Nolan full of praise for derby winners Stags

Nolan had no excuses as his side’s six-game winning run was halted in dramatic fashion.

“Sometimes you just have to walk away and go ‘they were better than us on the day’ and today was one of those days,” he said.

“I thought they were a better side from start to finish really. We just didn’t get going or handle their strengths. They played a lot of long balls early and just chased them down. They just looked a bit more on it. No excuses.

“They hit it high and long every time and we didn’t deal with it as well as have in previous games. They harassed, got in and around us and made nuisances.

“But they had a bit of quality when they needed it and I thought Danny Rose and Alex MacDonald really stood out for me today was really good.”

He added: “You have to give Mansfield credit, though we could have done things a lot better. We could have played with a lot more efficiency.

“I don’t think I can knock the lads’ attitude and application towards the game, but Mansfield just looked a bit sharper, bouyed by a crowd wanting to beat top of the table.

“We’ve had a fantastic run and you can’t take away what we’ve achieved.

“We didn’t do some things we usually do which could be due to a bit of tiredness with having played at Exeter on Tuesday. That is ridiculous and they need to get the fixtures right.”