League leaders Chelthenham Town holds no fears for Mansfield Town boss

Mansfield will attempt to kick-start a better run of form by toppling the leaders at the One Call Stadium tomorrow night.

Stags go into the game on the back of a poor 2-0 loss at relegation-threatened Barrow and with just one win in eight.

But Clough feels his side are more than capable of earning three points against Cheltenham.

We have to start beating ourselves

“It's not a bad thing to face a team like Cheltenham (after a poor defeat), we are just as capable of beating them as losing to a team at the bottom,” he said.

“We just have to make no mistakes. If they score two great goals against us we will hold our hands up, but we have to stop giving them goals.

“If we can't win then we need to get a draw. We beat Morecambe who are up there and it is a good chance to bounce back.

“There is not much in the league. Cheltenham will have confidence, but we can beat them, especially at home.”

Clough has been impressed by Chelthenham’s progress and believes the table-toppers are now benefiting from a clear long-term strategy.

“Cheltenham have slowly built up,” he added. “They have knocked on the door and it's only a matter of time if they keep improving. They have built and it has not been done overnight.

“Success is built on solid foundations and a few solid seasons, so when they go up they are ready to go up and challenge next season.

“We will have to pay well and deal with their threats, especially at set plays.”

Mansfield will be without the suspended Ryan Sweeney, with Jake Wright or James Perch set to get the nod.

Aiden Stone will miss the game with the injury picked up against Barrow.

George Lapslie and Stephen McLaughlin could be back in contention, while Ollie Sarkic may feature against Crawley at the weekend.

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