Mansfield Town boss Nigel Clough expressed his satisfaction after a resounding victory over Harrogate Town, a team they had previously struggled against.
The 4-1 away win marked a significant breakthrough for his undefeated squad. Clough, however, believed that the victory could have been even more dominant and regretted not maintaining a clean sheet.
Prior to this match, Mansfield Town had never managed to beat Harrogate. They were in control, leading 4-0, and missed several other scoring opportunities before Harrogate Town scored one goal in the final 10 minutes.
Clough commented, ‘It’s been a long time coming, considering our winless streak against them over seven games. It was particularly satisfying to secure the victory in such a convincing manner.’
He also added, ‘After a 10-day break without a match, you’re always uncertain about the outcome. We encouraged the players to demonstrate the benefits of their rest during the weekend, and I believe they did just that. Achieving a 4-1 victory on the road is a remarkable result, but I was displeased with a couple of aspects. I believe we didn’t start the second half as well as we should have, and conceding a goal was disappointing.’
Clough emphasized the importance of maintaining a clean sheet, especially given the team’s excellent defensive record throughout the season. He felt it should have been another shutout for them that evening. He added, ‘As a team, we need to take more pride in keeping clean sheets. We have been solid defensively this season, and tonight should have been no exception.’
While being pleased with the 3-0 halftime lead, Clough believed they had missed opportunities to score more goals, especially when playing away from home. He explained, ‘You don’t often get chances like tonight when playing away. Unfortunately, we squandered too many opportunities, with many shots going over the bar.’
Clough anticipated Harrogate’s offensive efforts in the second half and felt that his team didn’t start as strongly as they did in the first half. However, they managed to keep Harrogate at a distance, something they hadn’t accomplished in previous seasons at Harrogate’s home ground. Goalkeeper Christy Pym had a relatively quiet evening.
Lucas Akins scored twice during the match, reaching the milestone of 100 league goals. Clough commended Akins for achieving this impressive feat while also highlighting his contributions as a team player, praising the quality of his finishes.”
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