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Archived News from March 2022

CLOUGH REFLECTS ON TRANMERE GAME & PREVIEWS VALE
18th March 2022 0:05


We have reason to be ‘confident’ - manager
mansfieldtown.net, Monday 14th March 2022

Mansfield Town manager Nigel Clough says his squad have reason to be full of ‘confidence’ ahead of tomorrow evening’s clash away at Port Vale.

The Stags conceded a 95th minute winner away at promotion rivals Tranmere on Friday night but the boss still believes his players should be in high spirits following a fine sequence of 14 league matches unbeaten prior to the game at Prenton Park.

Speaking in his news conference ahead of the game at Port Vale, the boss said: “We should still be [full of confidence] because of the run we’ve had.

https://www.mansfieldtown.net/news/2022/march/we-have-reason-to-be-confident--manager/

“I said before the Exeter game that the next three games will sort it out [how the end of the season will play out] one way or another.

“We won one and lost one and I think this will go a long way in deciding how we fare in the last 12 [matches].”

Friday night’s narrow loss at Tranmere provided frustration for the Stags’ chief.

“To be four minutes away from maintaining the unbeaten run makes it even worse,” he said.

“We’ll try and learn from it and analyse what we did [wrong] on the evening.

“I thought Tranmere were very good on the day. You have to match them physically and then play from there, I don’t think we did either.

“Having got back to 2-2 in the 91st minute, we should be getting at least a point from the game.

“With six or seven minutes to go, do we leave big Oli Hawkins up front and try and get a winner?

“We’ve been positive all season, trying to play and go for the wins - should we have put him back [in defence] and tried to shut-up-shop?

“Because we lost the game, the answer will be that we made the wrong decision.

“We look at the performance as a separate entity to the result.

“We weren’t brilliant on the night.”

The manager did take pride, however, in his team’s opening goal.

“I thought we scored a superb goal, the first goal we scored, another team goal which will be up there as a contender for Goal of the Season.

“Then we get back into it, irrespective of whether we’re trying to get back into the game or not we still shouldn’t be conceding that [late] goal.

“We’ll have a good chat today about it. Everybody will gather their own thoughts and we’ll discuss it.

“There are 13 games to go, that’s all. We’ve got less than a third of the season left to go.

“I think we’ve thrown away three points in the last few weeks, the two at Newport and one at Tranmere the other night. I think everything else is as it should’ve been.

“It’s been an incredible run.”

Defender James Perch came off the bench against Rovers. The gaffer felt the 36-year-old provided composure to the Stags’ backline.

“I thought he used calmness and even though we did concede late on, he wasn’t involved in that at all.

“It was nice to get him on the pitch and he’s in contention like everybody else for Port Vale.

“He’s ready to start at any time.”

The gaffer provided an update on three of the squad’s injuries from the Tranmere game.

“When you pick up the three injuries that we did, it certainly didn’t help our cause on Friday night,” said Nigel.

“Losing Lucas Akins early on in the game and Quinn and Rawson, they’re all doubts for Port Vale.

“Lucas Akins [has a] tight hamstring, Faz Rawson [received a] whack in the face and Stephen Quinn [has an] ankle [injury].

“I would think that Lucas would be the most doubtful, the other two have got an outside chance [to play against Port Vale].”

Watch the manager's news conference in full now by clicking here.

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Mansfield Town to stick to attacking away game plan at Port Vale
chad.co.uk, By John Lomas, Monday 14th March 2022

Mansfield Town will stick to their attacking away game plan at Port Vale tomorrow night, despite their 14-game unbeaten run being halted at the death at Tranmere on Friday.

Stags had only just levelled at 2-2 in stoppage time at the end and almost won it before conceding a very late goal.

“We will keep trying to play the same way as that is what got us the unbeaten run - being positive, going forward and scoring goals home and away,” said boss Nigel Clough.

“We just have to match that with a bit more defensive solidity.

https://www.chad.co.uk/sport/football/trio-doubtful-as-attacking-stags-stick-to-their-guns-3610764

“For our fans, to travel to a lot of away games over the last couple of months and not see your team lose is a big thing, as is scoring goals.

“We scored another two away from home on Friday night - two good goals.

“Having just got back to 2-2 in the 91st minute you should be getting at least a point from the game.

“But it's a difficult one. With six or seven minutes to go, do we leave big Oli Hawkins up front and try to get a winner, which is the positive way we've been all season, trying to get the wins, or do we pull him back and try to shut up shop?

“Obviously as we lost the game the answer would be we made the wrong decision.

“It hurts, especially in the circumstances, being four minutes away from maintaining the unbeaten run. That made it even worse.

“But we have to try to learn from it and the reasons why.

“You analyse the evening. Did we pick the right team, did we make the right subs, did we do the right things in the last few minutes of the game?

“These things just go round in your head.”

With former Stag Aidan Stone in goal, Vale smashed Crawley Town 4-1 on Saturday and a run of one defeat in 11 games and away points at Forest Green and Tranmere has them breathing down Mansfield's necks, one place and three points behind in 10th.

A Vale win would see them leapfrog Stags but having played a game more.

They will again be without manager and former Stags midfielder Darrell Clarke, who is away on compassionate leave after the death of a family member, but do have another ex-Stag, Adam Murray, temporarily drafted onto the coaching team.

“Port Vale had a great result on Saturday,” said Clough.

“It is a very sad situation there at the moment with Darrell Clarke unfortunately and that will be at the forefront of our minds when we go there.

“They will be full of confidence from Saturday but we should still be as well because of the run we've had.

“I said before the Exeter game these three games will sort it out one way or another and we have won one and lost one.

“I think this one will go a long way to deciding how we fare in the last 12.”

He added: “We are not feeling pressure.

“It's been a long time since Mansfield were in League One. So it's not as if it's been the case where it's been a League One club for many years or a lot of occasions.

“So anything we achieve in that respect I think would be unexpected outside of Mansfield and a big bonus for everybody.

“There are only 13 games to go - that's all. It's less than a third of the season, so every game is important.

“I think we have thrown away three points in recent weeks, the two at Newport and the defeat at Tranmere. Everything else has been as it should have been.

“It has been an incredible run but we have to try to gain those three points back somewhere. If we had those three points we would be sat in the play-off positions still.”

The game at Vale will be a fifth away trip in six outings but Stags still have games in hand.

“All of a sudden teams have gone past us in terms of games played and we do have two or three in hand on some of them. So the aim now is to make them count,” said Clough.

“There has been an imbalance of away games for the last couple of months as every game that was cancelled, whether to the weather or Covid, seemed to be away from home.

“After Port Vale it will be seven away and five at home so it levels up a little bit and that's not so bad.”

Stags have three injury doubts from the Tranmere defeat.

“We picked up three injuries which certainly didn't help our cause on Friday night,” said Clough.

“We lost Lucas Akins early in the game and then Quinn and Rawson and they are all doubts for Port Vale with Lucas the most doubtful. The other two have an outside chance.

“Lucas has a tight hamstring, Faz Rawson took a whack to the face and Stephen Quinn hurt his ankle.

“But we have still got plenty of options.”

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James Perch finally fit and back in contention for a start for Mansfield Town
chad.co.uk, By John Lomas, Monday 14th March 2022

One of the brightest moments for Mansfield Town in Friday's 3-2 defeat at Tranmere Rovers was the sight of James Perch coming on for the last 26 minutes.

After expecting to miss the entire season with a fractured skull after a freak training ground accident, the vastly experienced Perch has returned early and recently made a couple of late cameo appearances as well as getting some fitness in U23 matches.

But Friday marked his full return and manager Nigel Clough said: “He came through it well.

“I think he oozes calmness, even though we did concede late on - he wasn't involved in that. It was nice to get him on the pitch and he is now in contention like everyone else for selection.

https://www.chad.co.uk/sport/football/james-perch-finally-fit-and-back-in-contention-for-a-start-for-mansfield-town-3612391

“His fitness levels are okay now. He played 90 minutes against Leeds United in the Premier League Cup which was god for him to be back on the pitch again. He can start anytime now.”

However, fellow defender Farrend Rawson suffered another head injury on the night and Clough hopes teams can soon be allowed to make five subs again.

“We couldn't use a concussion substitute unfortunately. They do the protocols on the pitch and didn't class it as concussion. We could have done with it,” he said.

“I hope they change the rules back as last year, with Covid, we were allowed five subs.

“It seems quite bizarre that in the FA Cup you have a different amount of substitutes to a league game.

“I hope it's under discussion that we can make five subs next year on three different occasions as you can in the cup.”

If Rawson misses out tonight at Port Vale, Perch will be in contention to replace him though Stags also have the option of playing John-Joe O’Toole, who is available again after suspension, as well.

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