MANSFIELD Town manager Nigel Clough described the goalless draw with Latics as "a point in adverse circumstances".

The Stags went into the game a place and two points ahead of fellow strugglers Oldham, having failed to win since mid-August.

Both clubs have experienced an injury crisis, which worsened for Mansfield when George Maris was carried off on a stretcher with a head and neck injury midway through the first half.

The game was paused for 12 minutes while the midfielder received treatment following an aerial collision with his own team-mate, James Clarke.

But Clough, who also lost Oli Hawkins at the break to a groin strain, was pleased to report that Maris' injury was not serious, but they were right to take precautions in the circumstances.

“He (Maris) is sitting up in the treatment room," said Clough after the game. "He got a very nasty whack in the side of his head and neck area, which is why all of the precautions (took place).

“The time (it takes) doesn’t matter in those situations, you don’t take any risk with the player.

"But he’s up, talking and okay. I don’t think he was actually knocked out but he did get a big whack on the side of the head."

Asked how long Maris would be out for, Clough - whose injury list has now hit double figures - said: “We don’t know. We’ll just see how it settles in the next few days."

Mansfield had started to get on top before the break in play, and Clough was disappointed they were unable to pick up where they had left off in the first half.

“I thought the last 15 minutes of the first-half, we were very poor and they got on top. [Nathan] Bishop made a couple of great saves,” he told the club's website.

“Half-time came at a good time for us to get in and reorganise. We really had to give a rallying call for the second half.

“I thought in the second half we reorganised, went to 4-4-2, and I thought we were very good. Bish hasn’t had a save in the second-half, and I thought we created more than enough chances to get a goal.

“We’re snatching at (chances), which is a product of not scoring too many goals and not winning games.

“That’s our second clean sheet this season, and it’s a good one. It’s certainly a better feeling than last week, losing 1-0. It’s a point in adverse circumstances.”