Mansfield Town

Over the past week, we have slipped to 17th position in the division, following back-to-back defeats at Fleetwood Town and Burton Albion respectively.

Reflecting on the two encounters, Clucas said: “It’s very frustrating and I thought we played well in both games.

“The way we battled back from 4-2 down at Fleetwood, shows the spirit the boys have got. We’ve got confidence to go out and score goals, but it’s just about seeing the game out.

“When we’re at our best, we know that we can compete with any team in this league.”

Our match at the Pirelli Stadium with Burton Albion in midweek was settled by Billy Kee’s late header, but it’s a goal that Clucas feels should not have counted.

“Anyone who saw their goal will say that [we should have been given] a free-kick, but the referee didn’t see the foul,” continued the 23-year-old.

“I thought we should have been awarded a penalty too. I asked the referee and he said the ball hit their players arm and it wasn’t intentional, so he couldn’t give a penalty.

“I thought it was, but it’s one of those things. You can’t do anything about it now. You’ve just got to look forward to the next game, where we can hopefully get three points.”

Clucas added: “Any loss is difficult to take - especially with the run that we’re on, but against the big teams we’ve played very well and deserved to come away with some points.

“It’s very frustrating but we know if we keep sticking to what we’re doing, then the points will come.”

Our current top scorer, who has netted on 10 occasions since joining us from Hereford United in the summer, is also targeting more goals in the coming weeks.

“I’m happy with my goalscoring, but I’d prefer the team to be higher up in the league,” said Clucas. “If I keep on scoring and we start winning again, then I’ll be even happier. 

“I’m heading for 20 now, but we’ll see how many I can get altogether.”