Flitcroft fumes with “unacceptable” Mansfield display

Boss David Flitcroft described Mansfield’s performance as “unacceptable” following the 2-0 defeat at struggling Forest Green.

Three draws and a defeat have made it a difficult start for the former Swindon manager, whose side sit in the final play-off position in League Two.

Goals after the break from Reuben Reid and Dayle Grubb boosted Forest Green’s survival hopes with the Stags finishing with 10 men following a second booking for captain Kyrstian Pearce.

Flitcroft said: “Disappointing is probably not a strong enough word to use.

“First half we huffed and puffed but the movement was good, we had some decent forward play and got into the final third, but we didn’t make enough impact and didn’t get enough shots on target.

“We never felt threatened by Forest Green in the first half. At half-time we asked the players to show more urgency and play with more purpose but it didn’t transpire.

“I was disappointed for our supporters. We’ve missed out on three tackles close to our supporters and if you get that right and have a desire to what you do then you have a good chance of winning any football match.

“Reuben Reid and Tahvon Campbell have dominated us all afternoon but I’m disappointed we didn’t have an impact on their centre-backs. That second half was unacceptable.

“We looked at the 4-3-3 in the reserve game and in training sessions to get the ball forward earlier and it worked to a point in the first half.”

Flitcroft pointed to an early injury to top scorer Danny Rose, adding: “It’s potential ligament damage. His foot stayed in the turf. Hopefully the weight force isn’t so severe but we’ll get an assessment [on Sunday].”

Meanwhile, Forest Green boss Mark Cooper thinks one more win from the final seven games will see his side clear of relegation.

He said: “We just focus on what the job is until the end of the season and that job is to make sure we stay in the Football League. I wanted two wins from our last eight, so that is one chalked off.

“It was good that we responded from a poor performance the other night at Crewe and it was important we bounced back and we did it and we looked really organised and worked hard.

“We looked really professional and not in any real trouble, a really big three points for us.”