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League Two
MansfieldMansfield Town2Forest GreenForest Green Rovers2

Mansfield Town 2-2 Forest Green Rovers: Draw seals title for Rovers

Forest Green Rovers celebrate winning the League Two title
Forest Green will play in League One for the first time next season

Forest Green Rovers boss Rob Edwards said clinching the League Two title felt "surreal" after drawing with a Mansfield Town side that hung on to claim a play-off spot on a chaotic final day at the One Call Stadium.

Rovers twice came from behind to claim the point they needed to ensure they overtook Exeter at the summit, with the Grecians finishing second after being beaten by Port Vale.

On-loan Newcastle United midfielder Matty Longstaff had put the hosts ahead before the break, with Ebou Adams restoring parity just after the hour mark.

Two goals in two season-defining late minutes saw Jordan Bowery restore Mansfield's lead before Josh March hit back to snatch the point the Gloucestershire side required to be crowned fourth division champions for the first time ever.

"We've had a lot of titanic battles this year and tough games right the way through," Edwards told BBC Radio Gloucestershire.

"It still is a little bit surreal. I know we've been there for a long, long time but maybe I still didn't quite believe it was going to happen.

"But we've finished on top and it's incredible."

The hard-fought, dramatically sealed draw in Nottinghamshire capped a stunning season for Edwards' side, who will play in England's third tier for the first time in their history next season.

The result means Mansfield finish seventh in the table and will face Northampton in the play-off semi-finals, starting with the home leg next Saturday.

While results elsewhere meant Nigel Clough's Mansfield missed out on automatic promotion, clinching a play-off place is a remarkable achievement for a side that was in the relegation places in October following a disastrous 12-game winless league run.

A club-record 11 successive home league wins between October and April saw the Stags surge up the table to become unlikely automatic promotion candidates.

Clough said the Stags go into the play-offs "in good heart" and "with some momentum" as they try to return to England's third tier for the first time in 19 years.

"We are still in with a chance and before kick-off we'd have taken that," he said.

"They needed a point to win the league so it couldn't have worked out better for both teams."

Mansfield's Matty Longstaff celebrates his goal
Matty Longstaff's goal put Mansfield 1-0 up at the break

The hosts, who at the start of the day could have finished as high as third and as low as eighth, went ahead through Longstaff who met a deflected ball from Jamie Murphy in the box before beating goalkeeper Luke McGee with his second attempt.

Rovers, among the league's most prolific sides, were a constant threat and eventually restored parity, thanks to Adams' cool finish after latching on to a through ball from Jamille Matt.

Matt sent a close-range header over the crossbar soon after and Nicky Cadden had a shot saved by Nathan Bishop as the visitors chased a winner, but it was Bowery who was next to throw a twist into the title and play-off race with a second for the Stags.

But just a minute after coming off the bench, March beat the offside trap to lift a fine finish over the home goalkeeper to seal the title-winning draw.

Ebrima Adams
Ebrima Adams' goal to make it 1-1 was just his third goal of the season
Josh March celebrates his goal for Forest Green Rovers against Mansfield
Josh March came off the bench to score the decisive fourth goal of the game

Line-ups

Mansfield

Formation 4-1-2-1-2

  • 1Bishop
  • 14PerchSubstituted forHewittat 84'minutes
  • 35O'Toole
  • 12Hawkins
  • 3McLaughlinBooked at 37mins
  • 10MarisSubstituted forWallaceat 74'minutes
  • 44M Longstaff
  • 16Quinn
  • 7MurphySubstituted forAkinsat 88'minutes
  • 9Bowery
  • 18Oates

Substitutes

  • 4Hewitt
  • 8O Clarke
  • 23Wallace
  • 24Stech
  • 25Stirk
  • 32Lapslie
  • 34Akins

Forest Green

Formation 3-4-1-2

  • 1McGee
  • 22Godwin-Malife
  • 15Moore-Taylor
  • 3Bernard
  • 2Wilson
  • 21HendrySubstituted forMarchat 79'minutesBooked at 81mins
  • 7Stevenson
  • 11Cadden
  • 8Adams
  • 14Matt
  • 10Aitchison

Substitutes

  • 4Sweeney
  • 6Cargill
  • 12Allen
  • 18Young
  • 23Diallo
  • 24Thomas
  • 28March
Referee:
Robert Madley
Attendance:
7,374

Match Stats

Home TeamMansfieldAway TeamForest Green
Possession
Home45%
Away55%
Shots
Home14
Away15
Shots on Target
Home4
Away5
Corners
Home4
Away8
Fouls
Home12
Away6

Live Text

  1. Post update

    Match ends, Mansfield Town 2, Forest Green Rovers 2.

  2. Full Time

    Second Half ends, Mansfield Town 2, Forest Green Rovers 2.

  3. Substitution

    Substitution, Mansfield Town. Lucas Akins replaces Jamie Murphy.

  4. Post update

    Attempt saved. Rhys Oates (Mansfield Town) header from the centre of the box is saved in the centre of the goal. Assisted by Matthew Longstaff.

  5. Post update

    Foul by Jamille Matt (Forest Green Rovers).

  6. Post update

    Kieran Wallace (Mansfield Town) wins a free kick in the defensive half.

  7. Substitution

    Substitution, Mansfield Town. Elliott Hewitt replaces James Perch.

  8. Post update

    Attempt missed. Ebrima Adams (Forest Green Rovers) header from the centre of the box is close, but misses to the left. Assisted by Nicky Cadden with a cross following a corner.

  9. Post update

    Corner, Forest Green Rovers. Conceded by James Perch.

  10. Booking

    Josh March (Forest Green Rovers) is shown the yellow card for excessive celebration.

  11. Goal!

    Goal! Mansfield Town 2, Forest Green Rovers 2. Josh March (Forest Green Rovers) right footed shot from the right side of the box to the centre of the goal. Assisted by Udoka Godwin-Malife with a through ball.

  12. Substitution

    Substitution, Forest Green Rovers. Josh March replaces Regan Hendry.

  13. Goal!

    Goal! Mansfield Town 2, Forest Green Rovers 1. Jordan Bowery (Mansfield Town) right footed shot from the right side of the six yard box to the bottom right corner. Assisted by Stephen McLaughlin with a cross.

  14. Post update

    Attempt missed. Rhys Oates (Mansfield Town) header from the centre of the box misses to the right. Assisted by Stephen McLaughlin with a cross.

  15. Post update

    Foul by Ebrima Adams (Forest Green Rovers).

  16. Post update

    Stephen Quinn (Mansfield Town) wins a free kick in the defensive half.

  17. Post update

    Attempt blocked. Jamie Murphy (Mansfield Town) right footed shot from outside the box is blocked. Assisted by Stephen Quinn with a headed pass.

  18. Substitution

    Substitution, Mansfield Town. Kieran Wallace replaces George Maris.

  19. Post update

    Attempt saved. Jack Aitchison (Forest Green Rovers) right footed shot from the centre of the box is saved in the centre of the goal. Assisted by Kane Wilson.

  20. Post update

    Corner, Forest Green Rovers. Conceded by Oliver Hawkins.

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As It Stood

TeamPWDLFAGDPts
1Forest Green462315875443184
2Exeter462315865412484
3Bristol Rovers4623111271492280
4Northampton4623111260382280
5Port Vale4622121267462178
6Swindon4622111377542377
7Mansfield4622111367521577
8Sutton United4622101469531676
9Tranmere4621121353401375
10Salford4619131460461470
11Newport461912156758969
12Crawley461710195666-1061
13Leyton Orient4614161662471558
14Bradford461416165355-258
15Colchester461413194860-1255
16Walsall461412204760-1354
17Hartlepool461412204464-2054
18Rochdale461217175159-853
19Harrogate461411216475-1153
20Carlisle461411213962-2353
21Stevenage461114214568-2347
22Barrow461014224457-1344
23Oldham46911264675-2938
24Scunthorpe46414282990-6126
View full League Two table

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