Nigel Clough cheered by Mansfield’s character after come-from-behind home win

Posted Sunday, August 27, 2023 by PA

Mansfield boss Nigel Clough was delighted to see his side hit a higher gear in the second half as they twice came from behind to beat Stockport 3-2.

Stags remain unbeaten in Sky Bet League Two after a late Davis Keillor-Dunn double saw them to victory.

Clough said: “It feels like in six games we’ve had 20 games worth of thrills and spills and entertainment. We are certainly creating chances.

“I am not too happy with the two we conceded today at all. But we’ve got the result and that’s the main thing.

“First half we were a bit lethargic. We were nowhere what we have been in recent weeks. We were a shadow of ourselves.

“It took us going behind for us to get on the front foot after half-time and I thought for the majority of the second half it was us in the ascendency and we could have scored more. They got some brilliant blocks in and the keeper made some great saves.

“It was much more like us in the second half.

“We got a bit fortunate with the equaliser with the deflection. But one had to drop for us.

“We had to come from behind at Doncaster and we did it at Grimsby and now we’ve done it for a third game running. It shows a lot of character. It was a brave second half.

“Losing play-off finalists, Stockport are one of the best teams in the league. So to get three points off them today, even this early in the season, is very important.”

Will Collar threaded in the lively Louie Barry down the middle for the sixth minute opener, only to see George Maris turn home a Stephen Quinn cross to level nine minutes later.

Fraser Horsfall restored County’s advantage with a far post header from a 25th minute corner and Barry should have made it 3-1 just before half-time but he missed the empty net from 35 yards after Christy Pym had raced out to clear and gifted the ball to him.

The hosts dominated after the break and Stockport goalkeeper Ben Hinchliffe made some big saves before Keillor-Dunn, who had already hit the bar, levelled via a big deflection on 70 minutes and nine minutes later curled the winner home from Quinn’s pass.

Stockport boss Dave Challinor said: “We expected them to come at us second half. We set up in a way that we accepted we might be a bit deep but thought we could hurt them on the counter-attack.

“We had opportunities to do that but didn’t take them.

“But you have to defend well and the goals were awful again. They were down to poor concentration. You can’t concede three goals and expect to win any games of football.

“We need to have more control when we have the ball – we gave it away too cheaply.”