Two first half goals condemned Gillingham to their first defeat in five games as Neil Harris’ side’s recent revival hit the Mansfield Town buffers.

A deflected strike from Ollie Clarke and a penalty from Lucas Akins before half time ultimately divided the two sides but the fight the visitors displayed in the second period would have boosted the spirits of the more than six hundred faithful travellers on their way home down the M1.

After an even start, the home side took the lead on twenty minutes when Clarke’s shot was taken out of Glenn Morris’ reach and went in off the post to give Mansfield the lead which they doubled ten minutes from the break when Max Ehmer was possibly harshly adjudged by referee Mr Kirk to have brought Akins down, and the Mansfield man dusted himself down before driving the spot kick to Morris’ left and into the net.

An afternoon could have been out of sight for Gills just after the break, but Morris performed heroics to keep out Akins’ powerful header from a corner.

The Gills boss then made a triple change bringing George Lapslie, Aiden O’Brien and Cheye Alexander on and it was Lapslie who came agonisingly close to providing the visitors with a life line.

With seventeen minutes left the former Mansfield man connected with Tim Dieng’s ball into the box only to be magnificently denied by the reflexes of keeper Scott Flinders as the former Gills loanee somehow kept out the header.

Spurred on the Gills went hunting the Stags but sadly for the visitors they couldn’t find a way through the home side’s yellow wall and the unbeaten run and mini rival was over.

But who’s for another one starting on Tuesday especially with other results going the Gills way – with only Colchester United winning of the sides around them – Harris and his troops return to Priestfield on Tuesday to face a Grimsby Town side who are struggling in the League despite recent FA Cup heroics before a trip next weekend to face Rochdale as 91st faces 92nd in a real “six pointer”…

First though the Mariners come to what is hopefully becoming Fortress Priestfield on Tuesday!

MANSFIELD TOWN – Flinders, Hewitt, Harbottle, Clarke, Maris (Boateng 84), Perch, Quinn (O’Toole 84), Wallace (Bowery 73), Kilgour, Keillor-Dunn (Swan 79), Akins.

Subs not used: Pym, Johnson, Law.

Goals: O Clarke (21), Akins (35 pen).

Booked: Keillor-Dunn (62), Maris (80).

GILLINGHAM – Morris, McKenzie (Wright 88), Ehmer, Masterson, Tutonda (Alexander 56), Williams (Abrahams 88), Jefferies (Lapslie 56), MacDonald (O’Brien 56), Dieng, Nichols, Hawkins.

Sub not used: Turner.

Booked: Tutonda (19), Ehmer (34), Lapslie (68).

REFEREE – Mr Thomas Kirk

Attendance: 6,937 (631 Gills).