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Following a postponement to their game against Forest Green Rovers last weekend due to positive tests in the Rovers camp, Mansfield Town will be looking to continue their positive form with Hartlepool the opposition on Boxing Day.
The amber and blues were given an extra week of rest as Forest Green Rovers were unable to fulfil the fixture against the Stags last weekend.
COVID-19 has had a massive impact on games being postponed in the last couple of weeks as outbreaks of cases at clubs seems like a regular occurrence nowadays.
In their previous competitive fixture, Mansfield secured a vital victory against Salford City at the One Call Stadium which made it five consecutive home victories and extend their good form to nine wins from 10 games in all competitions.
It was the Ammies who took the lead inside the first 10 minutes, however. Donald Love’s long throw-in was flicked on by Tom Elliott at the front post. The ball fell into Matty Lund’s path as the midfielder slotted the ball past Nathan Bishop to give Salford the lead.
The Stags levelled the game up at 1-1 in the 36th minute. Following a Stephen McLaughlin free-kick, in-form forward Rhys Oates scored his fourth goal in six games as he bundled the ball in from close range after a scramble inside the Salford penalty box.
On the stroke of half-time, the assister turned goalscorer as McLaughlin’s free-kick beat Tom King at his near post with Mansfield leading at the interval.
Nigel Clough’s side were able to hold onto the win and earned a victory that moved them four points outside of the play-off places.
After seeing Forest Green conceded five times against struggling Oldham Athletic in a 5-5 draw, the Stags would have been very confident that another victory was on the cards but unfortunately a postponement saw the amber and blues miss that opportunity.
Stags’ opponents this weekend, Hartlepool United, have slowly adapted back to life in the Football League following their National League play-off success last season.
The Pools extended their unbeaten run to four games in all competitions after a 0-0 draw against Scunthorpe United a fortnight ago.
Hartlepool’s fixture against Colchester United was postponed due to positive COVID-19 cases in the Pools camp, however, the club has confirmed no further positive cases and that the fixture against the Stags will go ahead as planned.
The last time the Stags and the Pools faced each other was back in the 2016/17 season as Hartlepool were relegated down to the National League. Mansfield ran rampant that afternoon as goals from Alex MacDonald, Danny Rose and a brace from Ben Whitemen secured a 4-0 win for the amber and blues.
Oates, who played for Hartlepool in two different spells during his career, has finally settled in a Stags shirt and has been firing in goals for fun with four in his last six.
The 27-year-old knows that he’s not the finished article in terms and has expressed his desire in developing further traits that need fine-tuning.
“I know I’ve scored a few, I’ve got four in the last six, but I think I can still relax a bit more in font of goal at times,” he said.
“I’ll keep working on that and I’ll keep working on my hold-up play and lay-offs, things like that.
“[I will] Just keep working as hard as I can at everything really.”
Alongside his Stags teammates, the forward will be looking to get one over his previous employer and continue Mansfield’s good run of form ahead of a very busy Christmas schedule.
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