Shattering news on Elliott Hewitt caps miserable day for Mansfield Town

Stags' 2-1 home defeat by Harrogate Town today has almost certainly condemned them to another season in League Two.

They sit three points off the play-offs with one game to go but have a poorer goal difference than rival Salford City and Bradford City, who also have a game in hand.

Hewitt, on crutches, picked up four Player of the Year trophies before kick-off, but Clough revealed: “Elliott will miss the majority of next season.

“It is too early to say when he will be back as it's nine months recovery from the date of the operation and we have no date set yet for it.

“They can't operate until the swelling goes down and it is incredibly swollen at the moment.

“It will be three to four weeks before the surgeon can go ahead with it.

“Also Stephen McLaughlin will be out until September and will miss pre-season.

“We have had nine months of this luck with injuries, one after the other, and we have been missing important players at key points throughout the season. Despite all that we are one victory away from being in the play-offs.”

Clough admitted it was unlikely Stags will now make the play-offs, saying: “We have fallen short in the 45th game and, barring a miracle, not managed to take it to Colchester next week.

“And I thought today's game epitomised the season we've had, certainly here at the One Call.

“It is now highly unlikely we will make it but we will go there to try to win the game, as we do every game, and you never know, we will see what happens. But I am realistic and I don't really believe in miracles.”

Stags were on top against Harrogate but had the wind taken out their sails by an own goal by Alfie Kilgour on 27 minutes.

“It was a desperately unlucky first goal we conceded,” said Clough.

“Everyone was completely flattened by that. We knew then that we were up against it.

“Then they got another one. We were controlling the game and creating chances before that and after that.

“But we missed chances and the ball was not dropping for us throughout the game.

“We just needed a bit more conviction in the box.”

Clough also admitted he wished he had made more changes, though the players coming in have barely trained after injury.

“We don't get it right all the time, though the team selection would not have stopped the first goal,” he said.

“Yesterday we were considering putting some fresh legs out there, even though the lads had hardly trained.

“But in the end we came down on the side of we had only lost one out of 10 and the lads deserved another crack.

“But I thought we looked a bit physically and mentally tired. Rhys Oates was absolutely on his knees at the end.

“We put Louis Reed out there for the full 90-100 minutes and his knee is now extremely sore and he won't be involved again this season.

“So we changed it around and had a bit more brightness and sharpness second half. It gave us a bit more impetus going forward and we did get the goal.

“It was no surprise Will Swan scored it as he is our leading goalscorer and we have missed him for three months.

“Sometimes you need a break and their keeper made an incredible save from the corner. We have not had many breaks.”