Mansfield Town stretched their unbeaten home League Two run to five matches with a hard-fought goalless draw against early season promotion favourites Plymouth Argyle.

The visitors threatened to run away with the game in the opening 25 minutes, creating four good chances. Reuben Reid volleyed against the bar and keeper Brian Jensen blocked Ryan Brunt – a feat he twice repeated from free kicks in the second half.

The Stags hung on and created chances of their own. Nathan Thomas fired wide in the first half and in the second period Mitchell Rose was denied by the keeper, Matt Green chipped into the side netting and substitute Adi Yussuf flicked an excellent cross by fellow replacement Matty Blair – his first appearance of the season after recovering from injury – past the post.

Afterwards manager Adam Murray said: ““We haven’t lost and I am always happy when we don’t lose football matches, but we did have chances to take the game.

“They are an exceptional team and they changed their shape, personnel the way they play, which I took as a mark of respect for our team.

“In the first half we were slow out the blocks. We didn’t control the game enough.

“My biggest frustration at the minute is that my team doesn’t believe how good it is. We are a very good team.

“In the second half, like at Luton, there was a bit more spark. Because we have a lot of young kids we need to get them believing how good they are as individuals and as a team.

“When we do that we will cause every team in this league problems. It’s part of the building process.

“We have come up against one of the best teams in this league this afternoon and looked strong.

“That belief will only come with results. They need to have that confidence to keep expressing themselves as individuals.

“Don’t worry about mistakes as you sometimes have to make mistakes to get better. That’s a time thing. It won’t happen overnight. We can’t click our fingers and everyone go in and have two pints of belief.

“The good thing for me in a strange way is the boys are in there and it’s like we’ve lost as they expect us to win games week in week out.

“We wanted the win today. But we said from the start of the season that whatever happens this season we are going to aim to never lose two on the bounce. It was a good point but I thought we did enough second half to win it.

“We got the base in the game I liked to do, put Adi (Yussuf) on, went two up top and I felt we should have won it.

“The only time they were going to break us down was from a corner or our mistakes.

“We haven’t got one of the best defensive records in our division for no reason.”