Mansfield Town doing everything to get injured pair back for vital trip to Scunthorpe United

Top scorer Oates has a tight thigh muscle while Murphy has aggravated his hamstring.

Boss Nigel Clough also hinted he could give striker Danny Johnson a rare start as he seeks to rest players when possible as Stags go into the final seven games still in with a chance of a top three automatic promotion spot.

“Oates and Murphy are doubtful, we are not quite sure about them,” he said.

“But we are not saving them at this stage of the season and if we can get them out there we will.

“I thought Danny Johnson did well at Forest Green and he is in with a chance of starting on Saturday.”

Stags were pipped 1-0 at leaders Forest Green on Saturday after midfielder George Lapslie was shown a controversial red card – the club have confirmed they have appealed the decision and await the outcome before the weekend.

Now they take on a Scunthorpe side without a win in 10 games who have lost their last five in a row.

But Clough warned: “It will be a different challenge to Forest Green on Saturday - but just as tough.

“They are playing with nothing to lose now – their fate is almost sealed, but not quite.

“So they will be battling right to the end as all Keith Hill teams do.”

He added: “I hope we can put Tuesday night's result behind us and get back on the front foot, as we were for most of the night at Forest Green, and get the three points.

“It's important we bounce back – we don't want back to back defeats at this stage of the season.

“We will put an attacking side out and do our best to take the game to Scunthorpe.”

Scunthorpe impressed in their 1-0 defeat by Forest Green last weekend and Clough said: “Scunthorpe went away to top of the league, 23 places between them, and played and competed – as everyone does in this league.

“I think they were a little bit unlucky to come away without a point.

“It definitely is potentially the biggest banana skin game we have left.

“When you get to Sutton at home, they are play-off chasing, we've got Salford away, Forest Green at home, and you look at all the other fixtures and people say they could be iffy.

“But for some reason people assume that because Scunthorpe are down there, we will win – but it just makes them even more dangerous. It really does.”