Boulding hat-trick stuns Shrews

Boulding: Hat-trick hero

The Stags, four points adrift at the start of play, could have gone down if results had gone against them and things looked desperate when goalkeeper Jason White spilled a Marc Pugh shot over the line at his near post within 75 seconds of the kick-off.

But Boulding had the home side level on 22 minutes after Matty Hamshaw had lifted the ball over keeper Scott Bevan from the right by-line to leave Boulding a close range tap-in.

Bevan saved efforts from Keith Briggs and Nathan Arnold before Boulding struck again on 36 minutes as he turned superbly on a low Hamshaw cross to steer home.

The second half saw Mansfield visibly tire and the visitors, who had only won once in 16 games, piled on the pressure. And they almost levelled on 81 minutes when Pugh's low cross was met by sub Guy Madjo only to see White pull off a great reaction save from his close-range finish.

Home fans could finally breath again three minutes from time when Boulding shrugged off Darran Kempson to go clear onto a long ball and expertly tuck away the ball under Bevan for his first Mansfield hat-trick and his 25th goal of an amazing season.