Opposition view: Clough rues Mansfield's luck after 'absolutely brilliant' Stags lose to Cobblers

Cobblers had the better of a tight game up until Cameron McGeehan headed them in front shortly after half-time, but from then on it was all one-way traffic as Mansfield tried and failed to find an equaliser.

Jordan Rhodes missed two good chances and there were numerous other close shaves as the Stags suffered their sixth defeat in a row.

"I didn’t think there was anything in it until their goal,” said Clough. “They pressed with long throws, set-pieces and things like that. We tried to get it down as best as we could but we didn’t create too much before the goal.

"We had a good chance with Caylan Vickers in the first half but I thought from the point they scored until the end we were absolutely brilliant. The character and the spirit we showed gives us an awful lot of optimism going forward.

"We were putting the ball into good areas and I feel for Jordan Rhodes because he’s made a career out of putting those chances away. He can’t believe it and we can’t believe it. He scores one, we get a point. He scores both, we win the game. That’s the difference at the moment – they get free at a corner and score and we don’t take our chances. That’s the way it’s going.

"We highlighted set-pieces during the week but it’s just one man getting free and a header and it costs you the game. They defended very well but we did create enough to score and I thought we were very good in the last 30 minutes. We just needed one to break in the penalty area.

“In the first half we were a bit tentative. They are very good at closing you down, stopping you playing and putting the ball back on you but the character we showed in the second half stands us in good stead.”