We have hit rock bottom today admits Mansfield Town manager Graham Coughlan

The Stags boss vowed he would bring success in the end but admitted it may be tough to get the right squad balance in the current January window.

“I am crestfallen, I am heart-broken and I am really, really annoyed, he said on a day when Coughlan had already told Krystian Pearce and Jacob Mellis they can leave.

READ THE MATCH REPORT

“That was a hammer blow today and we are at rock bottom. Sometimes in football you have to hit rock bottom to bounce back and that for me today was rock bottom.

“I feel for the fans as they have probably had to watch this all season and I can only imagine what they're going through.

“At times like this you have to stick together as one and we will enjoy the success when it comes as we've had to scrape ourselves off the ground from rock bottom.

“We will be okay as a club as there are plenty of footballers out there who want to represent Mansfield Town and play for me and Joe Dunne.”

On the transfer window ambitions, he said: “I need to sort this out now as I have given these lads fair opportunity.

“This window is very difficult getting bodies in and out. I have made a lot of assessments on the players.

“We might just have to galvanise ourselves and go with what we've got in there to the end of the season. If we can add to it that's great. We do need new recruits with a different mentality.

“We won't go daft in the window as it's a window when players and clubs can benefit massively from our desperation.”

Coughlan saw his side go 2-0 up, 3-2 down, level on 90 minutes only to lose to a 96th minute sucker punch.

“I am disappointed we conceded four goals at home, the manner in which we concede and the ease in which we concede,” he said.

“You can't concede goals we keep conceding goals, you can't sink the way we do and you can't keep taking the easy option and just kicking it forward.

“You have got to be man enough to get on the ball and make us play.

“In the first half we did everything asked apart from the 51st minute when a free kick came into our box.

“But second half when they scored we just went to pot. The game plan worked for 51 minutes before they scored. Our legs then just turned to jelly and came back out with a different mindset. That's been a problem all season.

“Why do we start going back to front when we have Nicky Maynard and Danny Rose up front against two big centre halves? It doesn't make sense.

“But I think that's where we are as a group at the moment and only hard work and maybe new players will be able to dig us out of that mindset.

“Someone needs to explain some of the decision today. Nicky Maynard had a stonewall penalty and both their first and fourth goals were over the time allotted, but that's me clutching at straws and making excuses for the dressing room.”