Preview: Forest Green Rovers vs Stags

12 November 2020

The Stags are back on the road this weekend as they travel to face Forest Green Rovers at the innocent New Lawn Stadium (3pm). Here’s all you need to know ahead of the match…

Mansfield will be without wing-back Joe Riley as the defender continues his recovery from a long-term knee injury.

Mark Cooper’s Forest Green have a clean bill of health heading into the fixture.

Mansfield made it two wins on the bounce on Tuesday, as they followed up their outstanding 1-0 win away at Sunderland in the Emirates FA Cup with a 2-1 victory over Scunthorpe United in the Papa John’s Trophy.

Tuesday night’s win made it four games unbeaten for the Stags.

Saturday’s opponents sit third in the Sky Bet League Two standings heading into the game, having won three of their last five league outings.

We last faced Forest Green at One Call Stadium in January 2020, an afternoon that turned out to be one to forget for the Stags, as they lost 4-3.

The Stags earned a point from their last trip to Forest Green, as an Andy Cook brace sealed a dramatic comeback from two goals down.

The referee for Saturday’s match will be Brett Huxtable, assisted by Adrian Turner and Louis Marks. The fourth official will be Adam Ricketts.

Mr. Huxtable last took charge of a Mansfield fixture in January 2019, our dramatic 3-2 comeback victory over Colchester United away from home.

Supporters wishing to watch this match live can do so on iFollow Stags. Match passes are available at just £10, and can be purchased here.

We suggest that new users familiarise themselves with their iFollow Stags account ahead of Saturday’s game, so that no issues arise on matchday when going to watch the game live.

Looking to watch the game on your tablet or mobile? You will need to download the new EFL iFollow app. Read more here.

iFollow Stags subscribers who do not wish to purchase a match pass for the game can still access live match commentary, courtesy of commentators Martin Shaw and Dean Foulkes.

As ever, you can also follow the action live via our Twitter match updates, which can be found here.

The match centre on mansfieldtown.net will also contain Opta-populated updates, and can be accessed here.

A report of the match will be published on the club website following the full-time whistle, and post-match reaction will be available to view on mansfieldtown.net and iFollow Stags.

Follow us across our social media accounts to keep fully updated on all areas of a Stags’ matchday. Click the below links to redirect to the corresponding social media account.

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Looking for a step-by-step guide to all things iFollow Stags? Click here for more.

Match Reports

Report: Forest Green Rovers 1-2 Stags

14 November 2020

George Lapslie and Harry Charsley fired Mansfield Town to a battling 2-1 victory over Forest Green Rovers in Sky Bet League Two on Saturday afternoon.

Lapslie, who already had three goal involvements prior to Saturday’s outing, wasted little time in adding another to his tally when he beat Luke McGee at the second attempt early in the contest.

And despite Odin Bailey’s 85^th-minute goal seeking to trigger a dramatic comeback, Charsley’s first-half strike proved to be the match-winner under heavy rain at the innocent New Lawn Stadium.

Nigel Clough watched his side emerge victorious at Scunthorpe United on Tuesday but opted for wholesale changes to his line-up.

The entire XI who battled towards an historic victory over Sunderland were restored to the fray and it happened to pay dividends inside five minutes.

Stephen McLaughlin triggered the first notable press of the match and forced Udoka Godwin-Malife into squandering possession in the right channel, allowing the winger to burst forward. Lapslie patiently awaited the delivery before smashing past Luke McGee despite the goalkeeper’s initial save.

Mansfield grew in confidence and continued to pressure the opposition into mistakes – the goalscorer this time seeking to turn provider for Nicky Maynard whose effort lacked purchase.

Rovers, though, still posed a danger as Bailey ran clear but the forward was denied after a smart stop by Marek Stech.

George Maris then duelled in centre-field to retake the ball but was left down injured and was replaced by Ollie Clarke, who returned for his first piece of league action in six weeks.

And within minutes the Stags doubled their lead.

Jordan Bowery found himself in an ideal position to profit from a loose Rovers free-kick and the No. 9 shifted the ball across to Charsley who drilled into the far corner with precision.

Stags’ Czech custodian was then required at either side of the break to maintain his clean sheet. First, Jamille Matt’s rising drive stung the palms of Stech before Jake Young had a similar effort claimed.

Rovers found themselves in a sustained period of attack, yet were unable to muster any gilt-edged opportunities before Maynard almost pounced for a third.

McGee mishandled – and ultimately dropped – the ball from a hanging cross in heavy rain but Maynard had little room to manoeuvre a strike that led to the danger being extinguished.
The experienced striker did manage to find the back of the net just minutes later; however, his header was ruled offside by the nearside assistant.

Mark Cooper’s men were still probing the Mansfield back-line and managed to halve the deficit on 85 minutes, as Nicky Cadden’s corner produced a goalmouth scramble whereby Bailey was able to tuck away.

Expectedly, Rovers launched a colossal attempt for a last-gasp equaliser but it never reared its head to give the Stags maximum points in Gloucestershire.

Mansfield now have six days to prepare for their next Sky Bet League Two fixture as Clough takes charge of his first One Call Stadium fixture against Colchester United.

STAGS XI: Štěch (GK), Benning, Rawson, Charsley, Bowery, Maris (Clarke 31’), Gordon, Perch ©, McLaughlin, Maynard (O’Keeffe 82’), Lapslie

UNUSED SUBS: Stone (GK), Sweeney, Cook, O’Driscoll, Reid

FOREST GREEN XI: McGee (GK), Wilson (Collins 46’), Kitching, Winchester ©, Adams, Cadden, Matt (Richardson 76’), Moore-Taylor (Stevens 76’), Bailey, Young, Godwin-Malife

UNUSED SUBS: Thomas (GK), Sweeney, Stokes, Whitehouse

REFEREE: Brett Huxtable

ASSISTANTS: Adrian Tranter & Louis Marks

FOURTH OFFICIAL: Adam Ricketts