Flitcroft pleased with Mansfield Town display in Dons draw

Manager David Flitcroft was delighted with Mansfield Town's display against an MK Dons team he believed were the best side Stags have faced all season as the sides draw 1-1 this afternoon.
Matt Preston gets up to head at goal during the game with MK Dons.Matt Preston gets up to head at goal during the game with MK Dons.
Matt Preston gets up to head at goal during the game with MK Dons.

Jacob Mellis smashed home a 25-yard blast on 17 minutes for a spectacular opener only to see Jordan Houghton net an equally spectacular equaliser on 24 minutes in an end to end spectacle. REPORT HERE.

Dons arrived with five wins a row under their belt and second in the table, and Flitcroft said: “It was possibly a fair result.

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“It was two very good football teams and a really committed game. Both sets of players committed to an end to end game of football.

“They are the best team we have come up against and I thought first half we were really good, dominating on the front foot and asking questions of them. We really took it to them.

“When you're playing the top teams you make sure you don't lose it.

“In every league you get some teams that want to spoil proceedings, but today you had two teams who wanted to go and win a game and go for the jugular.

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“They moved the ball around the pitch well. In terms of style of play MK Dons are probably one of the best teams at it in the league. They have a brilliant manager who understands that philosophy.”

Flitcroft said the Mellis strike was spectacular and he felt it was a shame it hadn't won the game as he believed Mellis would have dedicated it to the midfielder's late mother.

He said: “If you saw that goal at the top level you'd be talking about it all night. It probably won't get justice because we are League Two.

“With what Jacob has been through personally, I desperately wanted that to win the game.

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“As soon as he scored it and celebrated, he knew what it meant to us and I knew what it meant to Jacob, thinking about his mum.

“But their goal was deserved in equalising a game.

“They were two fantastic strikes. He wasn't closed down and it was in the back of our net with the wind coming down our throats.”

He also believed Tyler Walker had won a spot kick, which ref Seb Stockbridge waved away.

“We should have had a penalty,” he said.

“Why would a striker who is desperate to score for us go down when he is ready to pull the trigger and gets bundled over. I thought the referee bottled it at that point.”

Stags return to action at Crewe Alexandra on Tuesday night looking to go a ninth game unbeaten.