03/01/2008 - MK Dons 1 Mansfield Town 0
THEY say things never go your way when you are down at the bottom of the league, and after events at Stadium:mk Mansfield are hardly likely to disagree.
Getting a good result at League Two's pacesetters was always going to be a tough task for the Stags even had things gone in their favour, reflected by odds of 8/1 on an away victory.
But when your two main strikers - Michael Boulding and John McAliskey - are forced off with little more than half an hour gone, the task was rendered all but impossible.
That, coupled with a winning goal from Keith Andrews that owed more than a little to good fortune, left manager Billy Dearden wondering what he has to do to get a favourable rub of the green.
It was an apparently offside goal that set Accrington on their way to a 2-1 victory over the Stags on Saturday.
Dearden spoke before the game of his hope Mansfield's fortunes would change for the better with the turn of the new year.
But his luck on the first day of 2008 was befitting of someone who had walked under a ladder and spotted a magpie, rather than thrown salt over his shoulder. Or, as he said afterwards, it was as if he'd shot a robin.
The game itself saw an inevitable home victory eventually materialise, but Mansfield made a better fist of it than might have been expected.
As the game went on, Paul Ince's side showed their class more and more with neat and patient passing that could have seen them win by more than a single goal.
But the encouraging thing from the Mansfield players was that at least there was some fight and determination that was sadly lacking against Accrington.
What is becoming an obvious problem is the lack of ability to come back after going a goal down.
Only once, on the opening day of the season against Brentford, have the Stags claimed a point after conceding first.
Clearly, if non-league football is to be avoided come May, that is something that is going to have to change pretty quickly.
As disappointing as a fifth straight away defeat in the league was, the loss of the three points might not be as damaging as the setbacks to Boulding and McAliskey.
Boulding was forced to come off after 15 minutes with what appeared to be a hamstring injury. He was replaced by McAliskey but the lanky frontman lasted just 17 minutes before he had to be withdrawn too.
Dearden had already stated before the game one of his key targets in the January transfer window would be a striker.
But with Boulding possibly missing for a month, and goals rarely scored from elsewhere, that is now an absolute must.
It is also crucial the likes of Simon Brown and Ian Holmes, who battled gamely after he came on for McAliskey, start to chip in with goals along with the rest of the midfield.
Mansfield started with a 4-5-1 system in an attempt to match up against the Dons' own 4-5-1 formation.
With Martin McIntosh suspended for his red card against Stanley, Gareth Jelleyman was pulled back from midfield into central defence.
Out also went Nathan Arnold and McAliskey, to be replaced by Stephen Dawson, who was back after a one-game ban, Simon Brown and Danny Sleath for only his second start of the season.
After a cagey start from both teams, Dawson gave the ball away in the middle of the park, allowing Wright to work in a cross that saw Lloyd Dyer's downward header clutched by Carl Muggleton.
It was in the 15th minute when Boulding's injury forced the Stags to re-adjust and soon after Dons skipper Keith Andrews had a header from a right-wing corner headed off the line by Matt Hamshaw.
Just after the half-hour mark, McAlsikey pulled up holding his groin, but, remarkably, the Stags finished the half strongly.
It was during that time Mansfield had a real chance to go in front. Five minutes from the break Holmes laid off to Hamshaw whose pinpoint cross was dummied by Brown for Sleath arriving at the far post.
He took aim before unleashing a volley that Willy Gueret acrobatically clawed away, diving to his right.
The Stags started the second half well and Jonathan D'Laryea's shot on the stretch was blocked by the legs of Gueret after good work on the left by Holmes.
But the Stags fell behind in the 58th minute from a free-kick. Andrews took it and saw his effort deflect off Brown, tipped on to the bar by Muggleton only to rebound off the Mansfield keeper and into goal.
With the visitors still reeling, Andrews tried his luck again from distance but this time fired over the bar.
Andrews had another free-kick 15 minutes from time after substitute Jude Stirling was fouled but this time Muggleton was able to hold it at the second attempt.
The visiting keeper was at it again with nine minutes to go as he saved instinctively from Danny Swailes' close-range prod.
With the game in the closing stages, Johnny Mullins headed wide from a right-wing cross, before Arnold, who scored a late equaliser in the corresponding fixture last season, fired over.
Overall, it was a much better showing from Mansfield. But still, the bottom line is it was another defeat.
It was true that the Stags did not get the run of the ball again, but it is also abundantly clear they are short on quality that will turn games in their favour.
That is why new players coming in at Field Mill now the transfer window has opened cannot happen soon enough.