Coach Marcus Browning took charge of the Terras in the absence of caretaker-boss Alan Lewer, who missed the encounter through illness, and he was clearly delighted when Chris McPhee put the hosts in front on 20 minutes.

However, Weymouth then failed to kill off the Blue Square Premier contest despite enjoying huge amounts of possession and three minutes before the break Emile Sinclair levelled against the run of play.

Town suddenly had a foothold in the game but moments later Maxine Chanot was stupidly sent-off for violent conduct after an altercation with home defender Adam Bygrave.

The hosts should have gone on and made their additional man count in the second half but it was indeed the Stags that looked the more likely victors with Sinclair and substitute Aaron O’Connor both having opportunities to grab the winner. The Terras made two changes to the starting XI that beat Barrow 1-0 the previous Saturday with McPhee returning from a one-match ban and replacing the suspended Stuart Beavon, and Cameron Mawer coming in for James Coutts.

The ex-AFC Bournemouth midfielder began on the bench along with centre-back Santos Gaia, who was also returning from suspension. Jordan Collins, on-loan from Cambridge United, was named among the substitutes as well.

With Mansfield having only won once on their travels this season the hosts looked to put their opponents on the back foot immediately.

McPhee had an early chance to put the Terras ahead on six minutes when he broke the offside trap and cut back in from the byline but he fired wide across the face of the goal when a pass to the unmarked Pierre Joseph-Dubois may have been the better option.

Sam Cutler then tested away keeper Paddy Gamble with a shot from 22 yards before he was denied another effort on goal by a superb block after excellent work down the left from Joseph-Dubois.

A goal looked on the cards and on 20 minutes it arrived when Town defender Alex Jeannin’s error allowed McPhee to get in and slide a shot across Gamble and into the far corner of the net from 12 yards.

Ryan Williams nearly added a second when he shot into the side netting moments later before Sinclair got in behind Scott Doe on the left and fired a cross along the six-yard box that Bygrave did well to put over his own bar.

Despite that scare the Terras continued to look the more threatening side but poor decision-making in good areas saw them fail to kill the game off and on 42 minutes they got hit by a sucker-punch.

Matt Somner showed great vision to put through the lively Sinclair and he raced away and fired into the net past Knowles from 14 yards.

Suddenly it was the Stags that now had their tails up but in first-half injury-time Chanot committed an act of lunacy by headbutting Bygrave after the Terras’ centre-back had blocked his shot.

Referee John Farries had no other option but to send the Mansfield man off handing the initiative back to the hosts for the second period.

However, the Stags came out after half time and continued to ask more questions of Weymouth with Sinclair racing away again on 50 minutes only to see his shot blocked at the near post by Knowles.

The hosts were now looking a little jittery and 11 minutes later they afforded Sinclair too much space again on the edge of the area and after brushing off Bygrave he sent a powerful shot goalwards which Knowles held well.

Williams replied with a run and shot that was comfortably saved but the Terras were still struggling to keep hold of possession.

To everyone’s surprise Aaron O’Connor came on to replace Sinclair on 66 minutes and seconds later a great delivery from a free-kick on the left saw ex-Nottingham Forest forward Jason Lee head just wide at the far post when he perhaps should have scored.

Coutts replaced Williams on 74 minutes to try and inject some more energy into the home side but the Terras still could not find their cutting edge and in added-time O’Connor raced through with a chance to win it only to be denied by a marvellous block by Doe.