Nigel Clough 'disappointed' as Mansfield Town eight-game unbeaten run ends with Wigan Athletic defeat
Mansfield Town’s eight-game unbeaten run came to an end on Saturday after falling to relegation candidates Wigan Athletic at the Brick Community Stadium.
Latics put some extra daylight between themselves and the bottom four after a second half penalty nicked all three points on home soil. Gary Caldwell stressed ahead of the game that his side ‘would not take their foot off the gas’ between now and the end of the season, as Latics battle to secure their League One survival.
Wigan took the lead initially through Callum Wright in the 25th minute but Stags responded almost immediately as Lucas Akins found the equaliser minutes later.
However, after entering the break on level terms, the scales tipped in Latics’ favour when Frazer Blake-Tracy gave away a penalty deep into the second half. The Stags defender brought down Joe Taylor inside the box, who stepped up to convert the spot-kick and mark his 14th league goal of the season in the 71st minute.
Nigel Clough was left disappointed with the result, as it resets Mansfield Town’s positive streak. Stags had been on the cusp of marking their best run so far this season but will now need to dust themselves off as the final games of the season come at them fast.
“Disappointing to give an eight-game unbeaten run up in that fashion. We’ve defended unbelievably well this season in 39 games to have the third-best defensive record and then to give it away in such a manner today – very, very disappointed,” Clough reflected after the defeat.
“Frazer – who I thought looked tired from the first five minutes today – gave a penalty away and I don’t think there was any question that it was a penalty.”
Stags remain on 53 points after their trip to Wigan and will need to put more on the board to guarantee their safety, as the competition in the bottom half of the table heats up. Clough stressed there was ‘no lack of effort’ from his side but rather a ‘lack of thought’ with some decisions that led to the disappointing result against Latics.
“No lack of effort, that’s always there, just a lack of thought. People think we are safe with six games to go but the pride we have taken in the eight-game unbeaten run should have been maintained today.”
Anthony Nunez makes first Mansfield Town appearance
Clough made seven changes to the starting line-up that drew 0-0 to Burton earlier in the week, including a debut appearance for Anthony Nunez in goal. The shot-stopper was recalled from his loan with Anstey Nomads to fill in for absent first team duo Liam Roberts and Harry Lewis.
Roberts remains out with a calf problem and will continue to be assessed, while Lewis was unavailable after his wife went into labour in the early hours of Saturday morning.
Mansfield Town have a short turnaround before their next clash, which is an away trip to Leyton Orient on Tuesday, April 14th.
“We’ll have a good think about the team and the availability of the players, and who we want to play,” Clough said.