But it was a vital 3 points which took Cardiff City to the top of Division Two for the third time this season so it was job done and mission accomplished.
Cast your mind back a year as it was 12 months ago next midweek that the high flying Bluebirds travelled to bottom of the table Bury on a cold, rainy night in front of a pitiful small crowd and didn't have the stomach in those conditions to match a spirited home team so returned to South Wales with a 3-0 stuffing. It is a sure sign of the progress of The Bluebirds that despite rarely playing well and riding their luck, they scrapped on a night that they were unable to produce their best style of football and come away with a victory - that's the difference this season.
Mind you, can't say Mansfield had a pitiful crowd considering it was 2,500 or so more than Wimbledon had in the lowest ever Division One crowd tonight - Mansfield are obviously a giant.
The trip to Mansfield wasn't the greatest start to the evening - it's now dark by 5pm ("it gets late earlier" as one of my mates said!), rush hour motorway traffic, roadworks on the M42 and the Motor Show at the NEC - hardly left me time for a pint. Just as well really, this time I was driving!
Field Mill has undergone a transformation since City's last visit. Gone are its ramshackle appearance, cowsheds and derelict areas replaced by 3 new stands. Only one half pitch length stand remained on one side to remind us of how it used to be. There were near-identical stands behind both goals (one occupied by the 591 travelling City fans - I didn't count them, the tannoy told us). The bulk of Mansfield's meagre support were in a large and high double decker stand.
The away end view would normally be good, I'm sure, but objective watching of the match was made difficult because the Mull of Mansfield (oh mists roaming in from the Trent we don't desire) sent a cold curtain of mist and fog over the ground - we could see both ends of the pitch but it was hard to work out who was who down the other end. This was compounded by great lighting on our left hand side but junk on our right making one half of the pitch twice as bright as the other.
Mansfield have been having a desperately poor season. Bottom of the table by 2 points with 39 goals conceded in their opening 15 league games and 6 defeats in their previous 7 home league and cup games, it looked like a banker City win on paper. But it never works like that.
Mansfield have added to their squad with on-loan Tony Vaughan (the bulky, stroppy centre half we tried to buy from Man City a couple of years ago but who has been a permanent Nottingham Forest reserve in recent times) and Colin Little from Crewe. Other names of note were ex-Man United keeper, Kevin Pilkington, and a forward line of Scott Sellars and Iyseden Christie, a player who has always shone against City but, thankfully, was one of their more subdued players tonight. With nothing to lose, they went for City and gave us one of our hardest tests we have faced this season.
Cardiff fielded an expected team, Layton Maxwell retained his place although Gareth Whalley was fit again and Chris Barker played left midfield in place of the injured Andy Legg and, through the mist with City attacking the opposite end, we nearly scored in the opening 30 seconds as a Mansfield defender turned the ball past his own keeper but it didn't have enough pace to get to the net.
The next 15 minutes saw City get a bit of a battering and we could, maybe should, have gone 2 behind but City (just about) rode the storm.
The let offs were fast and frequent as City were slow to start, midfield struggling in particular, while Mansfield had great attacking movement and, more worryingly, always seemed to have players free and available in deep positions. Quick passing left Gabbi and Prior stranded and a Mansfield striker with a free hit at goal that Alexander turned around the post. Gabbidon got a desperate last gasp block for the next chance when Mansfield seemed set to score. Then Alexander produced a wonderful save as more quick linking and movement saw Corden curl a ball to the top corner that Alexander did brilliantly to palm away. But that was bettered when Christie blasted at goal from 8 yards after more slick movement and slack marking had opened City up but, from nowhere, Gary Croft charged in and deflected the effort over the bar.
During this period, some of City's tackling was non-existent, there were far too many basic errors and whenever Cardiff broke forward, the final ball or crossing always seemed to be hit too hard or too high ... or both. On a rare attack, Layton Maxwell hammered a shot from 25 yards straight into Rhys Weston which summed up what was going on.
The best chance of the half however fell to Layton Maxwell who couldn't repeat his form shown last weekend and crowned his display with a bad miss after Weston, Earnie and Thorne carved open Mansfield to give Maxwell clear sight of goal and looking certain to score but he smashed his effort well over the bar.
City's biggest let off was still to come though as Corden broke through on goal, Alexander charged out and Corden went flying as Alexander dived missing the ball. Premier ref Neil Barry looked to his linesman who awarded a goal kick but, according to City fans, nearer the side of the pitch where that incident happened, it was a cast iron penalty and maybe Alexander should have been red carded too. Funny thing was, if Barry felt the attacker dived, he didn't book him either.
In the closing minutes of the half, there were signs that Mansfield were dipping from the high energy, all action game of theirs - it was obvious they couldn't have kept that pace going - and City were slowly establishing and imposing themselves. Thorne and Earnie were worrying Mansfield every time they saw the ball near goal but the service wasn't as good as it should have been.
It was a good half for the neutral but not a good one for Cardiff fans to watch, the Bluebird support although in very good voice (they were having and winning a singing competition against the home support with a fluffy stag animal mascot trying to inspire them).
There was an agonising moment for City just before half-time as Earnie turned the last defender and was away on goal but the ref blew up to stop play due to head injuries by players from both sides. It seemed very unfair to have stopped the game at that point. Prior disappeared down the tunnel early, it looked like he had a cut and maybe needed stitches. The drop ball was taken back in City's half - the chance we never had!
City were very poor 1st half and unbelievably fortunate to walk off still level with the home side. The players tunnel was underneath our away stand so as everyone trooped off towards us, plenty of City fans shouted or chanted to Lennie to "sort them out". Lennie's response? He put his fingers in his ears so he couldn't hear us.
Half-time: Stag Shaggers 0 Sheep Shaggers 0
City started the 2nd half a little better, Peter Thorne starting to make an impression and winning ball in the air against Mansfield's big central defenders but the final killer ball in City's game was missing and Mansfield were pressing again.
Rhys Weston produced another moment of magic (he was one of only a couple of players to stand out for City) as he ran 50 yards, took the ball in the area beating men before finding Earnie whose shot on the turn was wildly wellied over the bar.
A disappointing aspect for me was that City never, at any time, pressurised the home keeper, Pilkington who must have been carrying an injury as he passed the ball sideways out of his area at goal kicks and back passed or rolled it out with everything else he did. He wouldn't kick the ball, why didn't we close him down or someone clatter him??
Cardiff should have scored on the hour but missed a simple chance as Thorne met a cross forcing Pilkington to save, Kav was first to the rebound and shot under the keeper but his effort was blocked on the line but the ball came towards Kav again and with the goal gaping from 6 yards, although he was at an angle, Captain Kav hit the side netting. His reaction showed he should have put us ahead, he knew it, we knew it.
News came from that The Jacks were losing 4-0 at home to Kidderminster and that half of the North Bank support had gone home (does anyone know which one of their lads left and which one stayed?) which cheered up the support but most interest was on Wigan vs QPR who were drawing and we knew City would go top if they won.
Things were getting worrying and fans were starting to think we wouldn't score but, in the 70th minute, our prayers were answered and again, luck played its part. City won a corner, Kav shaped to take it. As he did, Peter Throne who was on the far post shoved a defender then the ball flew to him, he jumped with no Mansfield player around him and headed back over the keeper and inside the far post. 1-0 CITY, PETER THORNE IS MAGIC!! Yessssssssss!!! Clever play by him too even if it isn't in the rules.
City were now going for the kill and came close three times to sealing the win as Gabbidon hit the post meeting another Kav corner on the centre spot, then Prior shot on the spin after a scramble to see the ball go a fraction wide with Mansfield helpless. The third saw Andy Campbell, an 80th minute sub, for Earnie worked hard to break clear in the areas but he fired weakly and straight at Pilkington form an angle, it was a poor finish for a near £1M player but he ran hard when he appeared, good to see.
Back came Mansfield with a final assault and tow more escapes for City as firstly, a crossfield ball put someone in a yellow shirt through the mist running to City's goal, out came Alexander with a brave tackle challenge that earned him an injury but he continued after treatment.
The biggest escape of the night however came with 60 seconds of the 2 minutes added time as a long cross was superbly met by another yellow shirt who got his foot to a ball that he had no right to reach. The touch stunned Alexander and the ball rolled agonisingly across City's goal. It seemed to take an eternity and looked on the way in but somehow went wide, it must have been by a fraction.
It was our night, it just wasn't Mansfield's who deserved at least a draw and I don't think many of us could have argued had they even won the game. But City persevered and how many times have we been on the receiving end (as Mansfield were tonight).
Quite simply, we scored, they didn't. Our defence, who performed heroics at times, kept their 3rd clean sheet in 4 games and 7th in 13 games. As much as we love talking about goals, Earnie and Thorne, it's what Alexander/Margetson and the defence have been doing that are every bit as much a reason for our successes this season. Long may it continue.
Oh, and by the way, WE ARE TOP OF THE LEAGUE, say, WE ARE TOP OF THE LEAGUE!
Report from FootyMad
Cardiff City soared to the top of the table as Peter Thorne's powerful second-half header condemned bottom of the table Mansfield to their eighth home defeat of the season.
But big-spending Cardiff were made to fight all the way by the smallest squad in the division and the Stags almost prevented their fourth successive defeat deep into injury time when Colin Little stretched to meet Wayne Corden's deep cross, but his close-rangefinish rolled agonisingly wide of the post.
Afterwards Mansfield manager Stuart Watkiss said:
"I couldn't have asked anything moreof my players. Unfortunately we didn't take our chances and one mistake has cost usdear." Mansfield dominated from the start as an adventurous 3-4-3 formation took City by surprise.
Lee Williamson's 20-yard snap shot flew narrowly wide, Liam Lawrence's piledriver was blocked by Gary Croft and the defender then made another fine last-ditch tackle to deny Little.
The Bluebirds were lucky to survive again when Little appeared to be tripped by the keeper as he raced unmarked into the area.
However the best chance of the opening half fell to City midfielder Leyton Maxwell who somehow scooped his ten-yard shot over the bar.
On the hour the visitors failed to convert three chances inside 10 seconds. First Thorne's close-range shot was blocked by keeper Kevin Pilkington's legs, Graham Kavanagh's follow-up was cleared off the line by Lawrence and from that rebound Thorne blasted wide.
But 20 minutes from time the striker made no mistake, rising highest to head in Kavanagh's deep cross to break Stags hearts
External reports
BBC Wales (inc audio)
Western Mail
Mansfield Today