Nigel Clough wants more from Mansfield despite thumping win over Crawley

Posted Sunday, April 02, 2023 by PA

Mansfield boss Nigel Clough was pleased to see his play-off-chasing side back among the goals but felt they could have scored even more than the four that swept aside Crawley.

The Stags ended a four-match winless run, including two successive home goalless draws, by halting struggling Crawley’s recent revival with a 4-1 victory.

Clough said: “We just need a good last eight games now.

“We have had three hard draws and now we go into Easter with a bit more optimism and confidence than if we hadn’t won today.

“I was pleased with the three points, but we shouldn’t be conceding from a position of 4-0 up – and we should have scored more goals today.

“You never know if goal difference is going to be important by the end of the season.

“After drawing blanks in the last two home games I thought the most important goal today was the first one, which we scored within five minutes.

“The two early goals after the break settled everyone down. We still want to play better, but to get the victory was the most important thing.”

Stags went ahead after only four minutes when Ollie Clarke tucked home from Stephen Quinn’s pass.

But it took two quick goals after the break from Alfie Kilgour and Davis Keillor-Dunn to take the game away from Crawley before Keillor-Dunn struck again to make it four.

“Alfie Kilgour has been magnificent since he came in in every single way. He is almost playing on one leg as he has a very sore heel and can do very little training,” said Clough.

“Davis has popped up with another couple of goals too. We needed someone in January who could do something different – and that was him.”

Home goalkeeper Christy Pym did have to deny Dom Telford from close range, while Ashley Nadesan volleyed inches over before the break.

But Corey Addai was the busier keeper, denying Keillor-Dunn, Quinn and Rhys Oates.

However, in the 47th minute Kilgour headed home Lucas Akins’ cross and three minutes later Oates squared for a tap-in for Keillor-Dunn, the pair combining again for number four.

Crawey did score a well-worked goal through Mazeed Ogungbo after 71 minutes, but it was a brief respite as Addai made more saves and saw Akins and Hiram Boateng rattle the woodwork.

Crawley boss Scott Lindsey said: “We were poor and defensively we were awful – not just the defenders but as a team.

“We looked open and like we’d never defended before. We had plenty of chances ourselves, but they probably had double or even treble what we had.

“You can’t defend like that and expect to get anything anywhere, let alone a place like Mansfield, where they are going for the play-offs.

“Top end of the pitch there were moments where we carved them open and probably didn’t get our final shot away.

“I think we lacked a bit of belief. There were spaces for us to step forward and be the dominant side, but we never really stepped forward. We looked almost too shy to do it.

“We seem to have lost that bit of swagger and confidence – and I don’t know why as we’ve just come away from a five-game unbeaten run.”