DELIGHTED Stags manager Billy McEwan savoured his first League win since the end of September after a 3-0 victory over Salisbury on Saturday afternoon.
"Today was a big step forward for us. It could have been a cricket score at one stage. But I am delighted with three points and a clean sheet," he said after the vital victory.
The Stags had lost five successive BSP matches, but after a quiet start they grabbed the lead over crisis club Salisbury - who have just one striker after selling their better players this week - and then dominated when the visitors were reduced to 10 men.
McEwan added: "I am pleased we got a nice win to send the punters home happy.
"We did make things a bit difficult for ourselves at times with some of the things we were trying to do.
"The lads have worked tremendously hard on the training ground this week and I am chuffed to bits for them.
"Salisbury had us on the back foot early in the match and all credit to them. Salisbury are a good side. They have had a bit of turmoil there this week with one or two players leaving but you have got to give them respect.
"They gave us a good match and tried to play football the right way which is a credit to their manager.
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"The first goal settled us down and you always need a bit of luck in football and maybe the penalty was the luck we needed. It was definitely a penalty, but maybe another referee wouldn't have given it."
McEwan was also full of praise for loanee goalscorer Emile Sinclair - who it was revealed after the match has extended his loan from Nottingham Forest to Field Mill to a second month - and hailed his pace and 'fantastic finish' for the breakthrough goal.
Salisbury boss Nick Holmes said: "The spirit of the side was excellent and I couldn't have asked any more from them than that."The breaks didn't go our way today. A couple of individual errors cost us two first half goals.
"But we gave as good as we got for most of the game. I could never criticise those players for what they did today. They did themselves proud.
"Unfortunately we didn't have another attacker on the bench and we will look at that situation this week. Maybe I will have to convert one or two of the centre halves!
"The lads will talk among themselves about the situation but they are a very close knit bunch and have trained well and did the club proud today.
"We should have taken the lead but that's the way. We carried on trying to play football, even at 10 v 11 and it was only the last 10-15 minutes when maybe it became a bit more evident we were a player down."
