The Bulls were thankful to Wayne Brown for a late penalty save that kept all three points coming back to Edgar Street.
A seventh minute Clint Easton free kick was the only goal of the game as a spirited Mansfield side pushed the Bulls all the way, and it took late heroics from Brown to keep the points in the bag.
A crowd of 1,606 watched the game, the lowest at Field Mill all season by some 300, with around 200 Bulls fans in attendance. With Darlington only drawing at Shrewsbury the Bulls move back up to third place.
Full report later.