Accrington Stanley cup tie perfectly timed believes Mansfield Town defender Baily Cargill after frustrating injury lay-off

Cargill, back in the side last week after 11 weeks out recovering from a hamstring injury, is a big fan of cup games and thinks the trip to the improving League Two side for the second round tie may be perfectly timed, despite still missing key players.

“Struggling with injuries like we are now and on the back of three defeats, it will be good to turn our heads in a different direction and play in a different competition where there is maybe not as much pressure as there is in the league at the moment. So it is a good distraction for us,” he said.

“A win can help build our confidence up and take that back into the league.

“When I first came through at Bournemouth I always used to play the cup games and one of my first games as a young pro was in the FA Cup for Welling.

“They are always great occasions and the games always feel different, though I don't know why.

“There is a different atmosphere.

“The game at Everton earlier this season was a great occasion and I loved it as did the rest of the lads.

“It's one you don't ever forget as you don't get too many opportunities to play at that type of ground.

“The opportunity to get another of those ties is why you want to go through in the competition.

“It is really good for the club financially as well, which also plays a big part in wanting to get through.

“But we know it will be a tough game against Accrington as it's not an easy place to go. We know that from over the past few years.

“It is a tight, small ground and they will be well organised, as they always are.

“They have been a League Two outfit for a long time and always been hard to beat.

“Hopefully it will give us a chance to get a win under our belts and get back on track.

“But we won't take them lightly and hopefully we can progress to the next round.

“It's a one-off game and you have to win it or you are out.”

Cargill was relieved to be back on the pitch at Cardiff City last week after his frustrating 11-week lay-off, but less happy with the 2-0 defeat by the title-chasing Bluebirds.

“It was nice to be back out there at Cardiff last weekend, though not the result we wanted,” he said.

“But I felt like I dusted off a few cobwebs and it was just nice to be able to pull the shirt on and get back out on the pitch.

“I did feel a bit rusty but I suppose that's only to be expected.

“That wasn't my best game on the ball and there were a few things defensively I would have done better if I had played a bit more.

“Again, that's to be expected and I am glad it's out the way now and hopefully I can now stay fit, kick on, and try to get back to the form I started the season with.

“I thought I had started the season okay this year and I would like to get back to that.

“It's little things you can't replicate in training or in the reserves until you are back out there in a league game.”

On his injury, he said: “It was only supposed to be a six-week injury, but I had a few setbacks. So it was long overdue being back.

“I got close to being back in training at one time but just before I returned I felt it again and had to wait another two weeks to let it settle down again.

“It happens in football and is no one's fault – it's just one of those things.

“It's think it's the longest I have ever been out in my career.

“I have had quite a lot of injuries over my career but never one for that length of time.

“I have always been quite lucky.

“So it was tough, especially knowing it should not have been that long – that was probably the hardest thing for me.

“I knew as soon as I did it that it would be five, six, seven weeks out.

“With the type of injury it was, Tom (club physio Whitamore) told me it could be a recurring one.

“But the longer you are out the less chance there is of that happening. So maybe the setbacks have helped me in the long run and hopefully that won't be the case.

“But the injury feels good now and I feel fit. Hopefully I can now put it behind me.

“Watching the lads doing so well I have sat there just wanting to be a part of it.”

Cargill felt Stags did well at Cardiff in the circumstances.

“We had a lot of injuries, especially in the forward areas,” he said.

“So it was about sticking together and staying in the game as long as we could.

“I think we did okay for long spells of the game, especially at the start of the second half when we were on top a little bit. But the second goal was a killer really and I should have read the run a bit earlier.

“But it's a tough place to go and not many teams will go there and get a win.

“It's tough with the injuries we have right now and we have a busy spell coming up for which we need everyone fit. That's not going to be the case, but sometimes that can go the other way and bring the lads that are fit closer together.

“We are just going to have to dig in and see what we can do over the next few weeks.

“We do have a lot of quality in the squad this year and that has shown in previous weeks when we have been playing well.

“It's now time for lads to step up who haven't been playing, or those who have been playing to take the ones that haven't along with them.

“Injuries happen at every football club and it's just how you react to them. You have to find ways to win or get results, and I am sure we will do that.”

He added: “I now need to build up my fitness and get back to where I was as quickly as possible as I really enjoyed the start of this season.

“I am at an age now where consistency should be a big part of my game. I always struggled with that in my early years but I felt I did have that this year.

“Hopefully the more I play the more consistent I will become.”