Preview: Mansfield Town prepare to face Barrow and former Stags manager Adam Murray

Mansfield Town’s next pre-season opponents will be National League side Barrow this weekend.

Stags will make the journey to Holker Street for Saturday’s clash as they continue their preparations for the fast approaching 2026/27 League One season.

Cheltenham Town assistant manager Adam Murray looks on during the Sky Bet League One match between Northampton Town and Cheltenham Town at Sixfields on January 01, 2024 in Northampton, England. (Photo by Pete Norton/Getty Images)

placeholder image — Cheltenham Town assistant manager Adam Murray looks on during the Sky Bet League One match between Northampton Town and Cheltenham Town at Sixfields on January 01, 2024 in Northampton, England. (Photo by Pete Norton/Getty Images)

Nigel Clough’s side got their run of friendly fixtures underway with a 2-1 win over Retford United on Tuesday. Fans saw their first glimpses of summer signings David McGoldrick and Michael Smith, who both played 45 minutes each at Cannon Park.

Stags will come up against a familiar face in Adam Murray when they take on Barrow next in their 3pm kick-off. The former Mansfield player and manager was appointed at the hilt of the Bluebirds in May, following their relegation from League Two. The Cumbrian side will be hoping for promotion straight back up to the English Football League when competitive fixtures resume.

Mansfield Town forward Davis Keillor-Dunn during the Sky Bet League 2 match against Barrow AFC at the One Call Stadium, 23 Sept 2023 Photo credit : Chris & Jeanette Holloway / The Bigger Picture.media

After multiple spells with Stags during his playing career, Murray was appointed manager of the club off the back of a successful caretaker stint in 2014. He resigned in 2016 with Mansfield sitting 18th in the League Two table and took on the job at Boston United shortly after. Since then, Murray has managed Barnsley, AFC Fylde, Eastbourne Borough and Kidderminster Harriers.

Barrow are celebrating a significant milestone in their history this week – 125 years since the club was formed back in 1901.

Over the years, the Bluebirds have faced Mansfield Town on 18 competitive occasions, according to AI Score. Stags have the edge with nine wins to Barrow’s six, while the other three games ended as draws.

The last time the two sides met was as recent as 2024, during Mansfield Town’s emphatic promotion season. Barrow had also been challenging for an historic promotional push but Stags’ efforts denied them a first-ever appearance in the EFL play-offs.

The Bluebirds, managed by Pete Wild at the time, needed a win to break into the top seven. Similarly, the already promoted Stags would have finished second with a victory of their own but both sides had to settle for a point apiece. George Maris’ goal denied Barrow the result they needed to finish in the play-off bracket, while Mansfield Town progressed to League One.

Wild was dismissed as Barrow manager following the failed promotion attempt. They ended their promising 2023/24 season winless in their last seven games.

Barrow were relegated to the National League after finishing rock bottom of League Two last season. They have won both of their pre-season meetings so far against local side Holker Old Boys and Workington AFC. Former Stag Murray will be hoping to guide his new side to success with promotion now the main objective of the season.

Keep up to date with the latest Mansfield Town news via the Chad’s sport page and find every Stags Talk episode uploaded weekly on YouTube.