Stags boss Cox seething over display as nine-men Mansfield crash at Southend

The Stags had debutant loan striker James Alabi sent off after only 31 minutes, Lee Beevers shown a second yellow in the last minute while Southend had Conor Clifford dismissed on 40 minutes in a first half dominated by referee Darren Drysdale.

But it was a sixth game without a win for Stags and now 428 minutes without a goal, and the visitors were never really in the contest.

“We were poor from start to finish – simple as that,” snapped Cox.

“I will put it right, though there may be a few casualties along the way.

“I can take losing, but I just thought there was a lack of application. We were too easy to play against and we looked a soft touch tonight.

“Even with 11 men we looked off the pace tonight. We didn’t deserve anything from the game.

“I would like to apologise to the supporters who travelled down tonight.

“There are a lot of things frustrating me at the moment. A number of things are affecting performances at the moment.

“We have to come back into training and put it right. We have to dust ourselves down and go again on Saturday.”

Cox was unhappy with the dismissal of Stoke loanee Alabi for his collision with Luke Prosser.

Cox said: “I thought it looked a bit harsh. I though the boy was looking in the air and it was body to body. I don’t think the lad has a malicious bone in his body to be honest so I am disappointed for him.”

Alan Marriott was adjudged to have caught Jamie McGuire’s header over his own goal line for the Shrimpers’ second goal, but Cox said: “Richard Cooper saw it and said the ball was a yard in play. It’s one of those things.”