30/10/2007 - Barnet 1 Mansfield Town 1
THINK of Mansfield's recent League Two progress in terms of a graph and their steady decline is beginning to resemble the notorious slope on Barnet's Underhill pitch.
So it was not before time that the Stags ended their run of six consecutive defeats and proved to themselves such a disastrous spell may not yet be terminal to their season.
With so many disappointments for a young squad to contemplate, there was a danger things could start to spiral out of control.
Already adrift at the bottom of the table, Mansfield knew the pressure to halt their alarming slide was increasing with every passing game.
But this encouraging result, earned with a decent performance as well as a good deal of grit and determination, should give them a big injection of belief.
And they will need every scrap of that if they are to get back on the winning trail.
Yet as pleased and relieved with his side's display as boss Billy Dearden was, he was also left frustrated and disappointed they had failed to notch an elusive victory.
After wasting several good chances, especially in the first-half, the Stags did go in front 90 seconds after the restart with a well-taken first goal of the season for Simon Brown.
However, the visitors could just have easily lost too. After Barnet equalised with 18 minutes to go through substitute Liam Hatch, the Stags were then indebted to Carl Muggleton's penalty save from Jason Puncheon to preserve parity.
Once again, Mansfield went into the clash knowing they would have to do things the hard way after Dearden's weekly roll of the dice over injuries went against him.
When they came to rest this time, John McAliskey was forced to miss the game with a groin strain picked up in training.
And Sean McAllister was not well enough to play due to a virus, despite travelling down to North London ahead of the match.
There was some good news in the shape of skipper Jake Buxton returning after a dead leg which saw him miss the Stags' previous game - a 3-2 defeat to Rotherham.
But with a host of midweek bids to bring in players on loan having come to nothing, Dearden was forced to name 17-year-old Ryan Goward in his 16.
The omens did not look good for the Stags with Barnet on the back of four wins and mixing it with the top sides in League Two.
Not only that, but Mansfield have only won once at the Bees and have lost on their last two visits to north London.
But it was the visitors who played much the better football in a match that was generally scrappy.
Midway through the first half, Michael Boulding made a customary break but, as seems to be equally commonplace with his one-on-one opportunities, his shot was saved by keeper Lee Harrison.
Soon after, Johnny Mullins did well to get to a deep Stephen Dawson cross from just outside the box but his header flew agonisingly across the face of goal.
Lee Bell's 25-yard free-kick was then well saved by Harrison before Boulding and Brown both failed to hit the target towards the end of the half.
But at least Mansfield did not let their wastefulness affect them as they began the second half kicking up the slope.
Almost immediately, Boulding flicked a long ball forward into the path of Brown who ran on into the left-hand side of the area to drill an angled shot past Harrison.
Going a goal down to the Football League's back markers was not what the hosts had in mind and they set about trying to redress the balance.
With Mansfield having to replace the injured Dan Martin with Goward, handing the youngster a senior debut, they were limited to raids on the break for the rest of the game.
Even so, Boulding shot over for the Stags and Mullins had a header cleared off the line.
But the ever-increasing pressure from the home side yielded a leveller when substitute Liam Hatch - who scored the only goal when the teams met at Underhill two seasons ago - slammed home a low shot from just inside the box after being teed up by former Stag Adam Birchall.
It was not long after, in the 78th minute, that Barnet were awarded a penalty. Though the ball appeared to make contact with Boulding's arm in the box, he looked to be pushed as he challenged for the ball.
Puncheon seemed confident as he strode up to the spot to take the kick. But Muggleton ensured Jonny Wilkinson was not the only hero in Mansfield on Saturday night by diving to his left to tip the well-struck kick on to the left-hand post.
Five minutes of stoppage time were played and during that Muggleton made a smart save from Neal Bishop's hooked shot.
But it was in the final minute of normal time that Barnet came closest to the winner when Ashley Carew's weak shot deflected on to the left-hand post.
It is not often that a draw could be cited as a turning point in a season.
But after stopping the rot against an in-form side, that is exactly what the Stags' players and supporters hope this hard-earned point will be.
If Mansfield can come out on top in the derby with Notts County this Saturday it really will enforce the view the tide has turned.
And maybe then the graph of Mansfield's season will finally take on a more welcome upward curve.