Mansfield Town boss Nigel Clough is a relieved man after Stags end winless run against Tranmere

Mansfield Town defender Elliott Hewitt heads clear against Tranmere Rovers. Pic : Chris Holloway / The Bigger Picture.media

Goals from Rhys Oates and Danny Johnson handed Town their first three points since Saturday 14 August, which moves the club out of the relegation places into 20th place in League Two.

And Clough expressed his delight with his side’s display.

“[I felt] relief more than anything; pleased with the performance and the manner of which we did it,” said Clough.

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“I think the way we went about it was very commendable and I don’t think we started and played like a team that was second from bottom.

“[It has been] far too long without a victory; we have been so close, and it has been coming and it is brilliant for everybody that we have got one. But now we have to try and get another one next week and another one after that.

“I thought we had five-to-10 minutes where we had a little bit of pressure and they had the disallowed goal for offside which he was, but I thought from that point on we took control of the game again and it was just a matter of getting that second goal.

“You look at the league table now and it is nice not to be sitting in that bottom two going into the two-week break [from the league]; it wouldn’t have been nice viewing and it is nice to be out of it.”

Clough also praised Oates’ work for Johnson’s goal, which saw the forward take a ball over the top, flick it over Tom Davies before teeing up his fellow frontman to place home in the second period.

He continued: “I have just said to him that nine times out of 10, a player in that situation will shoot because he has done unbelievably well to flick it over somebodies head and you’re seeing headlines and a glory goal.

“To take that extra second and square it for his strike-partner and say, ‘tap that in’, I thought it showed a great level of ability and maturity to do that.

“He is showing signs and I thought he was very good at Exeter [City] last week and he scored one and made one this week and he was deservedly man of the match.”

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