too central but the angle was a difficult one.

PREMIUM
Chris Clements hit a volley which flew close to Connor Ripley's right-hand post four minutes later but despite Mansfield's potency down the left, where winger CJ Hamilton gave Josh Law a few sticky moments, clear-cut scoring chances for the home side were at a premium.

Osei's failure to hammer in from close range - arguably, a piece of brilliant and heroic defending - was followed by a fierce Brian Wilson drive that bounced in front of Kean, who did well to block behind with his body as the visitors entered the half-time break on the front foot.

Lee Croft, operating as a left-sided wing-back, got in an important last-ditch challenge as Athletic defended a counter-attack on the hour following one of a number of disappointing set-pieces.

Hoban volleyed not too far wide soon after when handily placed,but generally most of the penalty area action was centred around jostling for position before corner kicks.

With Mckay on up front and Banks installed in midfield just after the hour, Robinson tried to add a little extra finesse to what was a contest lacking in real quality in key areas.

Yoann Arquin forced a save after Banks was out-muscled in midfield, though the Stags striker was offside.

Carl Winchester was next into the fray in Paul Green's place, but Mansfield started to look more threatening in a sedate second half, Clements shooting too close to Ripley and James Baxendale hitting an effort way over the bar.

Edmundson headed over a Banks corner after 77 minutes and, unmarked, he might feel he should have done better with the opportunity.

Peter Clarke also nodded wide from a Banks delivery as the game crept towards a penalty shoot-out.

Then came the opening goal. It was little wonder it was created by Hamilton, easily the biggest threat on the pitch.

He surged past Clarke down the left and when Baxendale controlled the cross, Ripley came out to narrow the angle for a potential shot. Instead a cross came in that Hoban nodded home, over the top of the defenders massed inside the six-yard box.

The striker doubled his tally in the second minute of added time, out-muscling his marker to head in a Baxendale free-kick. Mansfield's fans celebrated the strike, while Athletic's band of fans were left trying to remember what that feeling was like.

IN A NUTSHELL: Athletic were not sharp enough, again, against a distinctly average League Two side.