Mansfield Town boss Nigel Clough proud of players and fans as Stags are pipped by Derby County in Carabao Cup classic

Stags even had Jordan Bowery sent off on 80 minutes but still came desperately close to forcing penalties against their League One neighbours and Clough’s former club.

“I was very pleased with the second half performance – that is exactly how we want to play here at the One Call,” said the Stags boss.

“ We wanted to stay in the cup and I don't think over the game we deserved to go out tonight.

“I was proud of the boys and proud of the crowd.

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“When we get on the front foot at home and get that crowd behind us - Derby know they've been in a game tonight.

“I thought we were a bit tentative in the first half and never really got going, though we hit the underside of the bar and had a few situations.

“Right from the kick off at the start of the second half Kellan Gordon gets forward, gets a cross in and we have a goal disallowed for offside – I am not sure if it was.

“That set the tone and then we got the equaliser and it was all us.

“We were pressing all the time, Hawks (Oli Hawkins) had one come back off the underside of the bar, there was one kicked off the line, even with 10 men in the last few minutes, and we might have got to penalties.”

On Hawkins' equaliser, he said: “I thought it was a brilliant goal. “We put a good cross in and he brought it down and volleyed it in the bottom corner – a fantastic goal and I am not quite sure how we didn't get another one at some point.”

Clough said the club would review the red card for Bowery for bringing down James Collins on 80 minutes.

“I think he was a bit unlucky,” said Clough.

“He misjudged the bounce of the ball first of all. We're going to have a look at it back on the video.

“We're not sure if he got a touch of the ball or not. Certainly he was last man. It's just whether he got any of the ball or not. If not we miss him for one game on Saturday.

“We still kept going for them after that, had one kicked off the line and had a few skirmishes right at the end.”

Lucas Akins was included in the initial Stags XI but hurt himself in the warm-up and had to be replaced by Bowery.

“Lucas just felt his groin at the end of of the warm-up and you can change players right up to kick-off as you let the referee and opposition know,” said Clough.

New signing Anthony Hartigan impressed in the first half before being replaced in a double change at half-time.

“We were not sure if Anthony Hartigan was going to make 45 minutes. He was very good in the first half hour but then tired,” said Clough.

“He has not really had any competitive football and has only had a couple of training sessions with us. He felt it but showed some good touches and looked comfortable on the ball.

“He and Quinny (Stephen Quinn) were always coming off after 45 in this heat.

“Those changes were pre-planned.”