David Flitcroft impressed with Mansfield progression

Posted Sunday, November 18, 2018 by PA

Mansfield manager David Flitcroft was delighted with another clean sheet and a 1-0 home win over Port Vale that extended the Stags’ impressive unbeaten run to 14 games.

CJ Hamilton’s 41st-minute strike proved enough to take the three points with a second yellow card and dismissal for Vale’s Manny Oyeleke on 64 minutes making the visitors’ task even harder.

“I am delighted with the club and how we are progressing and coming together,” said Flitcroft.

“Port Vale got beaten quite heavily a few weeks ago and since that point they have been resolute and stronger as a unit. It galvanised them.

“So we were playing a team on decent form. With Tom Pope and Legge’s throw-ins they always have the potential to score goals.

“I thought we dealt with Pope brilliantly – the three centre halves were superb.

He continued: “The only thing for me is that when you have a team almost on their knees you need to see them off with a second and then a third. We had opportunities to do that today. It gets rid of that edginess.

“No League Two side will lie down and Port Vale just kept coming.”

Mansfield had the edge in a poor first half with Hamilton striking a post and Jacob Mellis firing into the sidenetting.

But just before the break Hayden White fed Hamilton into the box on the right and he zipped an unstoppable shot across Scott Brown and inside the far post.

Brown made a great stop early in the second half to keep out a close range Tyler Walker backheel.

But once Oyeleke had gone for a second bookable offence on 64 minutes, Vale had to take risks going forward and Stags missed several chances to kill it off.

A mistake by Brown on 82 minutes gifted Danny Rose the ball but Brown recovered to save and saw Walker blaze his follow-up over.

Vale manager Neil Aspin said: “If you’re talking about chances then Mansfield had a lot of opportunities in the second half when they could have scored so there is no way that on chances created we deserved anything from the game.

“But in terms of battling and keeping going until the end I can’t ask anything more from the players.

“I thought we should have had a penalty early on.

“I’ve looked at it again and Tom Pope gets his shirt pulled in the box. It’s obvious to everyone and that changes the game.

“When you go behind against Mansfield it does give you a problem as they have of players up front and, when you’re pushing, it leaves space behind you.

“I don’t have any arguments about the score or the sending-off.”