"It's important you don't lose the game!" Nigel Clough appreciates Mansfield Town's fighting spirit despite 'poorest performance'

Nigel Clough conceded his Mansfield Town side put in 'probably the poorest' display since he's been at the club - but the Stags boss praised the side's refusal to be beaten at Grimsby Town.

Nicky Maynard's penalty earned a point following Ira Jackson’s opener at Blundell Park.

“There was so much honesty on the pitch today but it was a really scrappy game. There were a lot of free-kicks which disrupted the game," he told iFollow Stags.

“We threatened a couple of times, but it’s one of those if you’re on it or you’re defensively solid, you can win that game 1-0.

“It’s probably the poorest we’ve played, and we’ve come out with a point away from home.”

Clough, whose side sit 19th in the League Two table, believes his side looked leggy in today's contest.

He added: “I’m not particularly pleased with it (performance) today. It took us a while to get into the game and I thought the biggest thing that let us down today was the delivery into the penalty area.

“We either hit the first man or it was going over the back of the goal. I thought we started the second-half okay, but they get one shot that’s parried and they get the goal.

“It’s very important when you don’t play well not to lose the game, as we were far from our best today.

“We had a good week’s training, but mentally as much as anything, it caught up to us today.

“When you get into Saturday-Tuesday, you get into a little routine, then all of a sudden you get a clear week.

“We looked a little bit leggy and not as sharp as we have in recent weeks. With that in mind, it’s really important not to lose."

MORE STAGS: Grimsby 1 Mansfield Town 1 – match report