Mansfield Town 1, Huddersfield Town 2

Jul 23 2005 By The Huddersfield Daily Examiner

JUNIOR MENDES silenced the Field Mill boo boys with a sweet stoppage-time winner for Town last night.

Given a hostile reception at his former club when replacing Andy Booth with 12 minutes left, Mendes had the last laugh with a classy strike from Gary Taylor-Fletcher's pinpoint low cross.

The goal, exactly a minute into added time at the end, spared Town's blushes for a very patchy display in which they were pushed all the way by Carlton Palmer's fit-looking League II battlers.

Town seemed comfortable enough in the first half and were desperately unlucky not to lead as David Mirfin had what looked a perfectly good goal wiped out for offside and Pawel Abbott had a 31st-minute penalty saved by Kevin Pressman.

Peter Jackson's side also had two clear penalty claims turned down in their first meeting with Mansfield since the play-off final and had to wait until the 70th minute to take the lead.

At that stage, Mansfield were getting well on top with their neat passing and lively movement, but Town's goal against the run of play was also superbly created.

Andy Holdsworth and Chris Brandon started the move down the right and, when skipper Jon Worthington switched the play to the left, Tony Carss - operating at left wing-back - provided the ideal cross for Booth to score with a trademark close-range header which gave Pressman no chance.

If Town thought that would be the end of Mansfield's challenge, they were sadly mistaken.