Lee Stevenson netted in the 44th minute to give Mansfield Town a 1-0 half-time lead in their League Two encounter away at Exeter City.
The visitors almost took a lead inside the first 10 minutes when Ollie Palmer rounded Artur Krysiak, but his shot from a narrow angle was cleared off the line.
The home side started to create a few chances, with Jordan Moore-Taylor heading just wide and Alan Gow sending a shot just over the bar.
However, a minute before the break Palmer nodded the ball into the path of Stevenson, who kept his composure to put the away side ahead.
