'Incredibly soft goal' frustrates Mansfield Town boss Nigel Clough in Crawley defeat

Crawley keeper Glenn Morris snuffs out a Mansfield attack. Picture by Jamie Evans

Nigel Clough was left rueing an 'incredibly soft goal' as Mansfield Town were beaten by a stoppage-time strike at Crawley.

Sub James Tilley slotted home the only gooa of the game in the dying seconds.

“The important thing is, when you don’t take your chances, don’t lose the game. We gave an incredibly soft goal away late on," Clough told iFollow Stags.

“I thought we did alright in patches. I thought the first-half was a bit lacklustre from both teams.

“We came out in the second-half and started well. We looked as though we might get a goal, but then it looks like it’s just going to be a 0-0, which isn’t a bad result for us."

However, that wasn't the case as the Red Devils netted at the death.

“To get to 91-and-a-half minutes and to concede from a routine throw-in on the far side, it’s gone between Kellan Gordon and Farrend Rawson, and Marek Stech should’ve saved it at his near post,” Clough added.

“It just probably sums up where we are at the moment. We had a brilliant victory against the league leaders (Cheltenham) on Tuesday and then we go and give the game away in the final 30 seconds.

“We should’ve been ahead in the game. They had one chance, which Marek saved. Apart from that, we had good situations and good chances which we didn’t take."

Clough though Jamie Reid's first-half header was Mansfield's brightest chance.

“You’d expect him to score that, I think," Clough continued.

“Strikers miss chances. It’s the hardest thing to do (score). But what you don’t do is throw away the game.”

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