FA Cup return to Barrow will be much tougher proposition warns Mansfield Town boss Nigel Clough

Stags have hit a few bumps recently, only taking one point from the last nine available while the Bluebirds have taken seven from the last three.

“It will be a different game to last month as they have won a couple of games since then and are in the midst of a run, which can easily happen in this league,” said Stags boss Nigel Clough.

“They had a very good win at home to Crewe on Saturday, so I think they will be a very different sort of Barrow team.

“They were struggling but it just shows how fragile it all is at this level, the same with us.

“We know how tough it will be. I used to go to Barrow with Burton in the Northern Premier and I have never had anything other than that – the stadium, the atmosphere, the crowd all make it a tough place to go. And it's a long way to get there as we know.

“It's a tough old draw for us on the pitch and a tough old draw for supporters off it.”

He added: “In lots of ways it couldn't have been a much tougher draw for us in the first round.

“When you go away to the League One sides, as we have done previously at Sunderland and Doncaster, it is easier in some ways as the pressure is on them and we can go and play. Nobody really expects anything. Which is different on Barrow on Saturday.

“But I am a big fan of the tradition of the FA Cup and we want to stay in the competition.

“It is important financially for every club, especially in the current climate, to get through a round or two. So we will be trying to do that.

“When we were in non-league with Burton you wanted to get into the first round proper you might get a very big League One side.

“When you are a League club you are looking to get to the third round as that's when it really kicks in and the big boys come in. It is tough to get to that point when you get Barrow away, but we will try.

“It is a good opportunity to end the run of two out of three defeats we've had and at the very least get them back here to the One Call Stadium.”

Stags have been drawn away at Sunderland in the first round the last two years and Clough said: “The proportion of away draws we have had in the cup since we came here has been incredible.

“Even the youth team were drawn away in the FA Youth Cup last week with one of the most difficult draws they could have had.

“But when you're not doing well in the league, as we haven't this last week, the cup can give you a good lift as we found at Sheffield United and can improve your form going into the league games.

“It won't do us any harm to play a cup game instead of a league game this weekend ahead of the Bradford City game in the league on Tuesday.

“Despite all the hours of travel on the bus, which won't be ideal, with the size of the crowd and the size of game it is on Tuesday, we will be up for Bradford no matter what.”