Barnet manager Paul Fairclough was full of praise for his players after a stirring fightback at Mansfield this afternoon.

The Bees came from two down to earn a point.

Fairclough said: "The players responded magnificently."

But Fairclough also earned praise himself for an inspired triple substitution midway through the second half.

After starting with just Cliff Akurang up front, he threw on Anthony Thomas, Adam Birchall and Jason Puncheon. The first two players scored, while the latter set up one goal.

Fairclough said: "You have to respond to the situation. To be fair, Mansfield should have been out of sight. It was my intention to unleash Birchall and Thomas at some point. We had to do something to affect the game.

"I think we could have won if there had been more time. We finished very strongly."

The manager admitted that he perhaps should have started with two up front.

"Hindsight is a wonderful thing," he said.

However, he was more than satisfied with a point, which gives Barnet 50 in total, after looking dead and buried.

"Mansfield did everything right for 60 minutes. I think we are now safe," Fairclough added.