An own goal from Stacey North and Steve Wilkinson’s diving header took Mansfield Town a step closer to Wembley after the Stags beat Fulham in the Leyland DAF Cup at Field Mill tonight.
The home side took the lead in the ninth minute when Fulham conceded their second own goal in the space of four days. Steve Charles’ poorly struck volley was headed by Kevin Kent and, although Jim Stannard palmed the ball away, the ball rebounded into the Fulham net off the unfortunate North. Wilkinson doubled the lead on the half hour with a terrific header, following up after Wayne Fairclough’s own header had beaten Stannard but struck the bar.
Fulham posed little threat to the Mansfield goal in the first half an hour but began to get a foothold in the game after Richard Langley replaced Martin Ferney at half-time. Alan Dicks’ side grabbed a lifeline midway through the second half when Steve Milton smashed home Gary Brazil’s corner a matter of moments after he had replaced leading scorer Gordon Davies. Milton and Phil Stant came close to forcing extra time in the closing stages but Mansfield held on for victory.
MANSFIELD TOWN: Pearcey; Smalley, Foster, Gray, Fairclough, Charles, Spooner, Hathaway, Kent, Christie, Wilkinson.
GOALS: North (o.g. 8), Wilkinson (29).
FULHAM: Stannard; Marshall, North, Eckhardt, Pike, Scott, Skinner, Ferney (Langley 45), Brazil, Davies (Milton 60), Stant.
GOAL: Milton (67).
REFEREE: Jim Borrett (Harleston).
ATTENDANCE: 1,511.
