Archived News from October 2023
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CLOUGH INJURY UPDATES
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Nigel Clough told iFollow Stags, Mon 16 Oct 2023
"Rhys Oates and Stephen McLaughlin are coming along well. Realistically I think we are looking at the Everton game in the EFL Trophy on the 7th (Nov) for them both to feature. "And Stephen Quinn will probably be a few weeks after that. "Elliott Hewitt's on schedule for February time." ---------------------- Mansfield Town boss Nigel Clough warns Forest Green Rovers will be no pushovers as Stags aim to extend unbeaten run chad.co.uk, By John Lomas, Mon 16 Oct 2023 Mansfield Town take their phenomenal 17-game unbeaten start to the season into Saturday's home clash with second-bottom Forest Green Rovers. But boss Nigel Clough warned the visitors would be no pushovers. Stags' season hit new heights on Saturday with a magnficent 4-1 away local derby win at leaders Notts County to push Stags into the top three. But a delighted Clough said: “It's a long season and we won't get carried away in October as we've not even played a third of the games yet. https://www.chad.co.uk/sport/football/mansfield-town-boss-nigel-clough-warns-forest-green-rovers-will-be-no-pushovers-as-stags-aim-to-extend-unbeaten-run-4374129 “I wish it was April. Saturday was three points and a good victory - and I know it means a lot more to everybody as it was a Nottinghamshire derby. “Being 17 games unbeaten I think is more of an achievement than just the one off on Saturday. You can have a one off game but to do it over 17 games and not be beaten is special. “This is where the draws are important as well. All of a sudden we draw three games and we haven't won, which is not ideal. “But when you win all of a sudden you have six points from four games and you stay unbeaten as well. “We have just had four tough games in a row so to come out of it unscathed and unbeaten is a big achievement. The run also includes winning at Hillsborough and beating Peterborough. “We started on 4th August, so to still be unbeaten in all competitions by mid-October is a hell of an achievement so far.” He added: “We have been building for nearly three years, gradually improving along with way with better players and better performances. “Confidence grows and 17 games unbeaten is a great achievement from the start of a season. Sometimes you get these runs during a season when you get into a run of games but to do it from the first day is a much bigger achievement. “We have good players coming back from injury soon and we will try to keep this run going as long as possible.” Forest Green hit some form last weekend, beating fellow strugglers Colchester 5-0 and Clough said: “We have seen Forest Green a few times this season and all the reports coming back say they are a good team. “All of a sudden they have struggled a little bit and are in the bottom few, but they are far better than their league position suggests. “It probably says a lot about the strength of the league where everybody can beat anybody. “When you have a player like Troy Deeney up front it is an extremely dangerous one for us on Saturday. “I think they have changed their style a bit after having a few different managers. They mix it up at the moment. “It is a very dangerous game for us. Everyone looks at the league table and sees third playing second bottom, so it's a home win. They are the iffy ones.” Ex-Forest Green defender Baily Cargill netted his first goal for Stags last weekend but a fifth yellow card means he will miss out on facing his former club. “It's not ideal. We did have a dilemma over the decision to play him or Lewis Brunt on Saturday. “They both did very well in training on Friday but we decided to go for experience. “Baily popped up with his first goal but he got that yellow card, so Lewis Brunt just comes straight back in.” ------------------------------ North Stand return for Stags fans could be big promotion booster believes Mansfield Town manager Nigel Clough chad.co.uk, By John Lomas, Mon 16 Oct 2023 Nigel Clough believes the return of home fans to the North Stand could provide another huge boost to his side's promotion bid. The spiritual home of Stags supporters, the stand was given over to away fans many seasons ago. But on Saturday the club will try an experiment of allowing 577 home fans to use blocks A and B with a view to using those blocks whenever away support is likely to be small like on Saturday when Forest Green Rovers visit. “I think it's great,” said the Stags boss. “In an ideal world you want your home supporters behind both goals. https://www.chad.co.uk/sport/football/north-stand-return-for-stags-fans-could-be-big-promotion-booster-believes-mansfield-town-manager-nigel-clough-4374316?fbclid=IwAR236N57OkwSXKwl1PxlvnlwmxdrBsMQC4oVxcZ-ZPGtQXPv_K4rB4yR9vI “The noise coming out of the Main Stand is incredible but if we could get our supporters behind both goals I think that would be great going forward. “When we first came we were getting 3,500-5,000, so to be getting in the 7,000s and 8,000s I think is testament to, I think, people wanting to come and watch how we play. “Momentum is building we hope. “Everybody knows our aim this season and hopefully we are building towards that. “It's a bigger picture as it's all throughout the club too. The Academy are doing well at the moment and it's getting the club on really good footing to make progress in the future.” The move to use parts of the North Stand comes following a remarkable rise in home attendances, which has led to an average crowd of 7,523 at One Call Stadium so far this season. In this latest development, the club is endeavouring to maximise the capacity of One Call Stadium for Stags’ supporters as part of its ambitions to continue to increase revenue and maximise the support for Clough and the players. The club will use Saturday as a trial-run and, depending on its success, will look to make available the same blocks to home supporters for future games where the number of travelling supporters is anticipated to be low. The conduct and behaviour of supporters is therefore paramount to ensuring the success of this trial and for future prospective home games. Tickets for these blocks are available to purchase online via http://www.stagstickets.co.uk or by visiting the ticket office at One Call Stadium or by telephone (01623 482 482, option 1).Due to the logistics involved, the transferring of current season ticket holders from either the Quarry Lane Stand or Ian Greaves Stand to the North Stand cannot be facilitated.Supporters who acquire tickets in the North Stand for the match should enter One Call Stadium via gates 16/17 of the Ian Greaves Stand. Before being escorted by stewards to the North Stand, there will be a secondary checkpoint for tickets, which will be conducted in between the Ian Greaves and North Stand. Home supporters in the North Stand will have access to portable toilets as well as an additional refreshment kiosk. Alcohol will not be available, however, home supporters in the North Stand can access the kiosks in the Ian Greaves lower tier and in the Fan Zone area outside Sandy’s Bar & Kitchen, at half-time. To segregate home and away supporters, netting will separate the seating areas while barriers will be in place at the rear of the stand.After the match, home supporters in the North Stand should exit via gate 12 and then through the Ian Greaves Stand car park and onto Quarry Lane. The gate in between the Ian Greaves Stand and North Stand will be closed as normal and therefore, exiting the stadium via Portland Retail Park for home supporters will not be accessible. ----------------------- Boss hails ‘great’ decision to allow Stags’ fans in North Stand on Saturday mansfieldtown.net Mansfield Town manager Nigel Clough says the club’s decision to allow home supporters in the North Stand for Saturday’s match at home to Forest Green Rovers is a ‘great’ one. Home supporters will have access to blocks A and B of the stand, which is ordinarily given solely to away supporters, allowing more Stags’ supporters inside One Call Stadium. Demand for home tickets has been increased further in recent weeks with Mansfield coming off the back of a Nottinghamshire Derby 4-1 win on Saturday at Meadow Lane; extending the club’s unbeaten streak to 17 matches. Speaking to iFollow Stags in a news conference yesterday, Nigel said: “I think it’s great. “In an ideal world you want your home supporters behind both goals. https://www.mansfieldtown.net/news/2023/october/boss-hails-great-decision-to-allow-stags-fans-in-north-stand-on-saturday/ “The noise coming out of the main stand is incredible but if we could get our supporters behind both goals I think that would be great going forward. “To be getting in the seven and eight [thousands at One Call Stadium] is brilliant; testament to I think to people wanting to come and watch how we play.” On the weekend’s dominant victory at Notts County, the gaffer added: “It was a stunning result. “The game was a little bit strange in some ways in that we haven’t come out of too many this season where we have had a third of the possession. “So, then it becomes about two things: When Notts are so good with the ball, first of all it’s about what we do with the ball when we get it and also where Notts have the majority of the possession. “I thought on those two aspects of the game, we were absolutely brilliant. “When we had the ball, we hurt them with 21 shots - scoring four goals and we restricted Notts to just a few opportunities.” Mansfield remain the only unbeaten side in England in all competitions. “That [the unbeaten run] is more of an achievement I think,” said the boss. “You can get a one-off good game but to do it over 17 games and not be beaten [is fantastic]. “This is where the draws are important as well.” The only downside from the contest was Baily Cargill’s fifth booking of the season. The defender will miss this weekend’s match through suspension. “We went with experience on the day,” Nigel said. “Baily’s popped up with his first goal, but he got that yellow card. “Lewis Brunt comes straight back in [on Saturday].” Stags face Derby County this afternoon in the Central League Cup at RH Academy. Nigel provided an update on who might feature from the first team. “We’re keen to keep the lads ticking over. “A few of the subs [from the Notts County win] will play an hour or more because then you look ahead and think the next EFL Trophy game is not until 07 November. “We’ll get a few [first teamers] out there. James Gale and Will Swan will play and maybe Callum Johnson and George Williams - just to keep their minutes up. “It’s difficult to make too many changes when you’re 17 unbeaten. We’ll need them all at some point without a doubt. “It’s just about keeping them ready.” The gaffer also added the latest on the injury front. “Rhys Oates and Stephen McLaughlin are coming along well,” he said. “Stephen McLaughlin has joined in warm-ups and a couple of passing drills. “Realistically, I think we are looking at the Everton game in the EFL Trophy on 07 November for them both to feature. “Stephen Quinn will probably be a few weeks after that.” On this Saturday’sopponents, Nigel said: “We’ve seen Forest Green [play] a few times this season and all the reports that come back are that they are a good team. “They’ve struggled a little bit and they’re in the bottom few but they’re far better than their league position suggests. “When you have got a player like Troy Deeney up-front, it’s an extremely dangerous one for us.” Mansfield have been drawn at home to Wrexham in the FA Cup first round. “It’s brilliant to come out at home first of all. “Then to get the league favourites again - we had a cracking game against them a week or so ago. “I think it will be another good occasion. “The main thing is being at home and I think it’ll attract quite a bit of interest. “Hopefully we’ll get a good crowd. It’s a good few weeks for us - a lot of big games coming up with the different competitions and the last 16 game against Port Vale [in the Carabao Cup] so it’s a big few weeks for us.” Supporters can purchase tickets - including in the North Stand - for this Saturday’s match against Forest Green by heading to http://www.stagstickets.co.uk ------------------------ Nigel Clough: Mansfield Town boss in awe of 17-game unbeaten start to season bbc.co.uk Boss Nigel Clough says Mansfield's 17-game unbeaten start to the season, which has them flying high in League Two, has been years in the making. Mansfield fought back to beat local rivals Notts County 4-1 at Meadow Lane on Saturday to move up to third. The Stags' club-record breaking start to the season comes at the start of Clough's third full season in charge. "It's an incredible achievement at the start of a season," Clough told BBC Radio Nottingham. "Sometimes you get these runs during a season, you get into a little run of games, but to do it from the first day and to be here in mid-October and to remain unbeaten since starting on 4 August is a much bigger achievement that the one-off result against Notts. https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/67137499 "We want to keep it going as long as we can. "We have been building now for nearly three years and trying to improve gradually along the way. "With better players and better performances, confidence grows." Saturday's memorable derby victory against a Notts County side that had started the day top of League Two leaves the Stags as the only side from England's top four divisions yet to suffer a defeat in all competitions this term. After the win, Mansfield assistant Andy Garner said the Stags "can play better" - and Clough wholeheartedly agreed. "When you only have 34% possession, you can keep the ball a lot better," Clough said. "Certainly we gave it away too cheap on lots of occasions, but it is what you do with it. I thought once we did get it, we looked a threat every time." Mansfield next host lowly Forest Green Rovers at the One Call Stadium, a ground where the Gloucestershire club clinched the League Two title just two seasons ago before immediately being relegated back to the fourth tier. "I keep looking at the league table and I can't quite understand how Forest Green are down there, because they are much better side," Clough said. "When you have Troy Deeney [the ex-Watford and Birmingham City forward] and strikers they have got, makes them a very dangerous side. "Everyone will look at the league table and see it's third playing second bottom and think it's a home win. These are the iffy ones. "It a very dangerous game for us." -------------------------- Mansfield Town boss Nigel Clough happy with home FA Cup glamour draw against Wrexham chad.co.uk, By John Lomas, Mon 16 Oct 2023 Mansfield Town boss Nigel Clough was happy with his side's mouthwatering home first round FA Cup draw against fellow League Two promotion-chasers Wrexham next month. The Hollywood-backed Welsh side were fortunate to escape from the One Call Stadium with a 0-0 draw earlier this month after being given a searching examination by the Stags. The tie will be played over the weekend of 3rd to 6th November and, with the glamour surrounding Wrexham, could come under consideration for TV coverage. “It was brilliant to come out at home first of all, then to get the league favourites again too,” said Clough. https://www.chad.co.uk/sport/football/mansfield-town-boss-nigel-clough-happy-with-home-fa-cup-glamour-draw-against-wrexham-4374306?fbclid=IwAR2V1vFBDcc765Bn5Zh6wdFOqb7sQ2y_apyugsl6Qlwr_LgVo3cf-rmZn5A “We had a cracking game against them a week or so ago, so I think it will be another good occasion. “The main thing is being at home and I think it will attract quite a bit of interest, which is good. “Sometimes the first round proper can be a bit of a non-entity, but hopefully we will get a good crowd in for this one. “It is a good few weeks for us with some big games coming up in different competitions. “We are in the last 16 of the Carabao Cup against Port Vale just four days before the Wrexham game.” Those games will come too soon for any of Clough’s injuries to clear but he did say: “Rhys Oates and Stephen McLaughlin are coming along well. “Stephen McLaughlin has joined in with warm-ups and a couple of passing drills. “Realistically I think we are looking at the Everton game in the EFL Trophy on the 7th for them both to feature, then Stephen Quinn will be a few weeks after that.” Fringe players are also expected to take part in Wednesday’s home Central League reserves clash against Derby County at the RH Academy (2pm). Clough said: “After the Doncaster EFL trophy game last week we are keen to keep the lads ticking over so a few of the subs will certainly play an hour or more. “The next EFL Trophy game is not until 7th November and I don't think we have a reserve game in between so we will get a few out there. James Gale and Will Swan will play. Callum Johnson and George Williams too - just to keep the minutes up, which is important. “It is difficult to make to many changes when you are 17 unbeaten. But we will need them all at some point without a doubt. So it's just keeping them ready.” -------------------------- |
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