Injured Stags duo won't be risked for reserves derby

Both are hoping to shake off injuries to be available for Saturday’s visit of Stevenage.

“Neither will play in the reserves in the week, but they still have a big chance for Saturday,” said manager Steve Evans.

“I know they have been in working hard all weekend. They are getting pretty close to getting back on the grass.

“We need them back on the grass with the medical team for a day or two.”

He added: “I don’t know what Kevin (Notts boss Nolan) will do but everyone knows our strategy here. Players that are not playing in the first team play in the reserves.

“We are looking for some big performances as there will be more changes than Danny Rose when we play Stevenage at home. I’ve got a different team in my thought process, but I need to look at performances.”

Jacob Mellis and Krystian Pearce served one-game bans on Saturday and Evans has not yet decided if they need the reserve outing, saying: “We will make a decision on Jacob and Pearcey when we see them train.”