Mansfield Town

Stanley winger Piero Mingoia gave the visitors the lead inside three minutes before striker Matt Green hit a brilliant equaliser to go into half-time level.

Second half goals from ex-Stag Billy Kee and substitute Terry Gornell ensured the three points went back to Lancashire, despite Chris Clements’ late free-kick.

After Green’s first-half equaliser, Stags enjoyed a dominant spell of possession leading up to half-time and Murray believes his side should have capitalised on some impressive build-up play.

“I think we’ve conceded three awful goals and then we’re nowhere near as clinical as we need to be at the other end. 

“We had two great chances where, if we’re clinical and we’re ruthless and we have a little bit more ‘X-Factor’, then it’s 3-1 and we go in at half-time and we’ve turned it around,” Murray continued.

“We can’t be on top in games and not finish them off, that’s the turning point for me today. When we got on top in the first half, we’ve got to finish them off there and then and go into half-time 3-1 [up].

“For half an hour [in the] first half, we made them look ordinary but then we concede a poor second goal and you’re chasing it (the game). Then they get the third one and [it’s] game over.”

Matt Green, who celebrates his 29th birthday today, was forced off in the second half after being on the receiving end of strong challenge just before half-time and Murray says the striker attempted to play on, despite being in pain.

“At half-time, he said ‘I don’t think I can carry on’ and we’ve asked him to dig in but 'he couldn’t run'. We’ve had to try and change it around and obviously you’re putting another player on who’s not 100%.

“We’ve chucked Adi [Yussuf] on to try and help us out but like I said before the game, he only had 15-20 minutes in him [because of a groin problem]. 

“We’ll assess him (Green) tomorrow and see how bad it is.”

Although Murray believes his side could’ve won the game by converting some of the chances they created in the first half, the gaffer says the visitors are a strong side.

“You’ve got to give them credit, they are where they are [in the league] because they’re a good team. They’ve got some of the best players in the league and at times that showed today – that definitive pass, that little bit of movement that makes the difference,” Murray said.

Murray added: “If we play on the front foot, we’re a very good team. For half an hour, we looked like the team we can be and what we were for the first quarter of the season and there’s not many [teams] that will live with us when we’re like that. 

“The teams that are in the top three and the top seven do that for ninety minutes, yes you’ll have an off-day, [but] you can’t just turn up for thirty minutes."

"I’ll keep giving my all and that’s all I can do but we know when we’re on our game, we’re a match for anybody in this league.”

You can watch Murray’s post-match interview, in full, on Stags Player.