Mansfield Town will try to recover and begin another unbeaten streak in a different Cup tournament after their incredible 19-game record came to an end in one.
The FA Cup match between Nigel Clough’s Stags and Wrexham this Saturday night will be broadcast live on television. The opportunity to turn things around after the season’s opening loss has arrived very quickly, but considering the competition, it won’t be an easy game.
The One Call Stadium will again be rocking under the lights, and in front of the television cameras, Clough will hope his men don’t freeze. The Reds have already visited before, and the game was a goalless stalemate, and since then they have gone on a run themselves that has seen them move into the top three ahead of their Saturday evening hosts.
Speaking ahead of the tie and reported in the local press, Clough was looking forward to what should be an exciting Cup tie. “I am expecting a good game between two of the top sides in League Two. Wrexham will be rested after the full seven days or whatever, and I am sure they will have loved the endeavor we put in on Tuesday night.
“For us, it would be nice to not lose back-to-back games, so we will give it a good go and get ready for it. I hope the magnitude of the game on Saturday night will lift the players after Tuesday. It’s what the FA Cup can bring if you can get through a couple of rounds, and we’d like to stay in it if we can.
“It is one of those occasions where you wish you had drawn someone about four leagues below you at home. It would be a slightly easier draw than one of the best teams, but it is what it is. We are out of one cup; let’s not go out of both. We still have the EFL Trophy on Tuesday too, but the league still remains our priority.”
Having lost out to Port Vale in the Carabao Cup, the Stags go into this game having welcomed back two players that will no doubt help their cause this weekend, and they will make up for the loss of another still ruled out.
“When you lose someone of Lucas Akins’ influence and ability from the team, it is very important we have Rhys Oates coming back. Thirty minutes was about as much as he could do on Tuesday night. But we were delighted to get him back involved, and you could see the threat he poses as soon as he started.
“Stephen McLaughlin is just working his way back too, and it’s next Tuesday against Everton U21 in the EFL Trophy when they will start. But it’s great to have them back involved. Now we want another cup run if we can. It is difficult to challenge on all fronts, as we have been doing for the last 19 games in all competitions, and we are incredibly proud of that.
“It was a great atmosphere under the lights against Port Vale, and our crowd really got behind us in the second half. We are going to need that again Saturday night.”
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