Mark Ellis shines as Mansfield fight back against Carlisle United

Ellis, an easy choice for man-of-the-match against Mansfield, is defending with such impact that one has to fight the urge to wonder what might have been last season, when he was loaned to Forest Green Rovers as Keith Curle preferred other centre-halves.

It's a dangerous game, mostly. United were in the automatic promotion places when Ellis was dispatched to Gloucestershire, we shouldn't forget. Could he have stopped the new-year nosedive? We shall never know.

But still. The 28-year-old's return to favour looks appropriate with each display in this new campaign. It now falls to the rest to turn Carlisle from a team that nearly wins games like this to one that does.

The woodwork got in their way three times on Saturday, so it cannot be said they were shy in pursuit of the points. The frame of the goal has had a fair old going-over by Curle's players already in the first month of term.

Again, though - a team in command of itself makes the knife-edge moments count. Carlisle had a good first half against Mansfield, less so after the break, and in all the draw was probably fair and just, even if Lee Angol, the visiting striker, might have walked for kicking out at Ellis in the first half.

It leaves the Blues with two wins, a draw and two defeats from their opening five. It has been a more complex start than last season's early gallop and one hopes the fluency they need will come over time.

Pluses to take home from this one were, Ellis aside, a second goal in a week for Hallam Hope, a generally good goalkeeping display from Jack Bonham and a late flurry when Luke Joyce and Shaun Miller struck the same upright.

In the minus column: a careless penalty conceded (which Bonham saved) and too long in the second half when United looked tepid going forward. Richie Bennett found the experienced David Mirfin a difficult barrier while there is a case for saying Miller's craft and devil could have been used sooner.

At least, in Ellis, there was security when Mansfield threatened to poach what would have been a generous win. "It was probably the best game Mark's played for me since he's been at the football club," Curle said. "He showed his value and his worth."

United's supporters were also treated to the usual touchline pantomime involving Steve Evans, the opposition boss, and his No2 Paul Raynor - "the ugly sisters", to use Curle's description. As well as badgering the fourth official so often a restraining order would have been in everyone's interests, the opposition bench managed to convince ref Darren Handley - who had a stinker - to remove ball-drying towels from United's ballboys.

As ever, the Paddock bayed and barked at this frightful pair, but also enjoyed the sight of United working Mansfield's defence over with crosses and throws in an opening spell which saw League Two's biggest summer spenders struggle for composure.

Curle said he had identified this route as a Mansfield weakness and that's how it looked from the moment Ellis easily met a Tom Miller long throw in the second minute, engaging keeper Conrad Logan.

From there, United pressed Mansfield well and restrained their useful attacking midfielders, other than the moment when Gary Liddle, deputising for the banned Tom Parkes, delayed a clearance and saw it charged down by Angol, who failed to pick out Kane Hemmings in the middle.

Otherwise, Carlisle looked dangerous. Ellis attacked another Miller throw and headed it against the bar. Mansfield scrambled it away but were then picked open two minutes later, when a free-kick was cleared, Joyce helped it on, and Hope showed decisive pace to beat the last man, Rhys Bennett, and then kept his composure to slot past Logan.

This exposed Mansfield, who took time to recover. Bonham saved well from a deflected Angol attempt and then a Paul Anderson drive, but there were more crosses from Carlisle that were an inch or two away from opening further wounds.

It was only in the last 15 minutes of the half that the visitors looked a sustained threat. This was after Joyce had harshly seen yellow for a sliding challenge. At Carlisle's end, Bonham came to the edge of his box after Hemmings had outpaced Liddle, then Ellis blocked Anderson's goalbound attempt. Bonham then kept out Jacob Mellis' shot - and then excelled in tipping wide a Hemmings free-kick.

In between the latter chances we had towelgate - kitman Colin Nixon eventually retrieving the offending items - and Angol's kick at Ellis after the Carlisle man had been penalised. Handley called both men over, booked both, and United seethed.

The second half then saw Evans' team step up significantly. They began locating their wide and central men in better areas as United struggled to attack in numbers or outmuscle Mirfin and Krystian Pearce. The Blues lost their best form of defence and so were on the back foot. Ellis again blocked from Anderson, but Tom Miller then climbed on the winger and conceded a penalty.

Bonham to the rescue, guessing correctly to defy Hemmings, but the reprieve did not last long. Evans may not have expected his double 56th-minute substitution to work instantly but Calum Butcher, on for his debut, showed impressive control to steer a volley over the stranded Bonham after United's keeper had come to punch.

For a time now the Stags looked more a team than a collection of able individuals. Angol, who was flirting with more trouble, found space and nearly served Hemmings. Butcher cleared the bar after another Bonham punch, Hemmings had a further shot saved and Mirfin fluffed his lines when a corner landed at his feet.

United, by contrast, had offered little other than a Mike Jones run that didn't quite have the desired result. Curle eventually made changes, Jason Kennedy first on, and Joyce was unfortunate to see a spinning left-footed attempt come back off the post.

Shaun Miller, replacing the flagging Bennett, then matched the midfielder, cutting in and connecting sweetly with his shot, only for the upright to get in the way once more.

That was the nearest they got in a closing period that saw a couple of skirmishes at both ends, Liddle intercepting Hemmings during injury-time, but nothing that was quite convincing enough.

It was feisty and well-contested throughout but, in the end, a 1-1 kind of game; let us hope there is enough about United, as things go on, for it not to be that kind of season too.