Mansfield boss Clough admits ‘team almost picked itself’

Mansfield boss Nigel Clough is hoping some of his injured players return as quickly as possible following a goalless draw with fellow League Two play-off hopefuls Sutton.

The Stags, with eight players missing, lost Riley Harbottle to a serious head injury after just 16 minutes while Elliott Hewitt battled on with a broken nose.

“When you get eight players out, now Riley as well, and Elliott playing with a broken nose, it’s tough,” he said after a second home goalless draw in four days.

“The team almost picked itself. Riley has gone to hospital to get checked out. You take no chances with head injuries and he will be looked after accordingly.

“Things are certainly not dropping for us – and we had enough situations today.

“Sutton are difficult to play against. They hope for a set-play or a long throw and they defend it accordingly if they get 1-0 ahead.

“So the last thing you want to do is go behind against them, and that is the first point we’ve got off them in two seasons.

“It’s another point and you’re three games unbeaten so it keeps a bit of confidence going as you go into the last nine games.

“We wanted to win at least one of our two home games this week. We’ve not quite managed to do it but we’ve got two clean sheets. And one thing no one can question is the effort of the players today.”

Neither goalkeeper was tested in a physical first half.

Sutton came back out the strongest and Ben Goodliffe headed just over while Christy Pym spread himself to deny ex-Stag Alistair Smith from point blank range.

The Stags also had their moments as Alfie Kilgour headed just over from a free-kick while Davis Keillor-Dunn curled just over the far angle as both sides drew a blank.

Sutton manager Matt Gray has injury problems too and lost David Ajiboye just before the break with a serious hand problem.

Gray said: “David dislocated his thumb socket and went to hospital – it didn’t look very nice on the touchline. And Coby Rowe got a cut but managed to carry on.

“But I was very pleased with a lot of aspects of our game today and we might have got even more out of it.

“It was a good point here. We got a clean sheet and looked very solid, organised and hard to beat.

“I don’t remember our keeper having a save to make. But on the flip side we probably haven’t worked their keeper as much as we’d have liked.

“We had a really good spell at the start of the second half with a few really good chances.

“But the game started to peter out after that and it was a bit of a cagey affair in the latter stages.”