Jake Young scored a dramatic stoppage-time winner to give Swindon their first win in nine matches 2-1 against Mansfield Town
Young made it 14 goals for the season late in the first half to give Swindon a deserved lead over Mansfield after a much-improved opening 45 minutes.
Lucas Akins then came off the bench to equalise early in the second half, but Young turned home in stoppage time to end their unbeaten season.
Swindon have now got their first victory since they beat Newport County in October to move just two points behind Tuesday's opponents Accrington Stanley at the bottom of the play-offs.
The big talking point from the line-up was that Charlie Austin dropped to the bench as Michael Flynn brought George McEachran back into the side after recovering from injury. Tyrese Shade also returned from international duty with Saint Kitts and Nevis to go straight back onto the bench.
Mansfield started the game like a hungry pack of wolves chasing down their prey. Immediately working the ball down the right and forcing Swindon back. Within two minutes Louis Reed got a shot away from the top of the box, but Harrison Minturn was there to block it.
Swindon were finally allowed to come up for air after nine minutes when Dan Kemp dropped into a pocket of space and his inventive backheel set Remeao Hutton racing away down the right. His cross went deep to the far post, where Callum Johnson was just able to flick the ball away from Williams Kokolo.
Baily Cargill came steaming down the left flank and whipped a dangerous cross in, Murphy Mahoney got an unsure touch on it, but that took the ball away from Davis Keillor-Dunn. Mansfield won a corner for their troubles and Cargill headed narrowly over from that.
After surviving that scare, Town went up the other end through Kokolo, he worked the ball back to Kemp. The forward clipped the ball into Hutton on the edge of the box, whose volley brought a diving save out of Christy Pym.
Swindon were working themselves into the game and their build-up deserved a goal after 22 minutes when Kemp was afforded space on the top of the box. He slipped a delicate pass into Young, who tried to chop away from Lewis Brunt, but the defender’s trailing leg was able to prevent him from getting a shot off.
From the resulting corner, after initially playing short, Swindon drilled a cross toward the near post and Frazer Blake-Tracy’s bullet header went just wide.
After 36 minutes Kemp’s running was looking dangerous again as he drove in from the left and looked to play a one-two with George McEachran, but the return came through to Jake Young. He rushed his shot and it went straight at Pym.
Then as Swindon won a free-kick thirty yards out, Kemp dinked a pass into the path of Young as he timed his run to perfection and although his connection wasn’t clean, it was enough to spin into the far corner of the net.
Mansfield fired a warning shot and could have been level before the break as Rhys Oates caught Swindon too high up the pitch and crossed low into Aaron Lewis, but Mahoney got down well to save his attempt.
Flynn’s decision to switch to a box midfield had proved a successful one at the break. The greater security provided by Saidou Khan and Liam Kinsella at the base was allowing Kemp to run riot further forward without fear of leaving Town exposed when they lost the ball.
Mansfield wasted no time getting back on level terms after the break as with Swindon caught too high up the pitch, half-time substitute Akins raced in behind and despite Udoka Godwin-Malife trying to get back, he finished low into the net.
After 55 minutes Town were denied what looked to be a stonewall penalty as Young’s run ended in Khan shooting from the top of the box. Aden Flint had his arm raised and the ball looked to strike it, but the referee waived away any claims.
The visitors could have been ahead before the hour as Mansfield were allowed to charge through the middle of Swindon and reverse a pass into Keillor-Dunn, but his shot was scuffed straight at Mahoney.
Four minutes later Kemp was at his magical best once again as he drove away from two defenders in the middle of the field to get a shot away. Pym palmed it away and Kokolo got onto the rebound, only for it to be deflected behind for a corner.
Three minutes into stoppage time, Charlie Austin saw his header come back off the bar, but a goal-mouth scramble then ensued and ended with Young scoring his sixth goal in five matches from one yard out.
STFC starting XI: Mahoney, Hutton, Blake-Tracy, McEachran, Young, Khan, Kemp, Kokolo, Godwin-Malife, Kinsella, Minturn.
STFC substitutes: L. Ward, Genesini, Dworzak, Shade, Austin, Brown, Hart.
MTFC starting XI: Pym, Johnson, Cargill, Bowery, Maris, Flint, Lewis, Oates, Brunt, Reed, Keillor-Dunn.
MTFC substitutes: Flinders, Akins, MacDonald, Quinn, Williams, Swan, Boateng.
Attendance: 8,322 (685 away)
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