Midfielder Ollie Clarke says Mansfield ‘laid down a marker’ by magnificently overcoming league leaders Stockport County 2-0 at Edgeley Park.
Second-half goals from George Maris [49’] and Davis Keillor-Dunn [90+12’] ensured a second victory of the season for Stags over the side who currently sit atop of Sky Bet League Two.
Mansfield have narrowed the gap between the clubs to two points whilst holding two games in hand on Stockport.
Manager Nigel Clough made four changes to the starting XI named in the club’s previous fixture, a move Clarke felt had a positive impact.
“We rotated the team a little bit to get some fresh legs in there,” he told iFollow Stags after the match. “I think it helped us to press them and stop them from breaking out.
“We created a number of opportunities today and that goes to show how good of a squad we’ve got.
“[It was] A great win for us. [There was] A brilliant atmosphere from the fans there, driving us on towards the end.
“[It was] A magnificent feeling for us to score a last-minute goal in front of the fans. It really does send a tingle down the spine.”
The number 8 assisted both goals in the game; the first, an outstanding in-swinging cross to meet the head of George Maris from close-range.
“I took the corner and I thought ‘I’ll try and swing it into the six-yard box and cause them a few problems’. Then it just came back out to me on my left [foot] and I whipped a nice ball in.
“It’s one of those where you feed it into an area and hope somebody gets on the end of it. [Maris] Managed to break free [of his marker] and arrived with perfect timing to fire it past the ‘keeper. It was lovely to see.”
Clarke says Mansfield can take great confidence in doing the double over Stockport to prolong the team’s impressive form into the New Year.
“We came here to lay down a marker,” he said. “Everyone played really well today.”
“Confidence is massive in football. If you’re playing with confidence, things come off for you and you do seem to play better.
“It’s a pleasure to be in and around these boys every day, everyone works hard, the standards are high and we keep demanding more of each other.”
The 31-year-old made his 400th professional appearance in all competitions in Mansfield’s 2-0 home victory over Grimsby on Boxing Day. He said: “It’s something that you don’t really keep track of.”
“Someone from Bristol Rovers texted me saying ‘if you play over Christmas then you’ll reach this milestone’.
“It’s not something I really keep track of but it’s a nice feeling to have achieved it. It’s a lot of games. I’ve enjoyed it so far but I think I’ve still got plenty of life left in me yet.”
