A stoppage time penalty for the Cobblers earned them a point from a feisty League Two encounter and the man who tucked the spot-kick away, Marc Richards, felt the decision was one of the few that the referee got right.
“Without a doubt, it’s a brave decision," said Richards after Ivan Toney was adjudged to have been brought down in the penalty area.
"Especially with them being 1-0 up and it being in front of their own fans.
"It was probably the one decision he got right and thankfully it earned us a point but we’ve played better than that and lost this season."
Home boss Adam Murray called the decision 'embarrassing' as his side missed out on a crucial three points. Mansfield had earlier taken advantage of the sending-off of John-Joe O'Toole to take the lead through Vadaine Oliver.
Murray raged: "The scariest thing about it is that ten minutes into the second half, I turned to the fourth official and said, ‘because he (the referee) has sent one of theirs off, every little free-kick he’s giving their way’. He actually agreed with me."