COLCHESTER United's season ended in defeat this afternoon after they were beaten 2-0 at home by Mansfield Town in front of their biggest home gate of the season.

Riley Harbottle's controversial goal scored in first-half stoppage-time and substitute James Gale's late strike saw the U's fall to defeat in front of a crowd of nearly 7,000, at the JobServe Community Stadium.

Colchester boss Ben Garner made four changes to his starting line-up.

Tom Dallison, Alex Newby, Marley Marshall Miranda and Jayden Fevrier started, with Fiacre Kelleher on the bench, Junior Tchamadeu out due to suspension and Ossama Ashley and Samson Tovide missing through injury and concussion respectively.

Mansfield, chasing an unlikely play-off place, started with a high tempo but it was Colchester who carved out the game’s first chance.

Newby fired a shot just wide from the edge of the area after some decent interchange with Noah Chilvers and Connor Hall.

Fevrier and Connor Hall both saw attempts fly wide of the target from the edge of the area for Colchester.

But Mansfield also looked dangerous at times, with Davis Keillor-Dunn registering their first shot on target when he drilled a low shot straight at U’s keeper Tom Smith, midway through the first half.

Mansfield began to exert control as the half wore on.

Riley Harbottle was denied by Smith from close range from Stephen Quinn’s corner before Alfie Kilgour’s shot struck a U's player in the box, prompting penalty calls from the visitors that fell on deaf ears.

The Stags went close again soon after when Hiram Boateng's effort was well parried by Smith and from the resultant corner, Kilgour's header was glanced wide as Mansfield started to turn the screw.

It looked like the U’s would go in at half-time goal-less but the visitors grabbed the lead in first-half stoppage-time, in controversial circumstances.

Referee Benjamin Speedie penalised Tom Dallison for a foul on Will Swan midway inside the Colchester half, having not initially appeared to have awarded a free-kick.

And when Keillor-Dunn delivered the set-piece, Riley Harbottle rose to head home and give Mansfield the lead.

Colchester went at the break behind and Mansfield almost added a second early in the second half when Hiram Boateng's first-time effort flew wide of the target, from the edge of the area.

The Stags came even closer to scoring soon after when Keillor-Dunn's fine curled effort from the edge of the box bounced off the bar.

But Colchester then hit the woodwork themselves, just before the hour mark.

John Akinde's close-range effort bounced off the crossbar after Christy Pym had saved Connor Hall's effort, following Noah Chilvers' free-kick into the box.

Colchester made a triple change midway through the second half, sending on Tom Hopper, Matt Jay and Al-Amin Kazeem in a bid to force an equaliser.

Swan spurned a great chance to seal Mansfield's victory late on when he burst through on goal but fired wide.

Freddie Sears' goalbound shot was blocked near the goal-line by Alfie Kilgour in stoppage-time after fellow substitute Fiacre Kelleher had also gone close.

But Gale sealed Mansfield's win in the seventh minute of stoppage time when he finished low shot from close range from Lucas Akins' pass, as the U's were beaten.

MATCH STATS: COLCHESTER UNITED: Smith, Chambers, Dallison, Hall (sub Kazeem, 65), Greenidge, Fevrier (sub Sears, 83), Miranda (sub Skuse, 74), Read (sub Kelleher, 82), Newby (sub Jay, 66), Chilvers, Akinde (sub Hopper, 65).

Subs (not used): Collins.

U's man of the match: Arthur Read.

Mansfield Town: Pym, Harbottle, Johnson, Perch (sub Bowery, 83), Quinn (sub Clarke, 83), Reed (sub Hartigan, 90), Kilgour, Swan (sub Gale, 90), Keillor-Dunn (sub Maris, 66), Boateng (sub Oakes, 66), Akins.

Substitutes (not used): Flinders.

Referee: Benjamin Speedie.

Bookings: Colchester: Miranda (foul, 35), Dallison (foul, 45). Mansfield: Perch (foul, 81).

Goals: Mansfield: Harbottle (45), Gale (90).

Attendance: 6,910 (1,350 Mansfield fans).