Recent exertions 'caught up' with Stags - Clough

Mansfield Town boss Nigel Clough has said his side's FA Cup run and busy schedule in League One "caught up" with his players in Saturday's draw with Barnsley.

The Stags came from 2-0 down to rescue a point against the Tykes on Saturday.

It was Mansfield's fourth game in 11 days - a sequence which included the FA Cup fifth-round defeat by Premier League leaders Arsenal.

"This was the one where it's caught up with us," Clough told BBC Radio Nottingham.

"We were toying with putting fresh legs out there but because we had played so well last Tuesday [against Reading], we didn't want to tinker too much and maybe, with hindsight, we should have done."

Clough made just one change to the team that had beaten the Royals 1-0 for the game against Barnsley four days later.

He did make three alterations at the break, with his side 1-0 down, but the Tykes doubled their lead early in the second half.

Mansfield rallied and earned a point thanks to a penalty converted by 37-year-old Lucas Akins and 35-year-old Stephen McLaughlin's stoppage-time equaliser.

"It shows the value of the experienced players at this level," Clough said.

"We've got youngsters on the bench in [19-year-old] Ollie Irow and [20-year-old] Joe Gardner, but sometimes it might be a bit too much for them. It was the sort of game where you needed the experience out there.

"It could have been a fresh legs day, but we've nicked a point."