Mansfield Town beat Bradford Park Avenue in second pre-season friendly

It was a tale of two halves, with two different sides playing the two halves and with Mansfield looking rusty and lacking intensity in the first half.

But the team that played the second half put Bradford Park Avenue to the sword, scoring three goals and creating many chances to score more.

Mansfield started the game poorly against a Bradford side that included five trialists in the first half and it was the home side that caught the eye, though without forcing Bobby Olejnik into any saves.

Krystian Pearce had a half to forget, but improved towards the end of the half setting up a chance for Otis Khan which he fired against the bar.

Then Khan put in a great cross which Mal Benning volleyed over from seven yards.

Khan was the standout player in a disappointing first half. But in the second half, the Stags were on the front foot straight away with Jacob Mellis firing in a low shot from 12 yards through a crowd of defenders on 49 minutes.

Then Will Atkinson in an unfamiliar wing-back role, fed Lee Angol who fired into the bottom left corner of the net from 14 yards, despite a touch from the keeper. And Angol made it 3-0 on 79 minutes, sweeping in from eight yards after Atkinson headed back across goal from a super Mellis chipped ball.

Mansfield also missed a hatful of other chances.

A number of players impressed with Mellis outstanding, Angol looking sharp, CJ Hamilton lively, Omari Sterling-James playing well and, as in Portugal, young Jordan Graham looked a real prospect.

At the back, youngsters Henri Wilder and Lewis Gibbens looked composed and not out of place, albeit not put under too much pressure, alongside Paul Digby who returned to the side having not travelled to Portugal.