Stags boss Evans reflects on '˜game of two halves' in defeat to Exeter

Goals in either half from the home side’s Ollie Watkins was all that separated the two teams at St James Park.

Evans said: “First half we were nowhere near the level we should be. We went a goal down and probably deservedly to them.

“I’ve got no complaints at half time but if players don’t apply themselves properly you’ll never win a game.

“We changed it around at half time and in fairness to our team dominated the second half completely.

“As their manager said at the end of the game, he’s an honest man, no-one has done to them what we had done in the second half.

“But you get nothing for that and you can’t turn up at half-time in any competition, let alone League Two.”

And added: “We were brought in here because it wasn’t very good. That’s why the change has been made.

“We need to make sure the best go forward with us and we bring additional resources in to make sure we have a much better second half to the season.

“We won’t win every week but we will have a better second half to the campaign.”

Pat Hoban and Kevan Hurst started the game in two changes to the Stags team but were replaced by CJ Hamilton and Darius Henderson at the break.

“Maybe they were lacking game time but we changed our shape a little bit,” said Evans. “We saw first half the deficiencies they’ve got.

“I think we exploited that and we should have won the game. You can’t miss the level of chances we’ve missed.

“These are clear cut open goals when the goalkeeper is at the other end of the goal and you volley it over the other end.

“We know there is a lot of work to do.”