Mansfield manager Billy Dearden said: "I though Bradford played well - they looked a different team from Saturday.

• Mansfield Town 0 Bradford City 0

"We looked heavy legged after a very difficult game at Harrogate on Sunday on a very heavy pitch.

"I think 0-0 was probably a fair reflection on the game. That's our fourth successive clean sheet on the trot at home so we must be doing something right.

"We couldn't buy a clean sheet earlier in the season.

"I though Mickey (Boulding) would stick the penalty away and so did he. He is disappointed. He normally sticks them down the middle. But their keeper did make a good save.

"Maybe I should have used my substitutes better. But the Boulding brothers' pace was causing them problems, even though I had big John McAliskey on the bench.

"We did have a bit of fortune and big Barry (Conlon) caused us a few problems early on.

"We wanted to win to get off the bottom but we have another chance when Bury come here on Saturday and we would be pleased with four points from two games."

City boss Stuart McCall said: "We had the better of the few chances but it was poor fare overall.

"Perhaps the conditions were partly to blame. The wind was trickier than people thought.

"The penalty was debatable, though from where we were we couldn't really see it, but fortunately for us Donovan (Ricketts) has done well and pulled off a terrific save.

"Mansfield have picked up at home of late so I always knew it would be a tough game.

"We put an awful lot of balls into the box from corners and crosses but nothing would drop for us.

"The keeper flapped at a few and other times they got heads and bodies in the way. I was disappointed with our passing, we didn't pass the ball well enough. But you have got to take the positives and in the first half we created quite a few chances.

"But to be honest the second half was a bit drab."