Report By John Lomas - Chad
CARLTON Palmer resigned as Stags boss after they crashed 2-0 at Rochdale and had Jon Olav Hjedle dismissed this afternoon.
Already under mounting pressure, the defeat proved to be the final straw and Palmer said: "The chairman has been a friend of mine for 15 years and I think it is only fair I go now.
"So I have decided to resign and I have wished the players all the best. They are a good group of young players.
"I have achieved a lot in my career and I am not going to stand here taking that sort of abuse from the supporters. So I have told Peter Shirtliff to go in and see the chairman on Monday.
"I am going to go away on holiday now and leave this behind me for the moment. But I want to thank all the fans who did stick with me and hope things improve."
Shirtliff looks to be in temporary charge with a statement expected from Keith Haslam on Monday.
Trailing 1-0 to Blair Sturrock's 25th minute strike, Palmer even made a desperate double substitution after only 37 minutes after seeing the home side dominate.
Things did pick up for the Stags and they even began to boss the game for a time in the second half without ever really threatening to level.
But Hjelde's red card for a leading elbow on Alan Goodall on 65 minutes left them an even higher mountain to climb.
And Grant Holt's free header seven minutes from time sealed the points.
There was even time for Richie Barker to head over an open goal in stoppage time which summed up Mansfield's afternoon.
The away fans were calling for Palmer's head throughout the game as their side were left with just one win in nine League games.
Mansfield began with five in midfield, Jelleyman and Uhlenbeek operating as wing backs.
With Dawson failing a fitness test on his groin strain, the central midfield comprised Coke, McLachlan and Talbot.
Hjelde joined Day and John-Baptiste in the three-man central defence.
Stags began well enough and even forced an early corner.
But John-Baptiste had to head off the line on four minutes as Holt's header from a tight angle threatened to squeeze in from Lambert's free kick.
Stags' first shot on target saw Talbot shoot straight at Gilks from Jelleyman's pass.
Rochdale twice came close in the 12th minute. First Pressman had to parry Holt's splendid low shot on the turn. And then Lambert's neat footwork saw him get between two opponents before getting in a low 25 yarder that whistled just wide of goal.
A Holt cross from the right on 17 minutes almost crept under the bar and Pressman had to help the ball over the bar at the last minute.
Then Sturrock's shot on the turn deflected wide before Sturrock finally made a deserved 25th minute breakthrough for the Lancastrians.
Holt's cross should have been cleared by Hjelde. But he let in Jones whose pass was clinically dispatched across Pressman by Sturrock.
The formation clearly wasn't working for the visitors, who were looking lightweight in the middle of the park, and, in desperation, Palmer brought off Talbot and McLachlan on 37 minutes and sent on Birchall and Rundle with John-Baptiste moving to midfield in a 4-4-2.
To their credit Stags did end the half in a stronger fashion with another corner and shots by Brown and Rundle that didn't really trouble Gilks.
Coke almost produced a sensational start to the second half for the visitors as he controlled Brown's cross and battled past two defenders but, from a tight angle, could only fire into the side netting.
Day then glanced his header wide from Rundle's free kick.
After Lambert had seen a powerful volley take a deflection wide at the other end, Stags roared back with another corner.
Uhlenbeek was booked for bringing down Sturrock in a 60th minute break for the home side.
But worse was to come as Hjelde crashed into Goodall and the referee adjudged he had led with an elbow and sent him off.
Rochdale went for the jugular against the 10 men and Holt sent a header against the post from a corner with Goodall putting the follow-up over.
Birchall tried his luck from 25 yards for the visitors but saw Gilks tip it over for a corner on 75 minutes - the first real save he had had to make.
Stags continued to press and a Birchall pass offered Barker a shot which deflected wide for the first of two Mansfield corners.
Littlejohn came on for his debut on 82 replacing earlier sub Rundle.
But it was the home side who sealed victory a minute later.
Jones floated in a free kick from the left and, offered a free header, Holt made no mistake from seven yards.
Jones warmed Pressman's hands from 25 yards soon after.
In stoppage time Brown put in a beautiful cross from the left which looped over Gilks to leave Barker with an open goal which he somehow headed over.
Even deeper into stoppage time Littlejohn sent a tame shot on the turn straight at Gilks as the afternoon ended in misery.
And that result proved to be the straw that broke the camel's back as, after an agonising afternoon of being ridiculed by both sets of supporters, Palmer strode up into the press box to announce he was leaving the club.
"So I have decided to resign and I have wished the players all the best. They are a good group of young players.
"I have achieved a lot in my career and I am not going to stand here taking that sort of abuse from the supporters. So I have told Peter Shirtliff to go in and see the chairman on Monday.
"I am going to go away on holiday now and leave this behind me for the moment. But I want to thank all the fans who did stick with me and hope things improve."
Shirtliff looks to be in temporary charge with a statement expected from Keith Haslam on Monday.
Trailing 1-0 to Blair Sturrock's 25th minute strike, Palmer even made a desperate double substitution after only 37 minutes after seeing the home side dominate.
Things did pick up for the Stags and they even began to boss the game for a time in the second half without ever really threatening to level.
But Hjelde's red card for a leading elbow on Alan Goodall on 65 minutes left them an even higher mountain to climb.
And Grant Holt's free header seven minutes from time sealed the points.
There was even time for Richie Barker to head over an open goal in stoppage time which summed up Mansfield's afternoon.
The away fans were calling for Palmer's head throughout the game as their side were left with just one win in nine League games.
Mansfield began with five in midfield, Jelleyman and Uhlenbeek operating as wing backs.
With Dawson failing a fitness test on his groin strain, the central midfield comprised Coke, McLachlan and Talbot.
Hjelde joined Day and John-Baptiste in the three-man central defence.
Stags began well enough and even forced an early corner.
But John-Baptiste had to head off the line on four minutes as Holt's header from a tight angle threatened to squeeze in from Lambert's free kick.
Stags' first shot on target saw Talbot shoot straight at Gilks from Jelleyman's pass.
Rochdale twice came close in the 12th minute. First Pressman had to parry Holt's splendid low shot on the turn. And then Lambert's neat footwork saw him get between two opponents before getting in a low 25 yarder that whistled just wide of goal.
A Holt cross from the right on 17 minutes almost crept under the bar and Pressman had to help the ball over the bar at the last minute.
Then Sturrock's shot on the turn deflected wide before Sturrock finally made a deserved 25th minute breakthrough for the Lancastrians.
Holt's cross should have been cleared by Hjelde. But he let in Jones whose pass was clinically dispatched across Pressman by Sturrock.
The formation clearly wasn't working for the visitors, who were looking lightweight in the middle of the park, and, in desperation, Palmer brought off Talbot and McLachlan on 37 minutes and sent on Birchall and Rundle with John-Baptiste moving to midfield in a 4-4-2.
To their credit Stags did end the half in a stronger fashion with another corner and shots by Brown and Rundle that didn't really trouble Gilks.
Coke almost produced a sensational start to the second half for the visitors as he controlled Brown's cross and battled past two defenders but, from a tight angle, could only fire into the side netting.
Day then glanced his header wide from Rundle's free kick.
After Lambert had seen a powerful volley take a deflection wide at the other end, Stags roared back with another corner.
Uhlenbeek was booked for bringing down Sturrock in a 60th minute break for the home side.
But worse was to come as Hjelde crashed into Goodall and the referee adjudged he had led with an elbow and sent him off.
Rochdale went for the jugular against the 10 men and Holt sent a header against the post from a corner with Goodall putting the follow-up over.
Birchall tried his luck from 25 yards for the visitors but saw Gilks tip it over for a corner on 75 minutes - the first real save he had had to make.
Stags continued to press and a Birchall pass offered Barker a shot which deflected wide for the first of two Mansfield corners.
Littlejohn came on for his debut on 82 replacing earlier sub Rundle.
But it was the home side who sealed victory a minute later.
Jones floated in a free kick from the left and, offered a free header, Holt made no mistake from seven yards.
Jones warmed Pressman's hands from 25 yards soon after.
In stoppage time Brown put in a beautiful cross from the left which looped over Gilks to leave Barker with an open goal which he somehow headed over.
Even deeper into stoppage time Littlejohn sent a tame shot on the turn straight at Gilks as the afternoon ended in misery.
And that result proved to be the straw that broke the camel's back as, after an agonising afternoon of being ridiculed by both sets of supporters, Palmer strode up into the press box to announce he was leaving the club.
