Concord tie is great chance for Stags to end winless run

The Stags went down 2-0 at in-form Shrewsbury Town on Saturday after Jamie McGuire was shown a red card on the half-hour, but Cox feels his side, with players now returning to ease their injury crisis, were in the game until the sending-off on Saturday and he is expecting a reaction tomorrow.

“Any time you lose a football match you want that positiveness, especially on your home ground,” he said.

“You want your players to take the game by the scruff of the neck and take it to the opposition.

“It’s a bit of a strange feeling this morning as, after speaking to their (Shrewsbury’s) manager (Micky Mellon), I don’t think there was much in the game up to the sending-off.

“We went down there with a plan and had certain people on the bench we were planning to introduce. But then we were down to 10 men and chasing the game.

“It’s now all about getting a win and that then igniting that bit of extra in us. But no one will come and help us. We have got to do it from within and impose ourselves on the game.

“I will be looking to bring in personnel onto the pitch that will be offensive and help us try to score goals.”

He added: “There have been quite a number of giantkillings and you can’t underestimating the lower leagues and non-League football. Concord will have good players who for one reason or another have played Football League and dropped down or who aspire to play in the Football League.

“It will be a tough game and we will have to to earn the right to win it. I think they will be looking at us and saying this is a game we can get our teeth into.

“We need to put the last seven to nine weeks, with a lack of bodies, behind us and I see this as a good chance to win a football match.

“The League is always our priority as it’s our bread and butter like everyone else. But the FA Cup is a great competition and we want to go as far as we can. It’s something that in previous seasons has created great memories.

“Our first game in it last year ignited our season at St Albans and we ended up having a great finish to the season.”

Stags will be without McGuire, serving a one-game ban for Saturday’s red card, and loanee Keiron Freeman, who is not allowed to become cup-tied by parent club Derby County.

The game was originally due to be played a week last Saturday but suffered a lunchtime postponement due to heavy rain.

The winners’ reward will be an away trip to Cambridge United next month.