Mansfield Town

The duo suffered their injuries in Tuesday’s defeat to Oldham Athletic at One Call Stadium.

Clucas was taken to hospital on a stretcher following the match, and is expected to be sidelined for around two months with an ankle ligament problem.

Meanwhile, Hutchinson suffered a hamstring tear, which is expected to rule him out for at least four weeks.

The loss of the duo comes as a blow to our boss, who will also be without the suspended John Dempster for the weekend visit of Accrington Stanley.

The 30-year-old won’t be available for selection again until our Sky Bet League Two match at Cheltenham Town on Sunday 29 December.

“Its bad news for us,” said Cox. “We’re just finding out if [Sam] needs a minor operation. He’s damaged an ankle ligament and a bit of it has come away from the bone.

“Hutch will be out for around four to six weeks as he has a tear in his hamstring.

“It’s like a conveyor belt here. Just when you are getting one or two back, you lose one or two others, and both are quality players.

“But we’ve just got to get our heads down and get on with things. [Injuries] are part and parcel of the game and happen at other clubs as well.”

Meanwhile, our boss is pleased that Lee Stevenson, Chris Clements and Ritchie Sutton came through last night’s reserve team match with Scunthorpe United.

The trio, who have all spent time on the treatment table in recent weeks, are now expected to challenge for a place in the squad for Saturday’s match.

Cox added: “We have options and I hope the boys that played last night come in for training tomorrow, and are available for Saturday.”