30/10/2007 - Mansfield Town 2 Notts County 0
ONE is just setting out on his managerial career while the other is one of the most experienced operators around.
But while derby day brought contrasting fortunes for Ian McParland and Billy Dearden, both still have much work to do at their respective clubs before they will consider themselves satisfied.
A 2-0 victory for Mansfield in a largely scrappy game, courtesy of two strikes from Michael Boulding, heaped the misery on Notts whose struggles of late were underlined by the sacking of Steve Thompson last week.
Conversely for the Stags, a first win in nine games suggested they may be about to turn the corner after their miserable start to 2007-2008. But for the two good friends, who speak to each other weekly, they know it is where they take their teams now that really counts.
For McParland it was always going to be a tough ask to get the fairytale start of three points because of the hosts' desperation to get their season up and running, coupled with his own side's run of three consecutive defeats ahead of their trip to Field Mill.
With just one training session prior to the match to work with his players, it was, essentially, still Thompson's side that took to the field.
But the early signs from Notts were good. They controlled the early part of the match and might have gone in front with better finishing from Andy Parkinson who had a shot blocked by ex-team-mate Dan Martin and then fired a good opportunity into the side-netting.
A succession of corners promised much as the players seemed eager to prove themselves to their new boss. But the longer the game wore on, the more the Magpies lost their grip on the game - even if they did enjoy a decent spell before half-time.
With the match goalless at the break, it was there for the taking for either side in the second half. Frustratingly for the visiting fans, though, their side failed to do that and were particularly disappointing once they had gone a goal behind.
No doubt McParland will preach to his players they have to fight to the bitter end, even when defeat seems inevitable. But on this occasion, as the Scot acknowledged, it did not take much for the heads of his players to go down and the confidence to drain from their game.
Few in black and white showed much appetite for a fight in the closing stages, which was reflected by Stags keeper Carl Muggleton's inactivity.
It was hard to recall, certainly in the closing stages, the veteran having a serious save to make, despite the introduction of Hector Sam from the bench in a 4-3-3 formation that saw Notts throw caution to the wind. That came as a big disappointment to the healthy following making the short journey up the A60, who would have hoped for the kind of fightback County produced on their previous two trips to Mansfield.
'Charlie' now has the task of lifting the spirits of his players ahead of this weekend's visit of another out-of-form side in Wrexham.
As Mansfield know only too well after a recent run of six defeats on the bounce, losing, like winning, can become a habit, and Notts need to arrest their slide down the table sooner rather than later if they are to have any hope of reviving fast-fading play-off hopes.
Newly-appointed or not, McParland needs the pick-me-up of a victory fast - otherwise the Magpies' season could, like the Stags, become a question of survival. On the other hand, Dearden will want to use only a second success of the season for Mansfield as a springboard to better things.
After the kind of start to their campaign that nightmares are made of, there could, finally, be a little respite on the horizon. Last week's 1-1 draw at high-flying Barnet had the makings of a resurgence which this much-needed triumph seems to have confirmed.
As the Stags boss was only too quick to point out, though, this cannot be a one-off - one swallow does not make a summer.
Instead, Mansfield must make sure that this is the start of a good run that would lift them from their current position of holding up the rest.
Were the Stags to lose their next two games at Shrewsbury and at home to Macclesfield then they would be right back where they started.
But with confidence clearly boosted, the prospect of new owners and a new era at Field Mill and players gradually beginning to return from injury, they will never have a better chance of pulling clear of trouble.
What they must look to retain from their performance against Notts is the hunger and desire for a fight.
If anything, that was what tipped the game in their balance in the second half - they seemed to want the victory just that little bit more.
The hosts did need a penalty to turn the game in their favour - when Austin McCann got the wrong side of Matt Hamshaw and pulled him down in the box.
But once Boulding had hammered home the spot-kick - firing it straight down the middle as Pilkington dived to his right - there was little doubt the Stags would prevail.
Crucially, from a Mansfield point of view, the first goal was quickly followed four minutes later by a second.
Another Boulding strike, which was his eighth goal of the season, stopped any potential County fightback in its tracks.
While visiting fans were asking how Adam Tann had let Simon Brown get in front of him to flick the ball into the path of Mansfield's top scorer, the home crowd were only interesting in celebrating the goal after the coolest of finishes.
In the closing stages it looked more likely that Mansfield would add a third goal than the visitors would pull one goal back as Boulding headed just wide in looking for his hat-trick.
Arnold - who went closest for Mansfield in the first half when he brought a fine diving save out of Pilkington - also went close with a stinging drive from the edge of the box that the Notts keeper did well to repel.
However, what pleased Dearden more than anything was a first clean sheet of the season for his side that has been a long time in coming.
What the home defenders did particularly well was to win the aerial battle and get their bodies in the way when Notts had strikes on goal.
The challenge now is for the Stags players to go out and do that in every match.
So, for the next few months at least, bragging rights rest in north Nottinghamshire after Mansfield deservedly triumphed in the end.
But if the return fixture at Meadow Lane is not to be a relegation six-pointer, it is clear both sides have plenty of work to do between now and March 29.