‘We still have the belief’ – Mansfield Town hero Stephen McLaughlin on gritty Barnsley draw
Stephen McLaughlin salvaged a valuable point for Stags with a stoppage time equaliser to dampen Barnsley’s afternoon.
The 35-year-old denied Conor Hourihane’s side a big win on the road with his last gasp heroics at the One Call Stadium. After a solid performance throughout the 90, McLaughlin’s strike ensured Stags’ unbeaten run continued following a statement win over Reading on Tuesday.
The result puts Nigel Clough’s side in good spirits ahead of their visit to Bradford City next week, with the all-important 50-point mark in the League One table coming closer into view.
Stags worked hard to chase the draw after Barnsley took an early lead and then doubled their advantage after the break. The decision to bring on Nathan Moriah-Welsh paid off almost immediately as he won a penalty within a minute of his introduction, which Lucas Akins coolly dispatched.
McLaughlin then raised the roof of the One Call with his late goal, which snatched a hard-fought point for the Stags deep into stoppage time.
“Every game is the same – it doesn’t matter if we are 2-0 down or not, we still have the belief we can create chances, score goals and that’s what we did up there and here today. I think if we had more time we would’ve got another one as well,” McLaughlin said after the match.
“We felt good, especially in the last 20 minutes to half an hour of the game. We felt that we were going to get a goal, it was a matter of just being patient, doing the right things, keep the ball in the box and hopefully something will drop, and it did today.”
Stags turning form around in League One
Mansfield Town’s form in League One this season has yo-yoed and some results have not reflected the efforts put in on the pitch. McLaughlin has reflected on Stags’ run up until this point and feels they have really turned a corner in the last few weeks, especially after their victory over Reading marked the end of a nine-game winless run.
“During the season, we weren’t playing so well but we were winning, and then there were games where we were playing unbelievable and lost 1-0. You always want to put a good performance with a victory but that’s football, sometimes it doesn’t work like that,” McLaughlin said. “I thought today was a dogged game, especially after you play Arsenal and Reading at home. This game was a big test for us today and I thought the second half, the last half hour, we really came into our own and we were the only team looking like scoring. Thankfully we did.
“Since I’ve been here, we’ve broken quite a number of records and I’m happy to be a part of that. It’s been a bit of a rollercoaster over the last couple of weeks. We’ve had Arsenal come in, even our run against Burnley and Sheffield United in the Cup. We were trying to do it in the league and it wasn’t quite happening but over the last couple of weeks now we’ve settled down and started to put the performances together again.”
Stags’ draw against Barnsley takes them up to 45 points in the League One table ahead of their next opponents Bradford City.