Stags get their Papa John’s Trophy campaign underway with a trip to North Yorkshire to face Harrogate Town

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Mansfield Town have not had the easiest two weeks recording back-to-back losses against Bradford City and Swindon Town.

The Nottinghamshire club won’t have it easy this time around either as they face League Two’s only unbeaten club left, Harrogate Town.

Simon Weaver’s men have not had it easy as they had games postponed due to a COVID-19 outbreak in the first-team squad. However, after returning back onto the pitch, the Sulphurites have recorded impressive victories over Barrow and Leyton Orient with their latest draw against Exeter City extending their unbeaten league start.

At the weekend against the Grecians, they actually took the lead just before the half-time interval. Harry Kite was shown a second yellow card which saw Exeter go down to 10 men for the remainder of the first half and for the duration of the second half. Amidst the chaos, a penalty was awarded and Jack Muldoon dispatched it giving the hosts a 1-0 lead.

Despite having one less player on the pitch, Matt Taylor’s side levelled the game up at 1-1 in the 79th minute through Josh Key with the visitors taking a point back to Devon.

Harrogate Town manager Simon Weaver thought his side were second best at times but was happy to remain unbeaten in the league.

“All in all, we would’ve accepted being second, two points off the top of the league after four games”.

On the other hand, the Stags lost their unbeaten league start last week against Bradford and lost their unbeaten away record with a defeat against Swindon on Saturday.

Nigel Clough’s men had plenty of chances to score with Ollie Clarke, Oli Hawkins and Danny Johnson failing to trouble Jojo Wollacott in the Robins goal.

The hosts took the lead in the 59th minute through on-loan striker Tyreece Simpson sticking the ball past Nathan Bishop.

Mansfield looked to have equalised with 15 minutes to go through Tyrese Sinclair. The youngster’s curled free-kick looked to have crossed the line, but the play was waved on and the goal was not given.

Stags boss Nigel Clough was surprised how his side were unable to score and the lack of cutting edge cost them against Swindon.

“I’m not sure how we haven’t scored,” he told iFollow Stags. “There was poor decision-making in the final third again, but to create that many chances away from home and not come away with anything is quite incredible really.

“We controlled the game for periods, especially in the first 20 minutes and had two good chances. You come in [at half-time] at 0-0 and we’re thinking we should be 1-0 up.

“Then second-half we concede a soft-ish goal, a good goal from their point of view, then after that we have half a dozen opportunities to get a goal.

“Probably the best one was just before they scored when Oli Hawkins went clear and tried to square it to Danny Johnson. Whether it was a poor decision or not, it was poor execution. It should’ve been a tap-in [for Johnson].

“It [defeat] was a combination of poor decisions and poor finishing. They created very little today and Nathan Bishop has had very little to do.”

The Papa John’s Trophy, or the EFL Trophy, is a competition that the Nottinghamshire club tend to not do well in.

However, a potential run out for some youth players may help Clough integrate some of these hungry youngsters into the first team frame.

Since being promoted back into the EFL in 2014, Mansfield have only made past the second round once which came in the 2016/17 season with the Stags making the quarter-finals that year.

A chance to have a good crack at lifting a piece of silverware may be the boost that the amber and blues need in order to get their season back on the right track.

Harrogate have been sort of a ‘bogey team’ for Mansfield Town as they have failed to record a victory over the 2020 National League play-off winners in the two attempts last season.

Beating the Sulphurites in a cup competition away from home could be a perfect boost for Clough’s side with the sides going head-to-head at the One Call Stadium in league action only a matter of days later.

The North Yorkshire club will be looking to keep their good run of form, but the raring Stags’ will want to prove a point against League Two’s only unbeaten side.

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