Preview: Stags v Forest Green (SOLD OUT)

6 May 2022

The Stags are at home this Saturday for the hotly-anticipated Sky Bet League Two regular season finale versus Forest Green Rovers at One Call Stadium (3pm kick-off). Here’s all you need to know…

Please read these special notices, which include COVID-19 safety guidelines, before attending the match at One Call Stadium:

Tickets are sold out in the home ends of One Call Stadium and cannot be purchased in advance of the fixture or on matchday
The Stags Supporters' Association will be selling programmes at their table in Sandy’s Bar & Kitchen from approximately 1.30pm
Proof of a negative test or double vaccination is not required for the game
Please do not attend the match if you’re experiencing symptoms of COVID-19
Sanitiser will be available throughout the stadium
Please respect others by keeping a safe distance especially within toilet areas, queuing and on the concourse
Kiosks will be open, along with Sandy's Bar & Kitchen and the fans' zone bar
Please arrive in plenty of time ahead of kick-off

Midfielder Stephen Quinn will be assessed prior to the encounter. The 36-year-old suffered a hip injury in the 2-0 win over Crawley last month.

The Stags have won 13 from their previous 14 league matches at One Call Stadium.

Mansfield sit in fifth place in Sky Bet League Two, needing a point to secure a place in the play-off positions.

Already-promoted Forest Green Rovers need a result in order to have any chance of being crowned champions over table-toppers Exeter.

Rovers are currently second in the league table.

The last time the two sides faced each other was Tuesday 05 April.

Forest Green were 1-0 winners at The Fully Charged New Lawn. George Lapslie was controversially sent off in the 49^th minute.

The referee for the match is Robert Madley. Mr. Madley will be assisted by Lisa Rashid, Garry Maskell and fourth official, Neil Hair.

Tickets have been sold out in the home ends for Saturday’s clash against Rovers.

Tickets cannot be purchased either online or in person.

Thank you for your support.

Sandy’s Bar & Kitchen will open from 12pm on matchday and serving from the matchday menu from 12.30pm.

Our Fans’ zone bar will also be open.

Supporters will also be able to purchase the latest edition of our matchday programme The Stag for just £2.50.

The Stags Supporters’ Association will be selling programmes at their table in Sandy’s Bar & Kitchen from 1.30pm

The Stag can be purchased from the merchandise stand near Sandy’s Bar & Kitchen, the ticket office, our matchday kiosks & bars, or any mobile programme vendor around One Call Stadium.

Can't make it to the game? This season's programmes are available to purchase online. To browse this season's programmes, click here.

Parking is unfortunately unavailable at One Call Stadium.

All reserved car parking spaces are within the location of the Ian Greaves Stand car park. Please note that the car park shuts 30 minutes prior to kick-off due to safety regulations.

The following sites, owned by Mansfield District Council and with easy access to One Call Stadium are Grove Street, Victoria Street, Garden Road and Church Lane.

Charges are as follows:

Grove St 50p/hr
Victoria St 50p/hr
Garden Rd 50p/hr
Church Lane 80p/hr

All of the above pay and display surface level car parks offer cashless parking via RingGo as an additional way to pay.

Every car park has a unique code so people can either pay over the phone, by text, online or by using a free smartphone app.

Details of how to do this are displayed in each car park. Information about all Mansfield District Council car parks can be found at www.mansfield.gov.uk/carparks.

Where do I go when I get to One Call Stadium?

Hospitality

If you are a hospitality guest, please enter the stadium via the brown double doors to the rear of the Ian Greaves Stand, which is the entrance to our hospitality suites.

The doors are located to the left of the white merchandise stall outside Sandy’s Bar & Kitchen, backing onto the main car park and sign-posted 'The Kevin Bird Suite'.

Media

Members of the media are asked to also head to the entrance to our hospitality suites, where our media steward will provide you with the necessary accreditation.

The required entrance is located to the left of the merchandise stall outside Sandy’s Bar & Kitchen and signposted 'The Kevin Bird Suite'.

Supporters

If you need to collect tickets, please head to the main ticket office on Quarry Lane. For ticket purchases, please visit the matchday ticket office, adjacent to the Quarry Lane Stand, around the corner from the main ticket office.

The Ian Greaves Stand is the main stand at One Call Stadium, which backs onto the main car park.

Away supporters are housed in the North Stand, which can be accessed via Portland Retail Park. Please note: there is no matchday parking at the retail park.

iFollow Stags subscribers can listen to full match commentary of the clash - courtesy of Martin Shaw & Dean Foulkes - by logging into iFollow Stags 10 minutes before kick-off.

Saturday's game will be streamed live for overseas subscribers on iFollow Stags. To purchase your match pass for £10, click here.

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.

Supporters who are blind or visually impaired can take advantage of our fantastic free audio descriptive commentary service.

Provided by Alan March Sport, supporters can listen to commentary from trained audio description broadcasters.

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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Match Previews

Match Reports

Report: Stags 2-2 Forest Green

7 May 2022

Mansfield Town booked a place in the Sky Bet League Two play-offs with a hard fought 2-2 draw at home to league champions Forest Green Rovers.

The Stags finish the season in seventh and will now face Northampton Town in the play-off semi-finals.

Matty Longstaff fired Mansfield into a first-half lead on 17 minutes with a coolly-taken finish past Rovers’ ‘keeper Luke McGee.

The visitors equalised on 68 minutes through Ebou Adams before Jordan Bowery coolly restored Mansfield’s lead on 78 minutes.

Forest Green equalised for the second occasion two minutes later when substitute Josh March slotted the ball past Nathan Bishop to secure the league title.

Manager Nigel Clough made two changes to the team that drew 2-2 with Salford City at The Peninsula Stadium on Monday.

Experienced midfielder Stephen Quinn replaced George Lapslie in the line-up, with striker Jordan Bowery trading places with Lucas Akins in attack.

George Maris crafted the first sight of goal for Mansfield as the game adopted a lively opening. After the midfielder snatched the ball from Forest Green’s Ebou Adams, the Stags’ man teed up an effort from the edge of the box, but his attempt was quickly charged down.

A minute later, Forest Green right wing-back Kane Wilson guided a cross to Nicky Cadden who blazed his volley over the bar from the back post.

The game’s fast tempo continued, and Oates found space to drive through the midfield on 11 minutes before being wiped out by Adams just outside the box. Stephen McLaughlin subsequently whipped the 25-yard free-kick narrowly wide of the bottom left post as Mansfield’s pressure built.

The Stags’ final third pressure paid dividends on 17 minutes when Matty Longstaff fired the hosts into the lead. After Jamie Murphy cut inside from the left, Jordan Bowery deflected the Scotsman’s through ball into the path of the lurking Longstaff. The initial effort from the 22-year-old midfielder was parried by ‘keeper Luke McGee before the on-loan Newcastle man buried the rebound from close range.

The visitors came close to equalising just a minute later when Forest Green captain Jamille Matt fired Adams’ cutback into the clutches of Nathan Bishop from the centre of the box.

The Stags absorbed Forest Green’s pressure in the following stages in order to protect their lead going into half-time.

Mansfield almost doubled their lead in the second minute of added time after Oates’ ball into the near post was directed goal wards by Stephen McLaughlin’s back-healed effort. However, the ball rolled agonisingly wide of the visitors’ goal and the Stags were made to settled for a one-goal lead at the break.

The stages after half-time were evenly contested as Mansfield looked to attack further.

Following a period of possession, the amber and blue came close to doubling their lead on the hour mark after Jamie Murphy wriggled into space on the right wing before directing a low cross narrowly ahead of the on-rushing Oates.

Forest Green equalised on 64 minutes after Adams was played through on goal with Bishop and the midfielder knocked the ball to the left of the ‘keeper before sliding it into the net.

The title-chasing visitors upped the pressure after their equaliser. On 73 minutes Cadden cut in from the right to play a pass into Jack Aitchison, whose prodded effort from close range was well gathered by Bishop.

Mansfield restored their lead after a sustained attack on 78 minutes. McLaughlin’s cross into the box from the left wing accurately found Jordan Bowery who coolly knocked the ball into the bottom right corner.

The visitors attacked straight away and found their equaliser just three minutes later. After substitute Josh March was slotted through on goal, the substitute midfielder lifted the ball over the onrushing Bishop to score.

Stags almost struck back on 86 minutes when Longstaff’s dipped cross into the box was nodded goal wards by Oates, but McGee was able to scramble to his right and hold the striker’s effort.

The final minutes of the contest saw Mansfield keeping possession around the back as both sides claimed the point necessary to finish inside the play-offs and clinch the title, respectively.

Mansfield will next face Northampton Town in the play-off semi-final first leg at One Call Stadium on Saturday 14 May.

STAGS XI: Bishop, Perch (Hewitt 84’), O’Toole, Hawkins, McLaughlin, Maris (Wallace 74’), Longstaff, Quinn, Murphy (Akins 88’), Oates, Bowery

UNUSED SUBS: Stech, Clarke, Stirk, Lapslie

FOREST GREEN XI: McGee, Wilson, Bernard, Stevenson, Adams, Aitchison, Cadden, Matt, Moore-Taylor, Hendry (March 79’), Godwin-Malife

UNUSED SUBS: Thomas, Sweeney, Cargill, Allen, Young, Diallo

REFEREE: Robert Madley

ATTENDANCE: 7,374 (473 away supporters)