Pivotal week looming for Mansfield Town with three big home games in eight days
Mansfield Town are preparing for a huge spell of three home games in eight days that could prove pivotal to their season.
Last weekend's superb 2-0 away win at Luton Town propelled Nigel Clough's men to ninth in League Two, just six points off the play-off places ahead of home league games against Wigan Athletic (Saturday, 12.30) and Plymouth Argyle on Tuesday (7.45), both sides below them, before Harrogate Town visit the following Saturday in the FA Cup first round.
Stags have a good home record this season, losing only once so far and Clough said: “It should not have been a defeat against Doncaster, them sneaking in a goal in the 95th minute. We should have cleared the ball.
“Generally I think our home form has been quite good and quite strong.
“But I think these next three are as important as any to try to get as many points as we can in the two league games and then get through to the next round of the FA Cup.
“Get maybe a win and a draw in the league and get through in the cup and it will have been a fantastic few weeks for us.
“Lose a couple and get knocked out of the cup and it's a different story.
“That is how important a little group of fixtures like this are.
“But I think we go into it in reasonable heart and reasonably confident as well, though, as we saw last season, we are aware of just how fragile that is.
“Then after these we go to Northampton and probably have the international break after that. So we are really focusing on these next four games.
“After that we would hope to have pretty much most of our injured players fit.
“We picked up a couple more knocks on Saturday, Aaron Lewis and Stephen McLaughlin with dead legs.
“Baily Cargill is still on the treatment table and Luke Bolton has had a setback and will be a few more weeks.
“Louis Reed is back doing a little bit of training this week, which is good news.
“They are all getting there slowly at different stages."
On Saturday's opponents, he said: “Like our start, Wigan have been a bit up and down with new players settling in.
“On their day they are another team more than capable of hurting you with the squad that they have.
“We just have to concentrate on ourselves more than ever in the next two home games and put good performances on, and maintain the level of performances and standards we have set in the last two or three games.”
On Saturday Clough became the first Mansfield Town manager to reach 100 EFL wins in charge of the club and he said: “I didn't know that. It is a little milestone and to be the first one in history is nice.
“The key moments at Luton went our way. There was the penalty save and the tip onto the post by Liam Roberts.
“Either one of those go against us then the result could have been different.
“We then went up the other end and scored a great goal just before half-time.
“So within that 15-20 minute period the game could have swung either way.”