Kevin Nolan: 'Notts County players deserved more from Mansfield Town game'

Notts County manager Kevin Nolan has claimed that the weekend 1-1 draw with Mansfield Town felt like a defeat to his players.

Terry Hawkridge gave the Magpies the lead in Saturday's League Two derby, played in front of a bumper crowd at Meadow Lane and in wintry conditions.

However, referee Andy Woolmer played beyond the seven minutes of stoppage time and, when Alessandra handballed with his arm in the area, he awarded Mansfield a penalty.

Kane Hemmings then slotted home from 12 yards out to give David Flitcroft's side a share of the spoils, leaving Nolan bemoaning a “poor” decision and hoping it won't have repercussions later in the season.

“It’s not that it plays on your mind, it’s what it does to you at the end of the season,” he told the Nottingham Post. “If we miss out on a playoff place by two points what are we going to look back at?

“They (referees) can’t keep getting things wrong and my lads deserved more.

“They managed everything exceptionally well and they should have come off that pitch looking forward to a couple of days off with their friends and families.

“They should have been happy, but they were not because of another poor decision. It felt like a defeat to them because they were robbed of three points.”

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