After a sequence of defeats that ended AFC Wimbledon’s playoff aspirations, most supporters would have expected a game of going through the motions at Field Mill on Saturday. Instead, they saw a ten-man Dons side record a gritty win - and Seb Brown, replacing James Pullen, coming of age as a goalkeeper.

The early exchanges gave little clue as to what would be witnessed later. First out of the blocks were Wimbledon, taking the game to their hosts, who had suffered a poor run of results and found their home support in less than fine voice.

Within 10 minutes Danny Kedwell had given Wimbledon the lead. A fine through-ball by Will Hendry found Kedwell one on one with keeper Alan Marriott, and the striker had no trouble riding a half-hearted challenge by defender Scott Garner and sweeping the ball home from 15 yards.

In the 15th minute a free-kick by Louis Briscoe set Mansfield’s Ryan Williams free to advance on goal; he skipped past Derek Duncan and released a fine shot from the edge of the box that was turned away by Brown for the first of many corners to the home side.

After a period of intense pressure, another free-kick for the home side in the 32nd minute found Mansfield’s best player, Jon Challinor. He shot, and the rebound from Brown’s save fell nicely for Williams, whose effort was cleared for another corner.

Mansfield continued to push forward in search of an equaliser, and resolute defending by Paul Lorraine, some fair and some not so fair, earned him a yellow card in the 36th minute. But there was little impact from the home side, and when they did get through, there was Seb Brown between the sticks as a resolute last line of defence.

Now it was the turn of Marriott to earn the praise, with three crucial saves that kept the scoreline at 1-0. First, Sam Hatton fed Hendry in the 38th minute with a superb pass, and he found Steven Gregory one on one with the keeper, who smothered the ball. Five minutes later it was Kedwell again with just the keeper to beat after a fine passing move involving Gregory and Duncan inside the penalty area, and from six yards Marriott made a point-blank save - at which Kedwell shook his head in disbelief.

Finally, deep into time added on, it was Hendry’s turn to do the headshaking, after Luke Moore found him with a delightful pass once again bearing down on goal in the 18-yard box. Marriott left the field at half-time to a richly deserved standing ovation.

The second half was a different affair. The home supporters grew a little restless, more so when their two most influential players, Williams and Challinor, were substituted within minutes of each other. Mansfield manager David Holdsworth later explained that he wanted to create more width. Neither of the substitutes, Blair Sturrock or Kyle Nix, appeared to find favour with the Mansfield fans, but their side began to register more shots on target, and Brown began to really earn his pay as the home side peppered the goal.

A lot of that was down to an impetuous swing of the elbow by Duncan, who saw red for the second time this season, and the game swung in Mansfield’s favour. Terry Brown was now forced to make his own substitutions. Ricky Wellard replaced Hendry and Jay Conroy took over from Luke Moore, the idea being to flood the midfield and take pressure off the back line as Hatton joined Wellard in the middle of the park. And it seemed to work, with Kedwell leading the line on his own and causing no end of problems for the home defence and running himself ragged, before being replaced in the 70th minute by Nathan Elder - who could not match Kedwell’s contribution.

Before that, Mansfield had two glorious chances to equalise. In the 63rd minute, Andy Nicholas found himself free just six yards out and headed over the bar when it looked easier to score, and a minute later Briscoe laid off a long ball to Jake Speight, who shot and saw the ball turned over the bar by Brown for a corner.

But the Kedwell substitution a few minutes later handed domination to the home side, as wave after wave of attacks bore down on AFC Wimbledon’s goal, and Brown had to find an even higher gear from the 80th minute onwards. First up was Gary Silk, who smacked his header against the bar from five yards. Next came Perry, who had a shot well saved by Brown before Kennedy Adjei turned the ball away for a corner.

Just two minutes later, a foul by Lorraine gave Mansfield a penalty. Speight stood purposely over the ball and sized up his target, but Brown was imperious, diving to his right and saving the spot-kick. Cue celebrations.

With five minutes added time being played, the referee decided that a dive over Ben Judge’s extended leg in the 92nd minute warranted a further penalty award. Now it was Perry’s turn to take charge - but Brown dived to his left and saved again to keep the Wimbledon lead intact.

The home team were distraught, but not as angry as the supporters, who raged against Holdsworth as the final whistle blew a few minutes later. The Dons players and supporters were lyrical in their praise for Seb Brown. All credit to James Pullen, who raced onto the pitch and gave Brown a big hug.

What a difference a few days make. The previous Wednesday, Lorraine and Judge gave away two penalties to York City in a dire first half, and both were converted. This time both penalties were saved and a new hero emerged. Mansfield’s man of the match award went to home keeper, Alan Marriott. Perhaps it should have been shared with AFC Wimbledon’s match saviour, Seb Brown.