Sheffield Wednesday away FA Cup tie is a great draw for fans says Mansfield Town boss Nigel Clough

Mansfield Town boss Nigel Clough said the club's FA Cup Second Round draw away at League One neighbours Sheffield Wednesday was a great one for supporters.
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Monday night's draw paired Stags with the high-flying League One Owls at Hillsborough on the weekend of 25th-28th November and, while not the home tie Mansfield wanted, it is very much a glamour tie and within easy reach.

“It’s a great draw for our supporters. We wanted a home tie, but this one is just up the road,” said Clough.

“From a football point of view it couldn’t be much tougher.

A mass brawl between FA Cup rivals Stags and Sheffield Wednesday in their last meeting.A mass brawl between FA Cup rivals Stags and Sheffield Wednesday in their last meeting.
A mass brawl between FA Cup rivals Stags and Sheffield Wednesday in their last meeting.
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“We’ll be coming up against one of the top sides in League One and overall, one of the biggest clubs in that division along with Derby County and Ipswich Town. “From that perspective it’s a bit of a glamour tie.

“It’ll certainly be a test for us, as tough as it could be at this stage of the competition.

“They have probably the best player in League One in Barry Bannan, he’s an exceptionally good player. With that said they might well change their side for the FA Cup. They certainly have a big enough and good enough squad to do that.”

He continued: “Nobody will expect us to come out on top, but teams will be aware of our pedigree having won at Sunderland and Doncaster previously in this competition.

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“I’m still disappointed that we weren’t drawn at home. We’ve had six away ties in the cup from the last eight matches now, which is an unfortunate imbalance.

“But as I say, in terms of location it’s a great draw for our fans, just 40 minutes up the road.

“I’d like to think we’d take around four to five thousand fans. Let’s go and have a good day out and enjoy the tie and try and get a good result.”

A single Oli Hawkins goal proved enough for Mansfield Town to win their First Round tie in the mud and wet at Barrow on Saturday.

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The Owls knocked out Morecambe 2-0 on Saturday to extend their current run to seven games unbeaten and sit third in League One.

The last time the sides met, in a pre-season friendly in Mansfield in 2018, it ended up in a mass brawl after Fernando Forestieri was alleged to have racially abused Stags skipper Krystian Pearce. Owls have won the sides’ last three cup clashes but Stags twice won league games at Hillsborough in the 1970s.