Skip to content

Cox: We deserved the points

Image: Paul Cox: Happy with the three points

Mansfield manager Paul Cox felt his side fully deserved the three points they picked up from a 2-1 win at Exeter.

A debut goal by striker Rakish Bingham and a thunderous drive by Fergus Bell accounted for a poor Exeter side, who rallied after the break and reduced the arrears through Matt Grimes' terrific free kick. "I though the boys were excellent," Cox said. "It is the best first half away from home for a while, the game should have been wrapped up in the first 45 minutes. They came back into it in the second half and the boys had to be resolute and dig in. "It was a great strike from the boy (Grimes) but I can't remember our keeper having a save to make. We were structured and organised and thoroughly deserved to take all three points." On the excellent Bingham, who was released by Wigan and joined the Stags in midweek, he added: "People have said what potential he has got. He is only half fit at the moment, he hasn't played for two to three weeks. We have got ourselves a good player - someone who shouldn't be playing at this level. "We have worked hard to get him to this football club. You have only seen 50 per cent of his potential. It is amazing the boys responded and the first half performance was excellent, we played some great stuff. Credit to the boys, they have answered the critics in the right way. Exeter manager Paul Tisdale bemoaned his side's abject first half display and admits he is concerned after his side slipped to the foot of League Two. "I am disappointed with the result, but I am more disappointed with how we played in the first half and the way we started the game," he said. "We have some concerns about where we sit in the table, but the biggest concern is how we get some performances because that in the first half today was sub-standard. "I'm accountable for the result, but the players have to be accountable for their performances. We only had three players that came out with any credit today, one or two you can forgive because they haven't kicked a ball for a month, but ultimately, we played very poorly in the first half. "There was no lack of enthusiasm or a lack of effort, but the decision making was poor. We had to play more football and passes and we did that second half, but as I said to the team, it is a lot easier to do that when you are 2-0 down that at 0-0. "I have some thinking to do because that was just not good enough. As a team, we were woeful. We deserved a goal for our second half and it was a great strike by Matt Grimes, but does it matter? No because we lost."

Around Sky