With a challenging away match, a home match against an unexpected team, and another away day against a side that might still make a late playoff push, manager Nigel Clough now believes that they are entering a crucial week.
The victory over County demonstrated the tenacity with which Clough has built his club following a crushing defeat in which he and other staff members were hit with disciplinary actions. Their first victory in five games helped them prepare well for the challenging games that lie ahead.
“Even though there are just nine points in play, this will be a crucial moment. This season, Forest Green has had numerous coaching changes, among other things.
This coming Saturday is the opening game in this run of games, against Forest Green.
“They were the best club in League Two when we played them, and if there was one team you felt would make it, it was them. It doesn’t seem like that long ago.
“Unfortunately, they have fallen back and are once more having difficulty at the wrong end. Thus, I believe that their appointment of Steve Cotterill was the most prudent one they could have made given the circumstances. He will, in my opinion, increase their chances.
It is definitely a possible banana skin. On Saturday, they led 2-0 at Colchester, and the game ended 3-3. They will feel a sense of optimism about their ability to stay up that they haven’t felt in a few months with Steve’s arrival. They will undoubtedly be aiming for a victory at home on Saturday, regardless of the opponent.
Naturally, Mansfield will start that match as the favourite, but on Tuesday night they play Harrogate Town, who are now in the hunt for a postseason spot. “I believe that they have performed incredibly well nearly since our triumph there.
Even though we played really well that night, I felt like we were definitely copping for them on a really bad night. However, we have seen how challenging they are over the last two or three seasons.
They are unbeaten on the road for a considerable amount of time, having drawn at Stockport on Saturday. The fact that they also added a few quality players on deadline day means that this will be extremely difficult.
They travel to Walsall, who are still hoping to make a late playoff push, to cap off the week. Clough will be hopeful that some of his players return from the training facility after being pulled off during Saturday’s victory due to an illness that has been spreading there. Baily Cargill has also been struck down.
Conversely, he will be pleased to see Jordan Bowery and Stephen Quinn return. The latter two having completed their one-game suspension that was imposed following their red card at Wimbledon.
Mansfield Town remains firmly in the middle of the fight for automatic promotion. They proved they were capable of winning the match against Notts County, and they will be disappointed not to have taken at least a point from the fierce match at Wimbledon.
The three upcoming games will present them with various obstacles since every opponent is vying for points for different reasons. If they defeat the team with the most points, it will have taken a lot of work, and Clough, who is always ambitious, will undoubtedly try for that.
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