Nigel Clough addresses Mansfield Town's 'gap between home and away form' ahead of AFC Wimbledon clash

Up until their meeting with Burton last month, Mansfield Town were still yet to get off the mark away from home this season.

Three defeats – including their shock 5-0 loss to Reading – came before Stags finally banked their first point on the road. A hard-fought draw against Burton made up part of their current four-game unbeaten streak and Mansfield will now test their resolve against Wimbledon to keep that going.

Nigel Clough has addressed the gap between Stags’ home and away efforts so far this season. They remain unbeaten at the One Call Stadium but their first win on the road continues to evade them.

The manager is hoping their latest performances against Bromley and Oxford United will set Mansfield up for a big display at Plough Lane.

Clough described the draw against Oxford as a ‘very good performance’ against a solid opponent, and ‘in line’ with the rest of their home efforts so far this campaign.

“That’s the next challenge. There’s a contrast in how we’re playing at the One Call and how we’re playing on the road,” the manager said in his press conference. “You can’t flick a switch and it changes, but we can start making inroads into improving our performances away.

“I was thinking about Reading away, and how it was one of the strangest games. For 30 minutes, we were extremely good there, then the first goal was a foul and it goes from there. That was as good as we were playing at that time. We battled to a point at Burton and could have had something at Bradford. We’re not too far away but there’s too much of a gap between our home and away form.

“It’s still early on and it will change throughout the season, where we will do better away from home but I really hope we maintain our home form as much as we can. That’s always the key to it – teams who do well at home will be successful and anything you get on the road will be a bonus.”

AFC Wimbledon are also unbeaten at home this season. However, they enter Tuesday’s clash following a 5-0 defeat to Sheffield Wednesday and without a win in their last four league games.

Clough stressed manager Johnnie Jackson will be ‘wanting a reaction’ from the humbling 5-0 loss at Hillsborough. Despite the defeat, their home record stays in tact.

"They’re building up a reputation there and here they are, unbeaten in the middle of October. It’s a good sign for them,” he continued.