Managerless Mansfield Town look for the right result against Walsall

Following the sacking of manager Graham Coughlan, Mansfield Town will look to finally get a win on the board in League Two when they face Walsall at the One Call Stadiun this weekend.

It was no surprise that this would be coming after a terrible start to the season. Five draws and four losses saw Coughlan with very little hope in keeping his job for much longer.

The final straw for Coughlan was the midweek loss to Barrow. The Stags haven’t been beaten by Barrow since 2009 and both clubs have been near the bottom of the table since the start of the season.

Another dreadful start from the Amber and Blues saw them 1-0 down after ten minutes with Bradley Barry opened the scoring for Barrow.

Patrick Brough doubled the lead for the newly-promoted side, with James Perch reducing the deficit for the Stags in the 35th minute.

The second half started poorly for the Stags as Aaron O’Driscoll got himself set off six minutes after the restart. Josh Kay and Harrison Biggins made it 4-1 for Barrow and Harry Charsley scored a very late consolation. That loss left Mansfield in 22nd and moved Barrow to 18th, giving them their first win of the season.

Mansfield’s weekend opponent, Walsall, were unbeaten in the league up until last weekend. The Saddlers won two games and amassed six draws.

Walsall controlled the possession stakes against Cambridge United, but they conceded two penalties which handed them their first defeat in League Two.

Paul Mullin and Joe Ironside scored the spotkicks for the Us. They continue to fly high in the league as they sit in second while Walsall in 14th.

Mansfield Town caretaker manager Richard Cooper wants his players to believe in themselves and restore confidence in the playing squad.

“I think it’s all about the players at this moment in time for us.

“We have to build their confidence and try to put some self-belief in them.

“There are good players in that dressing room. We’ll just try to get the best out of those lads and get a positive result on Saturday.

“You have to go with your instinct on your game plan, and hopefully the players implement it. My only focus at the minute is getting those players confident to give a good account of ourselves on Saturday.

“I know the majority of the players, so I have my own ideas. We set the challenge in training to try and get them feeling good about themselves.

“It’s not an ideal situation, but at this moment in time, we have to pick those players up.

“It’s all about the players at the end of the day, because they are the ones who go across that white line on a Saturday.”

Saddlers boss Darrell Clarke is expecting his side to go to Mansfield Town this weekend and focus on their own jobs rather than letting the fact that the home side sacked their manager in the week get the better of them.

“They were one of the favourites for promotion this season.

“They have a healthy squad and healthy budget.

“They haven’t had the start they’d like and it’s always disappointing for managers to lose their job, it’s never nice to see but that’s the brutal world that we managers know we’re in.

“That’s the way the footballing world is and I’m sure Graham will bounce back. I know Graham, he’s a strong character and he’ll learn from it. “

Last time the two teams faced each other was in October 2019, a Sky Bet League Two clash at Banks’s Stadium. Goals from Andy Cook and Alex MacDonald secured a 2-1 win for the Stags.

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