Mansfield Town

Clements, who has formed a strong central-midfield partnership with Jamie McGuire in recent weeks, suffered medial ligament (knee) damage in our victory at York City last weekend.

But despite initial fears that he may be out of action for as long as four months, our boss has revealed that is now expected to be much less.

“He’s seen the surgeon and it’s good news,” revealed Cox.

“We’re looking at a maximum of eight weeks to two months. We’ve got an excellent physio in Simon Murphy and he’s getting his head down straight away.”

Our boss also explained the decision as to why the club chose not to appeal the red card that centre-back Martin Riley received in the victory at Bootham Crescent.

Riley was dismissed following an off-the-ball incident with Minstermen substitute Richard Cresswell in the 79th minute of last Saturday’s match.

Cox said: “I don’t think the referee saw the full incident and we also didn’t get the match report (from the officials) until Tuesday, which went against us.

“He (Riley) has been a colossus for us this season and he’s really stepped up to the mark. We’re going to miss him, but as one door closes, another one opens.

“I said prior to the season starting that it’s about how strong your squad is – not in terms of numbers, but in the mentality of players who are waiting in the wings.”

Cox also reflected on our reserve team’s 3-1 victory over Hartlepool United at One Call Stadium last night, which saw us maintain our 100% record in the Central League (East Division).

“It was an excellent win and there were some good performances,” added Cox.

“I sound like a scratched record, but there are a lot of players who are ‘chomping at the bit’ to try and break into the first eleven.

“My priority last night was to make sure that the lads, who are going to be in contention for Saturday, are putting the work ethic in and showing the right mindset.”