Lambe roasts Stevenage
A first win in seven games was enough to haul Mansfield out of the relegation zone as they edged out visiting Stevenage 1-0 in a scrappy affair.
Sub Reggie Lambe proved the winner with a 52nd minute volley in a game in which debut-making birthday boy Lenny Pidgeley in the home goal did not have a serious save to make.
The first half was a scrappy affair on a difficult surface with few real chances.
Stevenage keeper Chris Day did have to dive to his right on 36 minutes to push away a curling Chris Clements free-kick from 30 yards.
Three minutes later Ben Kennedy fed Bruno Andrade through on the right and he cut inside before pulling a low finish wide of the near post when he should have scored.
Right on half-time, Day was down to hold a Ryan Tafazolli header from a corner.
Lambe replaced Billy Kee for Mansfield for the second half and within seven minutes had broken the deadlock.
Matt Rhead headed a long far-post cross by Lee Beevers from the right back across goal where Lambe had stolen in unmarked to lift a rising volley under the near angle.
On 59 minutes Danny Johnson whipped a snapshot into the Mansfield sidenetting after they failed to clear a free kick.
But the visitors failed to find a reply as they slipped to a third straight defeat.
Source: PA
