By kickspoll 
Mansfield Town boss Nigel Clough expressed pride in his squad for holding big-spending Birmingham City to a 1-1 draw, keeping the Stags in the top four of League One. A Lee Gregory free-kick earned the point against a talented Blues side, which Clough said would not be out of place in the Championship.
“We can take great heart and confidence that if we keep working like that, we can give most teams a game,” Clough said. “We know we’ll be outplayed at times, but if we hang on in there, we can make it difficult and maybe score.”
The Stags had a challenging first half and were disappointed with the scrappy goal they conceded after a throw-in. However, Clough emphasized the importance of going into half-time only 1-0 down. “They had some shots from distance, and we got some good blocks in without creating anything clear-cut ourselves,” he added.
After the equalizer, Mansfield created three chances that could have won the game. Clough praised his players’ resilience and the lift in momentum following the goal. “Technically, Birmingham are exceptionally good. We had to show other qualities to get something out of the game,” he noted.
Clough also commended his squad’s character, especially after losing to Stevenage earlier. “To get four points from the first two games tells us a lot about the squad,” he said.
Louis Reed missed the match due to a sore neck but is expected to be back for the Wrexham fixture in two weeks.