Season to forget so far for Mansfield Town defensive heroes from last season

Both have struggled for form and fitness all the way through - and both are now sidelined with injury too.

But boss Nigel Clough said: “It sometimes happens like that. It's part of what you have to deal with as a footballer.

“Both were absolute rocks for us last year.

“But for different reasons, illness, injuries, niggles, form, whatever, they have not produced it this season.

“That happens in football. You can have a great season, can't wait to come back and then can't quite reproduce it for different reasons. But injuries have certainly played a part in both.

“Stephen McLaughlin won all the awards last season and was magnificent but hasn't quite produced it this time, though in the last few weeks has looked as if he was coming back to it before he got this ankle injury again.”

Clough added: “When you come back you have to strip it back down to basics. You have to accept you won't come initially as good a you were. So you make sure you do the basic things well and go forward from there.

“You need to build up confidence, strength, form, fitness, everything.”

O’Toole’s injury looks likely to keep him out for the rest of the season.