Boss says point accumulated in draw with table-toppers can be used as a building block.
Manager Adam Murray insists that the point gained and positive aspects of todayâs 0-0 draw with top of the table Wycombe Wanderers can be used by our team as a building block for the rest of the campaign.
Despite a gulf of 19 places between the two sides in the league table, the Stags were by far the better team and would have bagged maximum points had it not been for some fabulous saves by Chairboysâ custodian Matt Ingram.
âThe fact weâve gone toe-to-toe with the team who are top of the league and put them on the back foot for a lot of the game speaks volumes,â said Murray.Â
âPeople will have the same view as me in that we should have won the game, but it was a massive point with loads of positives to take and we keep building.â
He continued: âThe biggest word at the minute for the boys is âbelieveâ because I canât ask any more of the boys. Iâve asked for passion, commitment and desire and a concentration and a high level of technical ability and theyâre giving me that so I canât get angry or mad at them, because they canât give me any more.
âIf they keep doing that and we donât come up against world-class goalkeepers every week, then weâll start getting some goals.
âAt the minute, weâre taking games to teams and weâre creating a hell of a lot of chances. The important thing is that we stay on our path, we believe in what weâre doing and the goals will come.â
Undoubtedly for Murray, the most pleasing aspect of this afternoonâs game was the clean-sheet kept by loanee âkeeper â our first shut-out in over a month and one which comes just seven days after defensive errors contributed greatly to our 3-2 defeat to Exeter City.
âThatâs the most important thing,â added Murray. âWe said before the game and during the week that we needed to start defending like it meant something.
âWe know that weâre going to create chances with the way we set-up, work and go about things, but itâs important for us now that we do the nasty side and do what I call âdefending your grannyâs houseâ because youâd never let anyone in there.
âIf we get back to doing the basics and the nasty stuff, then the results will come.â
Murray also had praise for defender Ryan Tafazolli, who made his first appearance since our 1-1 draw with Hartlepool United on Boxing Day, in todayâs game.
Our boss added: âThe way he is towards the game when heâs not at 110% his focus drifts, but he kept hold of that really well today.Â
âA big part of his learning curve is his game-management and organisation skills. He knows that they have to be lifted and I thought him and Michael Raynes were superb.â