The Bulls were cruelly denied an impressive three points as Alex McQuade's header rescued Ossett United deep into injury time.
Charlie Dawes gave the Bulls a deserved lead early on, volleying home after United failed to deal with a Liam Marsden long throw, but a scrappy 94th minute header from the Ossett skipper forced the two sides to share the spoils.
The first chance of the game fell to the hosts, as defender Tyrone Gay's header was spilled by Jason White, but he eventually got both hands on the ball before Ossett could capitalise.
Aiden Chippendale had a go at goal only a few minutes later, hearing the crowd's urges to shoot first-time from the edge of the AFC area, but he sliced his half-volley wide.
Having gone the opening 15 minutes without any real chances, the Bulls' hard work paid off when Liam Marsden's long throw failed to be dealt with by the hosts and Charlie Dawes volleyed home in clinical fashion.
It could have been a second for the visitors not long after, but Ollie Fearon sliced a one-on-one chance before his claim that Gay had brought him down were waved away by the referee.
From thereon in, it were the hosts who established dominance on the ball, and could have levelled when Julian Lawrence cleared Gay's header off the line.
The Bulls had to sit deep in the second half as they withstood wave after wave of Ossett attacks, and it should have been a goal a piece when Jason White got down to brilliantly deny Adam Priestley one-on-one.
Priestley then left the home fans stunned when he poked wide from several yards out with just White to beat, when it was probably easier to score.
Substitute Keaton Ward made a difference for the Bulls for the final 10 minutes, and came close to creating a crucial second goal when Ollie Fearon completely missed Ward's lofted ball from the right.
The Bulls would have deserved all three points with superb, bullish last-ditch defending denying assault after assault on the visiting half, but they were cruelly robbed by an Ossett side determined to take something from the game, as captain Alex McQuade nodded a corner home deep into injury time.
The point does mean AFC climb above Wisbech, who lost at Tadcaster Albion, into 14th but they remain three points above danger.
MATCH DETAILS
Final score | Ossett United 1-1 AFC Mansfield
Scorers | McQuade (90'+4) - Dawes (17')
Ossett United XI | Souter, Burke, Foley (Corner 46'), McQuade (C), Gay, Gregory, Jones (Priestley 46'), Monkhouse, Greaves, Vann (Basic 83'), Chippendale
Unused substitutes | Khan, Chantler
Yellow cards | Foley (34'), McQuade (50')
Red cards | N/A
AFC Mansfield XI | White, Marsden, Dudley, D'Laryea, Lawrence (Buxton 66'), Annable, Partridge (K. Ward 79'), Ghaichem (C), Fearon, Broadhead, Dawes
Unused substitutes | Crosby, M. Ward
Yellow cards | Fearon (58'), Lawrence (64')
Red cards | N/A
Man-of-the-Match | Charlie Dawes
Attendance | 395