Only finishing missing in another fine Mansfield Town display says boss Nigel Clough, but injury list lengthens for his depleted squad​​​​​​​ in Leyton Orient defeat

Stags had plenty of chances to win in the London heatwave, including Stephen McLaughlin missing an early penalty, despite seeing their depleted squad lose even more players with injury.

“I don't think we have played badly this season so far and we have lost three out of four games,” said Clough.

“We had more chances than Salford on the opening day and more chances than Orient today. “That's the difference. Someone has got to put the ball in the back of the net for you.

READ THE MATCH REPORT FROM ORIENT V STAGS

“One of the lads just said we were comfortable at 0-0 in the second half. I don't like that word comfortable but they were not creating chances and if anybody was going to score it was going to be us. But one little break down the middle and we end up losing the game – it's fine margins.

“We missed four one on ones and missed a penalty as well as other situations. That was the difference.

“They had one chance in the middle of the second half and put it away. We didn't take ours.

“In terms of performance with what we had available today I thought it was a good performance, even when we changed formation.

“That's football. You just someone to get you a goal.”

He added: “Our leading goalscorer last season, Oatesy (Rhys Oates), had three one-on-ones today. He won a penalty with one of them.

“So after 30 seconds you should be 1-0 up. If that goes in I think we get something out the game.

“I don't think Will Swan is getting a break in and around the box either.

“We were a little bit unfortunate I think today in lots of ways.

“It did feel a bit like the ball would not drop for us in the box today. Even so one of them should go in.

“I am not saying a striker should score every single time they go clear. But you'd hope if he goes clear three times, one of them should go in.

“And of course you should put your penalties in, Macca has not really missed many, but those sort of things have cost us today.

“I thought the game was a bit open in the first five or 10 minutes and their width was causing us problems which is why we changed things. I thought we were much more solid and much more dangerous from that point on.

“It could have been 2-2 after five or six minutes of the game.”

Stags were missing Oli Hawkins, lost Hiram Boateng before half-time and had two players on the bench who are not yet fit but were there to make up the numbers on a sweltering hot afternoon.

“Oli felt his hamstring in training yesterday afternoon so we drafted in Kieran Wallace at the last minute, who actually joined in for five minutes yesterday,” said Clough.

“Perchy has done 15 minutes training. But we just had to fill the bench as we thought with the heat we would probably need the five subs, which we did.

“Hiram has a tight hamstring again. It's just the load of the players early season. That's why we do try to bring them off around 60 minutes.

“People wonder sometimes why you bring players off but it's to stop things like that happening.

“He couldn't even get through the last couple of minutes until half-time. But it is just tight so we hope it won't be too long, the same with Oli Hawkins and Lucas Akins.”

Despite the results, Clough believes Stags are not far off where they need to be.

“The first three game stats we've received, we've had more of everything than the opposition,” he said.

“So you just keep on with that pattern and concentrate on somebody trying to put the ball in the net.

“I think if we'd got a goal at any time today at 0-0 I really think we'd have won it. I think we played well enough to win it today, let alone draw it.”