"First half we were poor but second half we were the better side," he said.
"But we are gutted and disappointed to lose and we have to stop committing hari-kari and we will be all right.
"When we try to score we have to create chances - no one gives them to us. But we give too many goals away far too easily and both today came from basic errors and were soft to say the least.
"You can't blame Paddy Gamble. It is not down to one individual as there are 10 players in front of him that should be protecting him.
"We will take the positives and we created a lot of chances away from home against a good side today and their keeper made some good saves as did ours.
"Our players were arguing among themselves after the second goal which was the right thing to do. I don't want choirboys. I don't want anyone raising a hand, but things were not right and had to be said and I certainly would have done if I had been out there.
"After that we kicked on and our approach play was excellent."
He added: "We should have been 1-0 up before they scored as Michael Blackwood tried to chip a 6ft 4ins keeper when he was clean through.
"But we can't wait to go 2-0 down before we start playing. And certain players today were off the boil big time. We can't have that away from home. They have to stand up and be counted and they were told that in no uncertain terms in the dressing room.
"If Nathan Arnold plays like he did today he won't get in that England C team - he was hopeless today.
"I could have gone one up front today and been negative. But we came here to try to win the game. Maybe that is something I will have to look at if we can't keep a clean sheet."
Crawley boss Steve Evans said: "On the first hour we should have won by five or six really."We made a good side look a poor side and they are not a poor side.
"Mansfield have an experienced manager and good players and their keeper made some wonderful saves.
"But then their keeper had a 'Calamity Jane' straight away in the second half though Cookie (Jamie Cook) still had to tuck it away.
"Then we missed two sitters to go 3-0 up and it could have been a rout. But that never happened.
"When you play against the Stallards, the Moses and the Robinsons - who should have probably been sent off for smashing our player with his elbow - they have a bit of quality.
"They managed to get a goal back from a mistake so the errors evened up and, although we have to say that was a very good afternoon's work, let's not kid ourselves it was anything other than tough.
"We might be top and on the nine games we deserve to be p there though I am not sure about top. But we are three points nearer 54 which will mean staying in the Conference next season."
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