CLOUGH JOY AT STAGS’ ROMP
NIGEL Clough insisted his promotion-chasing Mansfield side were made to fight all the way for their victory – despite the distinctly one-sided scoreline.
Boss Clough claimed ‘it flattered us’ after his side produced a clinical display in front of goal to beat a Forest Green side who can certainly feel unfortunate to come out on the end of a 4-0 thrashing.
Two goals from Ollie Clarke and one each from Tom Nichols and Will Swan helped the visitors to victory despite a resurgent first-half performance by Steve Cotterill’s strugglers.
Rovers looked impressive in the first-half under new boss Cotterill but Town turned on the style after the break to take all three points home from Gloucestershire.
“We had to work hard to keep a clean sheet,” added Clough. “They
(Forest Green) played really well and took control after our first goal, so the second goal was important in the context of the game.”
It was Mansfield who took the lead after 11 minutes when Aden Flint cushioned a header into the path of the oncoming Ollie Clarke, who hammered home into the bottom corner from the edge of the area.
Forest Green reacted well to going behind as Fankaty Dabo delivered a fine cross that Flint diverted fractionally wide with Doidge ready to head home.
Charlie McCann almost gifted the Stags a second with a loose pass back to his goalkeeper but Clarke and Swan were both denied by the impressive Daniels who injured himself in making the save.
Tom Nichols however, did finally make it two for the visitors in the 68th minute when he ran onto Swan’s forward pass before cutting back inside and hammering an effort into the far corner.
Swan then made it three after 78 minutes when a low cross from Lucas Akins found the forward who turned the ball home right-footed in at the near post.
Clarke completed the rout with a late strike into substitute goalkeeper Jamie Searle’s top corner as Mansfield maintained their challenge for an automatic promotion place.
Clough added: “I don’t think we lost our way in the first half. It was just a case of Forest Green playing extremely well for 25 minutes.
“They have some very good players. We defended well and snuffed the threat out.
“We thought our smaller, agile players would work well against their big centre halves and while we’ve had some strong benches at times this season, that’s the strongest we’ve had and they had an impact.”
Forest Green Rovers boss Cotterill admitted the second
goal had been crucial to deciding the game in favour of the visitors.
“That second goal broke our hearts,” he said. “We were the better team for 60 minutes by a mile. We’re already working with boys low on confidence so then it’s an uphill task.
“We have to do the unsavoury side of the game a bit more. It wasn’t a 4-0 defeat but that just about sums it up at the moment and how they react to those negative moments in the game. There’s plenty to work on but I’d like to think when you look at us, we’re a better team but the results aren’t showing it.”
FOREST GREEN: Daniels 7 (Searle
64, 6), Inniss 6, Keogh 6, Robson 6, Dabo 6 (Jones 73, 6), Osadebe 7, McCann 6, Thompson 6 (Bernard 74, 6), McAllister 6, Stevens 6 (Omotoye 84, 6), Doidge 7. Subs not used: Oyedele, Bunker, Brown. MANSFIELD: Pym 7, Williams 7 (McLaughlin 81, 6), Flint 8, Brunt 7, Bowery 7, Maris 7 (Boateng 81, 7), Reed 7, Clarke 9, Keillor-Dunn 7 (Quinn 73, 6), Nichols 7 (Akins 73, 7), Swan 8 (Lewis 80, 6). Subs not used: Cargill, Flinders, Boateng.