Exeter City 2 Mansfield 1 

Saturday 3 October 1998
BY ROSS REID

EXETER City's strike pair of Steve Flack and Darran Rowbotham pounced as City recorded yet another home win. A crowd of 3,024, the best of the season, were
treated to an enthralling encounter crowned by Rowbotham's fourth goal of the season. He dispossessed Johnny Walker on the edge of the Stags' penalty area in the 63rd minute and then followed up to lift the ball over Mansfield keeper Ian Bowling and into the unguarded net. Rowbotham celebrated in front of the Big Bank and his boast that he is back on track in front of goal seems fully justified. Rowbotham was also majorly involved in City's 21st minute opener after a brilliant ball in from the right touchline by City skipper Jon Richardson. Rowbotham headed on Richardson's whipped-in cross and it needed a superb reflex save by Bowling to keep the ball out. But there was targetman Flack diving in to force the ball over the line before the keeper could react. Mansfield responded in the best possible fashion, equalising six minutes later through striker Tony Lormor who curled in a brilliant shot from 25 yards which went around Ashley Bayes' dive.
At that stage the visitors started to apply some pressure and in the 34th minute Lee Peacock broke through on the right but fired wide from 20 yards. City countered with impressive central de- fender Jon Gittens heading just over from John Wilkinson's cor- ner on the left and then just wide from Geoff Breslan's flag kick from the right. Flack and fans in the Cow Shed felt their side should have been ahead and not on parity at half time after Mark Peters, Mansfield's No.4, seemed to fall on the ball before clearing from Wilkinson in the 14th minute. At half time Mansfield brought on experienced Warren Hackett for left back Steve Harper. Two minutes later Walker's shot was deflected just wide by Lee Baddeley as it looked to be heading inside Bayes' left hand post.    Once again City hit back and Hackett was forced to make an off-the-line clearance after Breslan's corner curled in from the right. Minutes later Breslan was left writhing in agony after a foul by Gary Tallon which resulted in a booking for the Stags player and a possible broken rib for City's teenage midfielder. Then came the goal which City thoroughly deserved for their period of pressure, although a 67th minute foul by Graeme Power on Mansfield striker Iyseden Christie caused a few anxious moments. Power was booked, but Bayes had the free kick from the edge of the box covered as it curled over from Tallon. Mansfield's last serious chance to equalise came in the three minutes of injury time, marked by an acrobatic kung fu-type clearance by substitute Chris Curran as the clock ran down.... and out for Mansfield.

Exeter City 
Bayes Wilkinson Power Baddeley Richardson Gittens Rowbotham Rees Flack Holloway. Breslan
Substitutes: Curran (for Wilkinson, 83 mins), Gale, McConnell (not used).

Mansfield: Bowling, Williams (Sedlan, 89), Harper (Hackett, h/t), Peters, Peacock, Ryder, Schofield, Walker (Hassell, 74), Christie, Lormor, Tallon.

Scorers:
Exeter - Flack, 21 mins, Rowbotham, 63; Mansfield: Lormor, 27

Bookings:
Exeter -Power, 67;
Mansfield Tallon, 50.

Referee:
Mark Halsey (Welwyn Garden City)

Attendance: 3.024.