Absolutely magnificent result, one of the best of the season says Mansfield Town boss after victory at fellow strugglers Bristol Rovers

Goals from Caylan Vickers and Dom Dwyer saw Stags home to stretch the gap to the drop zone to a healthier 11 points with eight games to go.

“It was an absolutely magnificent result,” said Clough.

“It was an iffy performance in some ways, but that doesn't really matter at this stage of the season.

“We hadn't won for 10 weeks then we get two on the spin, which was absolutely vital.”

Stags took an army of almost 900 fans to Bristol and Clough said: “These last two wins have been a bit of a reward and a thank you to them.

“It was another four hour journey for them and not the best performance, but the result was probably one of our best of the season.

“We have 47 points so we are only three points off that 50 mark which may or may not be enough.

“We have three games before a 10-day break so let's now try to get to that 50 point mark.”

He added: “I think Caylan nearly missed our first goal. He mis-hit his first effort, but it dropped back to him and he put it away.

“I was unbelievably disappointed with what we did after that.

“When you get a break like that in the first minute of a game you should grow in stature and go on and control the game. But all we did for the next 15-20 minutes was give the ball away.

“The goal seemed to affect us in an adverse way more than them and it should have been the other way round.

“We hung on in there. Then the goal they scored reminded me of the one by Wrexham against us earlier in the season. We were not tight enough to get a challenge in 22 yards out, though it was a great strike.”

On matchwinner Dwyer, he said: “Dom has been out a couple of weeks with his hamstring but we fancied him to get us a goal when he came on at half-time.

“His finishing in training this week was outstanding. It was a tap-in for him today but he was obviously in the right place at the right time after brilliant closing down by Keanu Baccus.

“The reason we scored the two goals was that we were pressing, on the front foot and in a position to capitalise. If you sit back on the halfway line away from home you don't score from those situations.

“We just about saw it through at the end and everyone contributed today, including those who came on as subs.”