Mansfield 3 Guiseley 0

PAUL Cox got married around the FA Cup at Mansfield but there was no Stag party on his return with Guiseley yesterday.

The Lions boss will still be nursing the hangover all right – the prospect of facing the next stage of their National League survival fight without two key defenders.

Darren Holden and Chris M'Boungou were both sent off as his side's discipline went awry.

What should have been a proud day as Guiseley made club history in their first outing in round two ended in misery.

For M'Boungou, it was a second cup red card after he had been sent for an early bath at Accrington. But that, and the vain heroics of Jonny Maxted to keep the score down, were the only similarities of that giant-killing night.

There was never a flicker of FA Cup romance at Field Mill as Mansfield enjoyed the most comfortable of passages into the next stage.

So no honeymoon return for Cox to the club he led back into the Football League in 2013. This felt more like the messiest divorce.

The teams went into the contest in contrasting form – and it showed.

While the Stags boasted an unbeaten ten-game run, Guiseley had lost all three in the National League since their Accrington heroics.

It was all hands to the pump from the start as the hosts battered away at the Guiseley goal.

The non-Leaguers had their hands full against the pace of CJ Hamilton on one wing and the probing of former Bantams player Paul Anderson on the other. The pattern was set.

M'Boungou was lucky to get away with a clumsy penalty-box challenge on Danny Rose but once again it was only the elastic reflexes of Maxted preserving parity.

Maxted, the hero of the Crown Ground, was at it again to superbly deny Rose and Anderson before getting a faint touch to divert Rhys Bennett's header against the foot of the post.

Guiseley's increasingly desperate defensive efforts were reflected with yellow cards for M'Boungou and Connor Brown. Things were hotting up on and off the pitch, with Steve Evans and assistant Paul Raynor getting involved in some verbals with Cox.

Maxted pushed away another rising drive from Anderson before his resistance was ended just after the half-hour mark. Anderson was the provider from the right and Jimmy Spencer met his cross with a decisive header.

Guiseley had to see it through to half-time without further damage as Mansfield kept up the onslaught.

But their task became even stiffer when left back Holden launched into a reckless lunge on Spencer just inside home territory. Referee Carl Boyeson had no option but to show him a straight red.

Once again, Guiseley faced playing over a half with only ten men – and Maxted spared them more punishment right on the break when he flicked away a deflected effort from Spencer.

Then it got worse. M'Boungou had been on the thinnest of ice since his early card and his luck ran out straight after the break with a silly trip on Hamilton.

The Lions were reduced to nine and Mansfield immediately took advantage, Hamilton easing to the byline before his cut-back was clinically dispatched by the waiting Spencer.

Guiseley's depleted troops briefly rallied to win a corner, to the delight of their 675 travelling fans. The club had laid on ten free coaches for the supporters, who had been given little to cheer.

Unfortunately, Jake Lawlor's header from their rare set-piece could not clear the diminutive figure of Alex MacDonald on the line.

Normal service resumed with a third Mansfield goal after 65 minutes. Substitute Danny Lowe tugged Spencer as he shaped to shoot and the striker sealed his hat-trick with an emphatic penalty.

Mansfield still threatened to inflict further damage as Hamilton's shot deflected off Brown against the woodwork and Alfie Potter grazed the post.

The travelling contingent launched into a defiant late sing-song, when they were not berating the referee. But he was not to blame for their team's self-inflicted woes on an afternoon when the gulf in class was clear.

Mansfield: Logan, White, Bennett, Diamond, Hunt, Anderson (Potter 69min), Atkinson, Hamilton, MacDonald (Butcher 74min), Spencer (Sterling-James 88min), Rose. Subs (not used): Digby, Pearce, Mellis, Olejnik.

Guiseley: Maxted, Brown, Palmer, M'Boungou, Holden, Hughes (Hurst 46min), Lawlor, Lenighan, Molyneux (Purver 55min), Odejayi (Lowe 43min), Fondop. Subs: Green, Correira, McFadzean, Haworth.