Mansfield manager Nigel Clough praised his side’s patience as they moved up into third place with a 1-0 home win over Barrow.
Stags are the only EFL side unbeaten this season in all competitions but were made to sweat until Ollie Clarke drilled in the 72nd-minute winner.
A red card in the 84th minute Junior Tiensia then sealed the Bluebirds’ fate.
“We needed that win,” said Clough. “We are not quite as fluent as we were a few weeks ago, but you grind them out.
“With nine players out at the moment, that is probably a good reason why we are disjointed at times.
“But one good finish and you win the game – it was an important clean sheet.
“In a few weeks’ time no one will remember the game, just the three points which have put us back up to third in the league. And I think there are going to be quite a few games like that here where we are going to have to be patient.
“The crowd are going to have to be patient as well. We are not always going to be having 25 shots, as much as we’d like to.”
Barrow had the edge in the first half and Emile Acquah missed the target with their two best chances.
Rory Feely also sent a free header over from a 58th-minute corner.
But Mansfield took control and Will Swan saw his shot deflect over, skimming the top of the crossbar on the hour.
Calum Macdonald escaped with a yellow card for his challenge on 70 minutes before Clarke broke through with a low finish from 20 yards from Swan’s pull-back from the left.
Tiensia then saw red on 83 minutes for diving in on Aaron Lewis.
Barrow boss Pete Wild felt the game proved his side can live with the best and he felt Stags had the rub of the green on the red cards.
“I thought first half we played really well and it was a classic away-from-home performance,” he said.
“Second half as the home team they pinned us in and I didn’t think we got out enough and got on the front foot.
“It is fine margins and it didn’t go our way. But there were mitigating circumstances and I feel hard done by.
“The turning point for me was they should have had a red card before ours. He dived in and left the floor. Our lad’s was a red though, which didn’t help us.
“They won it with the one shot we haven’t blocked in the whole game.
“There was nothing between the two teams which shows we can live with the top teams at this level. But they have just edged it today.”
