David Flitcroft delighted with win over former club

Posted Thursday, December 27, 2018 by PA

Mansfield manager David Flitcroft was beaming with pride after Town beat his former club Bury to move third in League Two.

CJ Hamilton made the breakthrough on the hour mark, nodding home after Joe Murphy saved, before Tyler Walker sealed it from the penalty spot 11 minutes from time.

Jay O’Shea replied with a last-gasp penalty for the Shakers.

“I thanked the players as it was personal today,” said Flitcroft.

“It was a club I spent a lot of time at and I was incredibly successful there. I put my heart and soul into that football club.

“We moved the ball brilliantly today. We hurt them at every opportunity and their keeper was absolutely brilliant.

“We didn’t start off too well, but when we got our teeth into it, you could feel that engagement between supporters and players.”

Mansfield are now 15 league games unbeaten and sit six points off leaders Lincoln.

Flitcroft added: “The winning run continues. We are being consistent and we are fit enough to see games out.

“We’re not at the halfway stage yet and we have two games in hand. We’re making records and we keep improving.”

Mansfield goalkeeper Conrad Logan had to save from Eoghan O’Connell and Caolan Lavery in the early stages.

But the hosts finally took a grip and, after Walker and Hamilton were denied by Murphy and O’Connell had headed against his own bar, they were ahead in the 61st minute.

Jacob Mellis chipped a sublime pass down the centre and the pacey Hamilton netted at the second time of asking with his head after Murphy blocked the initial effort.

Referee Ollie Yates then spotted holding on Ryan Sweeney at a corner and Walker bagged his 15th goal of the season from the penalty spot.

O’Shea’s spot-kick reply came too late after Matt Preston had felled Nicky Maynard.

Bury boss Ryan Lowe said: “We were not good enough. That was not us. We showed a lack of quality and poor decision-making and it’s cost us.

“I don’t know if you put it down to a bad day at the office, but I didn’t really see the desire today to want to really run through those brick walls.

“Mansfield are a good team. We knew that. And they probably wanted it a bit more which is disappointing.”

The Mansfield penalty was the decisive moment and Lowe said: “The referee was right there.

“You can argue the lad was blocking Tommo (Adam Thompson) and Will (Aimson), but you just can’t put your arms round someone’s neck in the penalty area – simple as that.

“You give the referee a decision to make and he’s made one – right or wrong.”