"There was a lot of happiness in the dressing room," he said.
"It was a good feeling for us again. We created lots of chances and there was a little bit of frustration there that we didn't take some of them.
"But when McLeod scored it got us over the hill. The win was so important for the guys because it has been an intense time for them."
Stags boss Adam Murray admitted that Notts had them pinned back.
"Their formation was 4-2-4 and they had this down as a must-win to give their group a little bit of confidence," he said. "They pinned us back and we had to change it a little bit. But I think in the first 15-20 minutes, Adie (Yussuf) should score.
"And an Adie that has been playing does score."