Midfielder Jonathan Smith was sent-off as York City crashed to their biggest-ever defeat under manager Martin Foyle. The former Forest Green Rovers schemer was dismissed eleven minutes before the break following his second caution of the game. His side were already trailing at that point after Adam Smith returned to haunt his former club with the opening goal midway through the first-half.
The Minstermen then proceeded to collapse after the interval as the Stags scored three times during a fifteen minute spell around the hour mark. Substitute Luke Medley duly added a fifth to complete the embarrassment for the visitors deep into added time.
Indeed Mansfield had almost gone ahead on thirteen minutes when Paul Connor turned sharply and struck a firm shot against the left-hand post. Gary Mills then drove straight at Michael Ingham from distance before his side took the lead in the 22nd minute after Adam Smith got on the wrong side of Duane Courtney and lashed his finish across goal and into the top right-hand corner.
Twelve minutes later and York’s task became even more difficult when Jonathan Smith – who had already been cautioned inside the first ten minutes – was sent-off following a challenge on Kyle Nix. Adam Sandwith then twice shot wide as the hosts tried to take immediate advantage, while their opponents finally managed their first attempts towards the target through a couple of wayward Neil Barrett efforts just before the break.
It had been another very poor opening half from the visitors, who actually began with more purpose following the interval as James Meredith had an early attempt charged down. But ten minutes into the second-half Steven Istead evaded Peter Till and squared comfortably for Rob Duffy to take advantage of defensive hesitation and stab home from six-yards.
York boss Foyle made a double-change around the hour mark with Michael Gash and David McDermott replacing Peter Till and Leon Constantine. And the visitors soon conspired to waste an excellent opportunity on 65 minutes when Gash headed back an Alex Lawless free-kick and Danny Parslow miskicked in front of goal. Mansfield instantly broke towards the opposite end, where Adam Smith had a shot blocked by Ingham and Paul Connor followed up to score.
Within five minutes the Stags added a fourth after Nix carefully picked his spot from a quick exchange of passes on the edge of the area and fired past Ingham’s left-hand. Substitute Lewis Briscoe then had a deflected shot over the bar and Nix curled a free-kick around the defensive wall and into Ingham’s grateful clutches.
The Minstermen tried hard for a consolation during the closing stages, with Michael Rankine going close following a determined break before also chipping across for Meredith to have a deflected effort over. Substitute McDermott then screamed a long-range attempt narrowly wide of the right-hand post.
But Mansfield finished back in the ascendancy and substitute Paul Stonehouse cleared the target before fellow replacement Medley teased David McGurk during added time and made sufficient space to drive clinically across goal and complete a really dismal night for the visitors.
Mansfield Town: Marriott, Silk, Sandwith, Foster, C. Smith, Istead (Briscoe 58), Mills, Nix, A. Smith, Duffy (Medley 61), Connor (Stonehouse 78)
subs (unused): Collett, Naylor
Goals: A. Smith (22), Duffy (55), Connor (64), Nix (69), Medley (90)
York City: Ingham, Courtney, Parslow, McGurk, Meredith, Lawless, Barrett, J. Smith, Till (Gash 61), Rankine, Constantine (McDermott 60)
subs (unused): Knight, Young, Racchi
Ref: L. Metcalfe (Lancashire)
Att: 2,202
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