14/04/2008 - Macclesfield 0 Mansfield Town 0
For those Stags fans taking the Cat and Fiddle route to and from Moss Rose, there was reason to ponder the outcome to this season.
The road twists and turns and there is only a narrow margin for error above sheer drops on both sides.
Add to that a constant change in weather, from blinding sunlight one minute to the sudden darkness of black cloud hanging over the towering hills.
It was constant change on the way to Macclesfield, and the journey home.
If anything symbolised the Stags' season so far and what is to come in the next three matches, that journey did.
There have been so many false dawns, so many moments when it all began to look rosy and then times when it has never looked so bleak.
And Saturday was no different. Once again a performance of good football, a clean sheet but this time a lack of ruthlessness and cutting edge in front of goal.
An away point that on another day could have clawed the gap to safety to two points but Notts County's win means it is now four points to Dagenham and Redbridge.
Despite avoiding defeat, the Stags are a further point off the pace. Draws are not good enough at this stage. Victories are required.
Yet despite the gap widening, while some fans contemplate life in the Blue Square Premier, there is little despondency among the players.
The Stags squad feel there are plenty of twists and turns to follow and they fully believe that if they are, at the worst, three points off Dagenham going into their clash on the final day, they can stay up.
At present, the Stags have a better goal difference meaning that game in London on May 3 could still be a winner-takes-all affair.
And that is why rather than look at Macclesfield as two points dropped, they are still holding out hope it will be one point gained come the end of the campaign.
But the Stags had it all to do. Goalkeeper Carl Muggleton had a slight injury problem and was replaced by Jason White.
And top scorer Mickey Boulding was struggling with injury, only lasting a hour, while Gareth Jelleyman lasted just 20 minutes because of his Achilles problem.
On top of that skipper Jake Buxton was suspended, yet the Stags took the game to Macclesfield though they could not find the early goal they wanted.
After White had saved a close-range header from Gareth Evans, Jefferson Louis put wide a downward header from Keith Briggs' cross.
Louis was a handful all afternoon, having three different strike partners but using his strength to unsettle the Silkmen's rearguard.
Stephen Dawson pulled a shot wide for Mansfield and Briggs had a shot charged down before Danny Thomas crossed from the byline on the left, over goalkeeper White for Terry Dunfield arriving late at the back post , but his volley went wide.
It was a let-off for Mansfield.
But after seeing the hosts get on top late in the first half, the Stags had a period of pressure early in the second.
Without carving out a gilt-edged chance, the Stags still had opportunities to take the lead.
Matt Hamshaw twice went close. His trickery saw him skip past two players into the Macclesfield box but his left-footed shot went wide of the far post.
And two minutes later he struck a 20-yard effort, this time with his right foot, but struck the same advertising board just to the side of the post.
Neil Wainwright came off the bench and made an instant impact, crossing from the right to find Nathan Arnold six yards out, but on the half volley, his vicious shot was charged down by James Jennings.
In the latter stages, the Stags tired but Alex John-Baptiste led by example from the back, staying solid to ensure Paul Holland's side did not slip up and let the point from their grasp. Arnold had another chance from an acute angle before Louis was played in down the side of the box and fired past Jonathon Brain only to be ruled offside.
It was a bitter blow three minutes from time and would have captured a crucial three points but it was not to be.
In the end the Stags had to settle for one and now they have a week to get Boulding and Jelleyman fit for the final three matches.
Others outside Mansfield will view the table and have Mansfield as being as good as down.
They will not give the Stags a chance. But inside the camp, there is a real belief it can still be achieved.
Are they mad? Are they simply fooling themselves? It would be easy to say yes but the fact Dagenham are struggling so much and Stags being at home in their next two games means it is more than feasible they can go to Dagenham on the last day within three points of their relegation rivals.
If they are, it will be in their own hands come May 3. And the fact Mansfield have always been down in the bottom two will heap more pressure on the Londoners - it will be theirs to lose.
So just like the changing weather that accompanied the sharp turns of the Cat and Fiddle on Saturday, Mansfield's season cannot be predicted just yet.
Holland has called for rest this week and nothing around the club other than positive vibes.
A tall order? Definitely. Possible? Very much so.
The Stags are far from playing poor football. They are far from a team lacking in belief. And for that reason, a draw at Macclesfield and dropping to four points off safety is not going to be taken as a blow. They simply see it as a challenge.