Mansfield Town boss Adam Murray believes his side’s 3-1 victory over Barnet this afternoon was ‘utterly professional’.
The Stags produced an assured display to win 3-1 against Barnet at the Hive Stadium, with Reggie Lambe and Matt Green both on target combined with a late own-goal by Bees’ defender Elliot Johnson.
Speaking post-match, Murray said his players dealt with the difficult conditions superbly as they emerged from the Sky Bet League Two fixture with all three points.
“I thought it was an utterly professional performance. From your position and the public’s in the stands, you don’t realise how strong the wind was today.
“We had it first half and we had it against us in the second. You could see that in the second half we couldn’t get the ball out at times as it was blowing back in, so credit to the boys today.
“I think some of our play at times was superb, especially in the first-half and we knew today we needed to get our passing sequence as much as we could over six [passes].
“Credit to the lads today, they bounced back from Tuesday night and we achieved what we set out to do which is get three points and be in seventh spot before the mini-break.”
Murray stated that he has learned a lot from the mistakes his team made against Exeter City in midweek and paid credit to his players for reacting in the way they did.
“I won’t lie to you, I got in touch with Paul Tisdale on Wednesday and congratulated him for inspiring me after our loss in midweek,” said Murray.
“It was a defeat I took a lot from; it was the first time as a manager I felt like I’d been beaten. That loss against me personally meant a lot, and I think the boys took on the work we had done this week and I think today you’ve seen the real Mansfield Town as we dominated the majority of it (the match).”
With three big talking points in the match regarding both the red cards shown to Barnet’s Josh Clarke and Stags’ midfielder Chris Clements, along with the penalty decision in favour of the hosts, Murray believes the referee got it spot on with all three calls.
“Going off what I saw live I think the referee probably got them all correct,” he said.
“I think the wind caused a problem for the through ball and we didn’t judge it right, it’s gone through and Brian [Jensen] did what he could but the lad has played for it and fair play to him.
“Chris has reacted to being fouled before-hand and tried to close down. When you’re on a booking you have to be really careful and the referee was there on the spot to give it.”
With the Stags without a competitive match for two weeks, Murray is planning to set up a practice match for some of his fringe players next weekend as they look to keep active while some of their rivals compete in the Emirates FA Cup.
Murray continued: “We are going to use it as a multi-functional period to give the lads a physical and psychological rest.
“I think the cups have been a hindrance for us this season because of this small squad, and being out of it now gives us the chance to recuperate.
“We will probably have a behind closed doors game towards the end of next week and get minutes into people’s legs and be fully prepared for a tough game against Leyton Orient.”
You can view Murray's interview, in full, on Stags Player.
