Nigel Clough able to enjoy the festive period as Mansfield win at Scunthorpe
Posted Sunday, December 27, 2020 by PA
Mansfield boss Nigel Clough said his players had made his Christmas with a 3-2 victory at Scunthorpe.
Strikes from George Lapslie and Jordan Bowery, which sandwiched an own goal by the Iron’s Emmanuel Onariase, secured the Stags only their third win of the campaign, but they made hard work of the three points.
“The result was everything,” Clough said.
“To come away from home, score three goals and – more importantly – win, it makes your Christmas Day, your Boxing Day and every other day until the next game.
“It felt like a big win. While we haven’t lost many games by more than one goal, we haven’t had enough wins, so that was the most important thing today.
“I thought we deserved it over the course of the game. We battled and scrapped and showed good organisation.
“We shot ourselves in the foot a couple of times when we’d got into a good position in terms of the scoreline and it should have been more comfortable.
“We caused our own problems, but we scored three good goals away from home and looked a threat.
“Goals breed confidence, just like results, so to have scored three again today is great.
“The performance could have been better in areas, certainly, but it’s all about the result.”
Lapslie flicked the Stags ahead in the 16th minute from Kellan Gordon’s cross and they doubled their lead when Onariase turned another low centre past his own keeper.
A second own goal of the afternoon, this time from Mansfield’s Farrend Rawson, gave Scunthorpe hope of a fightback, but it never quite materialised, despite John McAtee side-footing home with 20 minutes to play, after Bowery had pounced from inside the penalty area to restore the visitors’ two-goal cushion.
“I’m not sure I can defend some of the players for defending like we did,” disappointed Iron boss Neil Cox said.
“We’ve worked hard for eight weeks on being together and not conceding goals.
“Today, we’ve conceded some sloppy ones. The ball for the first goal came into the box too easily and with the second, we give possession away in midfield and two touches later it’s in the back of our net.
“We got ourselves back into game before half-time and we knew the next goal could get us something out of the game.
“We had to be brave, which we tried to do, but our delivery from set plays and crosses wasn’t good enough.
“We’re a young group and they are still learning. We’re making mistakes and getting punished for them.
“This is League Two – it doesn’t matter what happens in the middle of the pitch, it’s about what happens in the penalty area.
“I think we’re lacking confidence among certain players who have lost a bit of belief in themselves and are finding it difficult to create chances.
“That’s for me as a manager to try and sort out, but the players have to take some responsibility too.”
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