Nigel Clough admitted Mansfield’s 2-1 Sky Bet League One victory at Wigan was ‘tough’ against a ‘far superior side to us’.
Wigan dominated in most areas at the Brick Community Stadium, creating far more chances, but the Stags recorded a huge away win to cement fourth spot in the table.
Will Evans put Mansfield ahead on the half-hour with a brilliant strike from 25 yards after a mistake from Wigan midfielder Baba Adeeko.
And although Thelo Aasgaard levelled the scores eight minutes after the restart, Keanu Baccus scored what proved to be the winner nine minutes later.
“It was a tough, tough night,” acknowledged Clough. “Football-wise, Wigan were a far superior side to us, apart from the quality of the goals we scored.
“And the work rate and the endeavour and the desire we showed, after losing (to Stevenage) on Saturday, has got us the three points.
“Some of the lads were dead on their feet at the end, but they managed to do what we asked of them.
“We needed fresh legs tonight, that’s why I made so many changes from Saturday, and we actually picked this team last Friday.
“We knew it was going to be a big pitch, against a good side, and we knew the players we needed for this game.
“When you’re facing a team as good on the ball as Wigan, when you do get an opportunity you have to take it.
“We nicked a couple of goals, we gave the ball away too much, but we’re delighted to come away with all three points.”
For Wigan boss Shaun Maloney, it was a real game of two halves, with the four changes he made at the interval seeing a much better effort after the break.
“I was really unhappy with the first half, but in the second half it was probably the opposite,” he said.
“The first 10 minutes were fine, and I was really angry for the rest of the first half for a lack of aggression, lack of intent to push forward in the game.
“I wanted us to be aggressive when Mansfield had the ball, and we weren’t…it was the opposite when they had it.
“We almost let them grow into the game, and it was two bad goals conceded from our point of view.
“I thought we played well in the second half but within that, I still think there’s certain areas where we have to get more people into – in the box basically.
“When we have our wingers and our ’10s’ in possession, we have to fill those positions and that was the only problem in the second half.
“We’re still in the habit of wanting the ball to feet, but I can’t ask any more of the players on the field in the second half and we’re just disappointed to concede from a set-play.
“That’s why I was so angry at half-time, and after the game, because we kind of just drifted in that first half. The word passive – with and without the ball – probably sums up that first half.”
