Wigan Athletic 'stood up extremely well' against 'physical' Mansfield Town, says Gary Caldwell
Both Nigel Clough and Gary Caldwell were left frustrated by the 0-0 stalemate at the Brick Community Stadium on Tuesday.
Mansfield Town and Wigan Athletic were forced to settle for a point each after neither side faltered during the clash at the Brick Community Stadium.
Clough admitted it was a ‘frustrating’ outing for his side but the most important thing was ensuring the loss to Notts County did not spark a run of defeats.
Gary Caldwell was also left feeling his side should have come away with more, as the draw was not enough to lift Wigan out of the bottom four. He did praise Stags for their physical presence on the pitch and admitted they put the Latics under pressure.
“Early on, it looked like two tired teams, who were playing Saturday, Tuesday, Saturday… you can sometimes get that with a quick turnaround,” Caldwell said post-match.
“I thought overall we were the better team, and if anyone was going to win the game, it was us. So a little bit frustrating in that regard, but plenty of positives – a clean sheet, and the way we controlled the game was good against their biggest, most physical team they could have picked.
“They came here with a clear intention to really get in amongst us, and put us under pressure, and we stood up to that extremely well.
“They’re a real man-oriented team, they go man for man all over the pitch.
“If there’s one thing I thought we could have done more, it’s use the wide areas, and use the space that a man for man team gives you.
“I thought we created the better chances, but just couldn't find that goal.”
Stags keep their unbeaten run away from home ticking over and will hope their performance in the Nottinghamshire Derby is firmly behind them. Focus now shifts to the FA Cup this weekend, as Macclesfield prepare for their visit to the One Call Stadium.