Bolton Wanderers boss delighted to ‘find a way to win’ at battling 10-man Mansfield Town

After Saturday's 4-0 FA Cup exit at Swindon Town, Shumacher made 10 changes for the game at Mansfield and they were boosted by a red card for Rhys Oates after only 12 minutes for his challenge on Ethan Erhahon.

But Stags stayed disciplined and had their moments and pushed the visitors all the way.

“Coming away to a place like this on a difficult night with the conditions and a tight pitch, people will ask can we do it? Well we did and it's pleasing,” he said.

“Mansfield are not bad and can cause you a problem and even with 10 men they were a threat.

“These are the ones when you look back at the end of the season, if you have been successful, when you know you found a way to win.

“I know it looks easy against 10 men as you have all of the ball. But it is difficult to break a team down, especially on a tight pitch.

“We were not happy with what happened on Saturday, but every time the lads have lost a game this year they have found a way to bounce back and respond.

“They are an honest group. We do lack a bit of quality at times and we have made mistakes, but we have never been found wanting for effort.

“We just needed to get a win on the board today.

“It wasn't a classic and won't be remembered forever, but three points is all that mattered.”

Schumcher made his changes expecting a different game, but their freshness proved the difference in the end.

“We made 10 changes and I don't think anyone who came out of the team from Saturday can have any complaints,” he said.

“We picked a team that we thought could handle this type of game.

“We thought it would be a battle and highly contested, but with the red card the game did not develop as we expected.

“They had seven players over the age of 30 and six of them played 120 minutes on Saturday. But we were fresh and had energy.”