Season Review: Whirlwind of a season sees Mansfield Town improve under the new management of Nigel Clough

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The Stags’ 2020/21 League Two campaign has been filled with high and lows. After sacking Graham Coughlan in November, the amber and blues looked to be on the up from that point onwards.

Nigel Clough has turned the ship around miraculously and oversaw his side go on a five-game winning streak which saw the Nottinghamshire club rise up the table.

Key Games

Mansfield Town have had varied success in the league but have still managed to pull off some fantastic results against the high-flyers in the league.

14th November 2020- Forest Green Rovers 1 – 2 Mansfield Town

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The first league win of the Clough reign occurred at the first time of asking and it displayed what the 55-year-old looked to implement at the Stags, resilience to grind out results and effective attacking football.

It only took five minutes for the amber and blues to get ahead. Stephen McLaughlin played the ball into the path of George Lapslie who had his initial shot saved by Luke McGee but was able to score on his second attempt.

Half an hour later and the Stags were two to the good. A poor free-kick saw Jordan Bowery gifted possession. The striker unselfishly laid the ball to Harry Charsley who made no mistake in smashing the ball beyond the Forest Green shot-stopper and into the net.

Odin Bailey was able to score in the dying embers of the second-half but Mansfield Town were able to hold onto a precious 2-1 win. Those three points were the first time the Stags won a league game since March 2020 where they beat Northampton Town 2-1 before football was halted due to the pandemic.

2nd January 2021- Mansfield Town 4 – o Port Vale

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Comfortable Mansfield cruise to a whopping victory over the Valiants at the One Call Stadium on a snowy January evening.

A simple smash and grab saw the Stags gain a very early lead inside the first 60 seconds. Charsley’s initial effort was saved by Scott Brown but in came Ollie Clarke who squeezed the ball in between the post and the Port Vale shot-stopper to give the amber and blues a 1-0 lead.

In the 32nd minute, Clough’s men doubled their lead. George Maris’ cross evaded everyone but Bowery as he smashed the ball into the goal.

Early in the second-half, Leon Legge was sent off for a second bookable offence which put Mansfield in good stead to kill the game off.

A double from Bowery in the final 15 minutes of the match saw the forward score his first professional hat-trick and gave the Stags a 4-0 win over Port Vale

17th February 2021- Mansfield Town 2 – 3 Bolton Wanderers

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After this fixture was rescheduled on multiple occasions, it was finally played under the lights at the One Call Stadium.

It all unravelled in the second-half. Ollie Clarke got Mansfield off the mark as his strike in the 65th minute beat Matt Gilks and gave the amber and blues a 1-0 lead.

Seven minutes later, a beautiful through ball from Stephen Quinn found the path of Jamie Reid who slotted the ball into the back of the net which doubled the Stags’ advantage.

From that point on, it all went downhill for the hosts. Declan John scored in the 78th minute lobbing Aidan Stone in the process, Mal Benning scored an own goal with five minutes to go to level things at 2-2 and Arthur Gnahoua put the nail in the coffin with two minutes left to play.

This perfectly showed Mansfield’s inability to hold onto a strong 2-0 lead as they lost their first league game since December 19th.

9th March 2021- Mansfield Town 3 – 1 Cheltenham Town

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Beating a top-three contender at home was a fantastic feat for Clough’s Stags who came from behind to take the victory away from the Robins.

Sam Smith gave the visitors the lead six minutes inside the second-half, but Mansfield were able to flip the game on its head and dominate for the rest of the match.

Four minutes after Smith’s goal, Bowery fired in the equaliser past Josh Griffiths. In the 63rd minute, the amber and blues had the lead through Reid after the striker bundled the ball into the net.

Bowery set the score at 3-1 for the Stags. A brilliant one-two between Reid and Bowery saw the latter fire the ball at the near post and put the game to bed.

20th April 2021- Mansfield Town 3 – 0 Scunthorpe United

Not allowing your opponents to have a single shot on target and showing your dominance is exactly what Mansfield Town did when they welcomed Scunthorpe United to the One Call Stadium.

George Lapslie bundled the ball into the net in the 19th minute to set the tone for the encounter as a resolute and resilient Mansfield win.

James Perch and Tyrese Sinclair added goals late on in the game to see the Stags run out as deserved 3-0 victors after such a dominant display.

Key Players

Most of the players that performed at the highest standard for the Stags were summer signings that signed for the club when Graham Coughlan was still in charge.

George Lapslie was a key component in the midfielder alongside Stephen Quinn, George Maris and captain Ollie Clarke.

The quartet worked fantastically together and all complimented each other with the array of attributes they brought to the table.

Striker Jordan Bowery with the goals was key alongside youngster Tyrese Sinclair who approved game on game under Nigel Clough.

Ferrand Rawson also was a player that improved alongside the veteran James Perch who was always consistent adding needed goals and assists here and there.

Season Verdict

On a whole, Mansfield Town have been really underwhelming this season in a campaign that had a lot of promise especially with the hype around the new signings in the summer.

Nigel Clough managed to rescue the season by implementing the right formation and getting the players beaming with confidence.

The super five-game winning run was important in getting the season back on track and finding the right formula in ensuring safety which they did

Hopes for next season

With the right recruitment, Mansfield Town could go onto have a successful season. It all depends on whether the players that Nigel Clough brings in gel well with the core of the side that has remained from the 2020/21 season.

The Stags know that they are only a few players away from being a deadly side and they will be brimming with confidence after two consecutive victories at the back end of last season.

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