Preview: Mansfield Town ready to take on Alfreton Town and ex-Stags player Jake Buxton
Mansfield Town have a busy week coming up as they prepare for their final pre-season fixtures.
Stags have two fixtures to get through this week before their 2026/27 season starts with their Carabao Cup opener against Sheffield United.
Their penultimate friendly will get underway on Tuesday, with a trip to Alfreton Town booked in for their last away clash until late August. Stags will head to Derbyshire to take on the Northern Premier League side and familiar figure Jake Buxton. A visit from Derby County on Friday will then see out their week.
Stags fans will remember Buxton well, having started his playing career at Mansfield Town, coming through the youth ranks before making his first team debut in 2002. The 41-year-old spent six years in amber and blue, and that included a loan stint to current side Alfreton Town.
The Sutton-born coach took on his first managerial role by replacing Clough as the manager of Burton Albion in 2020. Clough resigned from his position and joined Mansfield later that year.
Stags have faced Alfreton Town 11 times in their history, according to AI Score, and have won on seven occasions. The Reds have beat Mansfield just once, while the other three games ended as draws.
Alfreton are preparing for a season in the Northern Premier League, following their relegation from the National League North. The Reds drop down to the seventh tier in English football after their fate was sealed on the final day of the season following a 3-3 draw against Curzon Ashton, who also had their relegation fate sealed.
Mansfield fans have been able to see the first glimpses of new signings David McGoldrick and Michael Smith during this pre-season window. Smith scored his first goal for Stags last time out against Barrow, which ended in a 4-3 win for the National League side.
Prior to their trip to Cumbria, Mansfield beat Retford United 2-1 thanks to goals from Deji Oshilaja and Tyler Roberts.
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.