Fleet almost secured an unlikely draw at in-form Mansfield as they held out for 82 minutes before Matt Green’s solitary goal kept the home side with one foot in the play-offs.
There was one change to the starting line-up, with Nathaniel Pinney replacing Gozie Ugwu, and it was backs to the wall for the Fleet as Mansfield marauded the flanks, looking to get an early break. The home team’s Adam Smith turned in Matt Green’s unorthodox pass on eight minutes but the referee adjudged Green to have fouled in the build-up and the goal was disallowed.
Fleet were not without their chances, however, and great work by Craig Stone on 15 minutes produced a long cross into Neil Barrett who pulled the ball back for Pinney and his header had goalkeeper Alan Marriott scrambling to keep it out.
The best chance of the half followed six minutes later when hotshot striker Green was sent clear by Adam Murray but Lance Cronin got down well to make an excellent save. Martin Riley shaved the post with a header on 26 minutes and Smith had a good opportunity to fire home from Exodus Geohaghon’s long throw-in.
