Fitness worries for Mansfield Town as former boss Graham Coughlan brings his Newport County side to the One Call Stadium

Coughlan won his opening game in charge at home to Colchester on Saturday and Mansfield boss Nigel Clough is expecting a tough night as his side bid to quickly recover from Saturdays' unexpected 3-2 surrender at struggling Crawley Town.

“The formation we start with will probably depend on personnel as much as anything tomorrow night. It will be who is fresh and who is fit,” said Clough.

“It would be nice to have a squad of 18-19 to choose from. but the side may pick itself from who is available.”

Riley Harbottle, Stephen McLaughlin, James Perch, Kellan Gordon and John-Joe O'Toole will all face a race against time to be fit while veteran Stephen Quinn is suspended after picking up a fifth booking of the season at Crawley.

“Riley was struggling a bit after Saturday's game – a delayed thing – and I think he will be struggling for tomorrow night. These head injuries are so difficult to diagnose,” said Clough.

“Hopefully Macca will train and we will see how he is from there. I am not sure if his knee is 100 per cent yet. He has had this niggle for a few weeks that he has been playing with.

“We are hoping to have Perchy back if he has recovered from his illness. “It's been close on a week now since he first went down with it. As long as he is physically okay and has recovered strength-wise he will be back in the squad.

“Kellan is not far away. This groin is just still niggling him, it's that last little bit. It's just the whipping the balls in and the crosses which are a major part of his game. I would think he is 50-50 for the Newport game.

“John-Joe O'Toole finished Saturday's game limping in the last five minutes so we will have to see how he is.”

On Quinn's suspension, Clogh said: “I think most of his five yellow cards have been avoidable.

“To get five bookings at his age is disappointing, You would think at 36 you would learn, but he misses the Newport game.

“He was rested on Saturday with a view to playing on Tuesday as playing Saturday/Tuesday is a big ask for him.

“That was the plan. Now he's not in the team for Tuesday he has to be a doubt for the team on Saturday as well as we have some good options in there with George Maris, Ollie Clarke, Hiram Boateng now back from injury as well as Anthony Hartigan.

“So he will have it all on getting back into the team.”

On Newport, Clough said: “They have struggled at home but Graham has had an impact straight away.

“We watched the game at Crawley when they lost 2-1 the week before and I think they were unlucky to lose the game. They had lots of chances.

“It is incredible how the fixtures fall and his first away game is coming back to Mansfield.

“It's the new manager effect we have to be aware of.

“It will take him several months, up to six months, to have a real impact and put your stamp on things. But they be trying that little bit harder, first of all because Graham is coming back to his old team, and also for a new manager.

“He signed some good players here. Ollie Clarke is still around, George Maris and so on.

“You look at the team he put together at Bristol Rovers, he was very successful there, but it didn't quite work out for him here – that happens in football management sometimes no matter how hard you try.

“But he has got off to a winning start and we expect an unbelievably tough game.”

Newport may be down in 18th, but Clough knows his side cannot afford any complacency.

“We have played the two teams in the bottom two places in the last few weeks – Hartlepool and Crawley – and conceded five goals, which is extremely disappointing,” he said.

“So when you get a team as capable as Newport, you know if you are not at it defensively and all over the pitch then they will turn you over – as any team in League Two will.

“For the best part of a year we have been solid at home and I hope Saturday's defeat has not damaged confidence.

“We can't let one defeat derail us.

“It was uncharacteristic of us. We have been difficult to create chances against and difficult to score against. And I am angry at myself for leaving Riley on. I should not be taking chances with things like that.

“Being back at home is a chance to gain some ground that we lost on Saturday.”