At the behest of Michael Knighton, the only lower-division chairman who is a household name among Manchester United followers, Mick Wadsworth carries the title of director of coaching, though he sounded for all the world like a manager as he stressed the need to "wrap up promotion before the final".Wadsworth, an articulate Yorkshireman who was a member of England's coaching staff under Bobby Robson, sets great store by technical and tactical considerations. However, as he readily admitted, Carlisle's success on a windswept, bumpy surface owed more to dogged defending, especially by the unsung Dean Walling, and profligate finishing by a Mansfield side who are Britain's top scorers."The purists would say that was a very poor game and I'd have to agree, particularly with the standards we've set," he said. "That doesn't really matter because the players and supporters are delighted because we've pinched a result we possibly didn't deserve."This was a statement of two halves. The ovation Mansfield received at the end from their fans among the 5,197 crowd - Field Mill's biggest League gate this season by 1,700 - suggested agreement with only the second part. Relentless attacking by Andy King's side, with their manager urging them on from the touchline in between drags on a cigarette, saw them squander a dozen chances.Mansfield went ahead from one of the least clear-cut of these, Kevin Lampkin striking from 25 yards. While selfless work by David Reeves soon enabled Richard Prokas to break his senior scoring duck, the visitors were hanging on for a point when Jeff Thorpe's snap shot with three minutes left gave them all three.With 81 points on the board and seven games left, it will take a collapse as big as Barings' for them to miss the championship.

Knighton, PR man par excellence, is already looking further ahead: to a Premier League place within 10 years and an all-seater stadium by 2000. Given that Carlisle are only £126,000 down on transfers since the changes at the top, how has the transformation been achieved?"Two factors," Wadsworth asserted "The chairman's arrival and mine. I know that sounds arrogant, but it just seems to have worked. He turned the club round spiritually and financially, and brought me in to do the football.

We've done OK."Goals: Lampkin (33) 1-0; Prokas (39) 1-1; Thorpe (87) 1-2.Mansfield Town (4-4-2): Ward; Boothroyd, Howarth, Walker, Baraclough; Parkin, Doolan (Hadley, 32), Lampkin, Noteman (Ireland, h-t); Wilkinson, Onuora. Substitute not used: Trinder (gk).Carlisle United (4-3-3): Caig; Joyce, Walling, Mountfield, Gallimore; Hayward, Aspinall (Peacock, 75), Prokas (Thorpe, 69); Thomas, Currie, Reeves Substitute not used: Elliott (gk) Referee: C Wilkes (Gloucester).. BY GUY HODGSON Manchester United are to protest to the Russian Football Union over injections given to Andrei Kanchelskis prior to the European Championship qualifying match against Scotland on Wednesday. The winger was unable to play against Leeds yesterday, after returning to Old Trafford in pain from a stomach injury that has interrupted his season. His manager, Alex Ferguson, is angry that Kanchelskis was given injections so he could play in Moscow."Andrei allowed himself to be given eight pain-killing injections I don't know why he allowed that to happen," Ferguson said. "We have a policy at this club where we do not give players injections."Howard Kendall yesterday described his dismissal after just 12 weeks in charge at First Division Notts County as "ruthless". Ken-dall was sacked within an hour of the bottom-placed club's 3-1 home defeat by Barnsley on Saturday, mainly for "off-the-field reasons".