PAUL MULLIN struck either side of the break as Wrexham beat Mansfield Town 2-0 in the League Two top of the table clash at The Racecourse.

Top scorer Mullin took his tally for the season to 20 goals with the brace and the striker moved onto 99 goals for the Reds who remain well placed in the push for automatic promotion.

Victory keeps Wrexham third in the table but on the same number of points as Mansfield who dropped to second place.

Stockport County won at Forest Green and have taken over as leaders, one point ahead of the Stags and Phil Parkinson's men with a game in hand, while the Reds remain three ahead of MK Dons who sit fourth.

Wrexham have six games remaining in the quest for a top-three finish.

Parkinson made one change from the side that started the brilliant 3-1 win at Grimsby Town the previous weekend.

Utility player James McClean, available after serving a two-match suspension, earned an immediate recall and took over from the injured Jacob Mendy at left-wing back.

There was also a place on the substitutes bench for George Evans and Ryan Barnett who have both been sidelined with injuries, with the former ruled out since mid-February and the latter missing one match.

Wrexham had an early sight of goal following a good move started by Andy Cannon who won the ball and fed Luke Bolton, his cross was partially cleared and Elliot Lee's overhead kick was comfortably saved by keeper Christy Pym.

Neither side created any clear cut chances with McClean firing well wide from Tom O'Connor's low free-kick into the area before Max Cleworth made a superb block to deny Will Swan who was put through on goal for the Stags.

McClean failed to make clean contact from Mullin's cross and the ball was easily gathered by Pym, but Wrexham took the lead in the 32nd minute.

Cleworth played in Cannon whose low cross from the right wasn't dealt with by centre-backs Lewis Brunt and Aden Flint, with the ball reaching Mullin who fired home from eight yards.

Aaron Lewis tried his luck from outside the area for Mansfield but his curling effort landed wide while Mullin couldn't keep his free-kick down with the last chance before the break.

Arthur Okonkwo made his first save of the game at the start of the second half when the Reds' goalkeeper did well to turn substitute James Gale's shot behind for a corner and former Wrexham striker Davies Keillor-Dunn cleared the bar with a free-kick.

Keillor-Dunn then had a goal disallowed for kicking the ball out of Okonkwo's hands after the keeper came to the edge of his box to collect, with the Mansfield man slotting into an empty net before it was chalked off.

Wrexham responded by going 2-0 up in the 67th minute.

Luke Bolton was brought down in the area by Jordan Bowery and Mullin smashed home the resulting penalty.

Substitute Steven Fletcher was unable to get on the end of Lee's ball to the far post as Wrexham continued to press but the Reds had done enough.

Wrexham (5-3-2): Okonkwo; Bolton (Barnett 73), Cleworth, O'Connell, Boyle, McClean; Cannon, O'Connor, Lee (Evans 88); Mullin (Marriott 88), Palmer (Fletcher 73). Subs not used: Howard, McFadzean, Dalby.

Mansfield Town (4-3-1-2): Pym; Hewitt (McLaughlin 8), Flint, Brunt (Gale 46), Bowery; Clarke (Maris 68), Reed, Lewis; Keillor-Dunn (Boateng 68); Akins, Swan (Nichols 46). Subs not used: Flinders, Quinn.

Attendance: 12,494 (1,147 from Mansfield).