Preview: Stags vs Colchester United

19 November 2020

Next up for the Stags is a Friday night home match against Colchester United in Sky Bet League Two (7pm). Here’s all you need to know ahead of the match…

Midfielder George Maris is likely to miss the game, following his rib injury suffered in Saturday’s match away at Forest Green Rovers.

Long-term absentee Joe Riley is continuing his recovery from an ACL injury and will therefore miss Friday’s fixture.

For the U’s, Callum Harriott will miss out, while Tom Lapslie and Ben Stevenson are doubts.

The Stags made it three consecutive away wins on Saturday with their 2-1 win at Forest Green, stretching their unbeaten run to five matches.

Colchester sit seventh in the league standings heading into Friday’s match, following a strong start to their campaign. Last time out, they recorded a 2-1 win at home to Leyton Orient on Saturday.

We last faced the U’s in November 2019, and although defender Ryan Sweeney and attacking midfielder Omari Sterling-James found themselves on the scoresheet, the Stags succumbed to a 3-2 home loss.

Referee Benjamin Speedie will take charge of Friday’s fixture, assisted by Conor Brown and Ravel Cheosiaua. The fourth official will be Abbas Khan.

This will be the first competitive fixture involving the Stags that Mr. Speedie will take charge of.

Supporters wishing to watch this match live can do so on iFollow Stags. Please do not try to attend this match, as it will be played behind closed doors. Match passes are available at just £10, and can be purchased here.

A reminder that season ticket holders are able to watch this game free of charge, due to it being a home league game.

All season ticket holders' iFollow accounts have now been automatically granted access to the live video stream for home league games.

There is no need to input promo codes and supporters simply need to log into their iFollow account.

We have provided the EFL with season ticket holders' email addresses (data is being passed securely and purely for the purpose of providing access to iFollow).

It is therefore essential that season ticket holders use the same e-mail address registered on their iFollow account to the one which we have on our season ticket database (which is the e-mail from which you have previously received the promo codes for home league games).

If you already have an iFollow account registered using the same email as the club has for your season ticket account, you do not need to do anything else, simply log into your iFollow account on matchday.

If you have changed e-mail addresses to the one the club has for you on its database, or if you have any questions or queries about the above, please email ticketoffice@mansfieldtown.net.

In order for you to check whether you have been granted access to the Season Ticket Licence, it's a simple three-step process to do so:

Log in to iFollow on your club website
Click your name in the navigation bar to get to their 'My Account page'
Click the + sign next to 'Purchased Packages'

If you have been granted access, you will see 'Season Ticket – Mansfield Town’

We also suggest that new users familiarise themselves with their iFollow Stags account ahead of Friday’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 match commentary will be provided 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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To add us on Snapchat, search ‘mtfcofficial.’

Match Previews

Match Reports

Report: Stags 1-1 Colchester United

20 November 2020

Nicky Maynard’s goal extended Mansfield Town’s unbeaten run to six games as they drew 1-1 with Colchester United at One Call Stadium on Friday evening.

Neither side were able to be split throughout a first-half that had spells of dominance change hands several times.

However, when Maynard’s thunderous effort from distance looked to potentially seal a fourth-successive victory, substitute Luke Norris was on hand to rescue a point for the travelling outfit.

Nigel Clough’s squad was bolstered by the return of club captain Ollie Clarke, who started his first match since injury, in place of George Maris – the No. 10 being ruled out due to a rib injury.

Mansfield entered the contest by attempting to sharply ascend through the thirds and found particular joy down both flanks.

Initially, Kellan Gordon’s first-time delivery narrowly evaded Jordan Bowery in the centre before Mal Benning’s deflected cross was then hammered into the body of Harry Pell by Clarke.

The visitors themselves were seeking a route to goal but continually squandered possession allowing the Stags to break. Another delivery from a wide position followed, this time via Bowery’s boot, yet Dean Gerken fell onto the ball ahead of any Mansfield touch.

It proved to be an open, ball-on-the-ground type affair with the U’s slowly gaining a foothold.

Noah Chilvers was the quickest to respond to a hoisted cross into the Stags’ 18-yard box and should have capitalised with the opening goal; however, his nod down was easily claimed by Marek Stech after connecting with the turf.

Soon after, Pell was stationed in the perfect position to let fly from a loose corner ball but his strike was thwarted by Farrend Rawson.

And it was Clarke’s turn to drive from range as the clock shifted towards the interval. A neat touch by Stephen McLaughlin fell into the returning midfielder’s path and his punt was hesitantly beaten clear by Gerken.

Clough’s men emerged from the dressing room with same amount of vigour as they attempted to make their mark in the second period.

George Lapslie hooked a ball above the head of everyone and into McLaughlin’s path – who had beaten the U’s high line – but a wayward first touch allowed the visitors to regroup.

Minutes later, though, the Stags were on the front foot yet again with Harry Charsley looping an effort the wrong side of the upright.

And their persistence paid off in the 67^th minute.

Maynard was fed possession on the right-hand side and needed no invitation to release a powerful effort that caught the underside of the bar before bouncing over the line.

Colchester attempted to utilise the remaining time to level proceedings and were successful through substitute Norris.

The striker spotted Stech beyond his goal line as the No. 1 looked to reduce the angle and clipped an inch-perfect lob into the empty net.

It proved to be the last notable action of Friday evening, signalling one point apiece from the Stags’ latest Sky Bet League Two contest.

They are back in league action on Tuesday evening as Harrogate Town are the visitors to One Call Stadium.

STAGS XI: Štěch (GK), Benning, Rawson, Charsley, Clarke © (O’Keeffe 84’), Bowery, Gordon, Perch, McLaughlin, Maynard, Lapslie

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

COLCHESTER XI: Gerken (GK), Welch-Hayes (Norris 81’), Bramall, Smith, Senior (Bohui 70’), Pell ©, Brown, Chilvers, Eastman, Poku (Harriott 61’), Stevenson (Folivi 70’)

UNUSED SUBS: George (GK), Sowunmi, Scarlett

REFEREE: Benjamin Speedie

ASSISTANTS: Conor Brown & Ravel Cheosiaua

FOURTH OFFICIAL: Abbas Khan