Mansfield Town

The trio completed a full 90 minutes in a behind-closed-doors match against Huddersfield Town earlier this week, which came as a huge boost to manager Paul Cox.

Speaking at his press meeting ahead of Saturday’s tough trip to the North-West, our boss said: “It was a really good fixture for us [at Huddersfield].

“I didn’t want a game where we would be strolling around and admiring ourselves. I wanted a game where we would be tested physically.

“The massive plus was that all the injured boys came through the 90 minutes, and were in [at the club] yesterday to have a flush out.

“All of them are feeling good today, so it’s a massive positive.”

Cox continued: “When you lose so many players at such an important time – and we’re not talking about minor injuries, we’re talking medial knee ligament injuries – it’s really tough on any football club.

“But it’s pleasing that we can see light at the end of the tunnel now.

“Hopefully, I can get one or two [players] back and I can start to pick what I feel is a consistent squad and a consistent 11.”

Cox also reflected on our season so far, in which we have amassed 21 points from 16 matches in Sky Bet League Two.

“We hit the ground running at the beginning of the season. We were doing all the things that we’re good at, and what won us a championship last year,” said Cox.

“There are different factors as to why you have a bad run of form, but you have got to put it down to the fact that we’ve had some very good players missing from the squad.

“In turn, what that does is it [allows] one of two people to subconsciously take their foot off the pedal, because they know they’re going to be picked week in, week out.

“This job is very easy when you’re winning every week, but you find out about your players and yourself when things aren’t going so well.

“I’m never one to panic and what I’ve maintained is that we will see where we are at Christmas time, and then we will plan from there.

“We’re going through a blip at this minute. What we’ve got to get back to doing is being robust, like we were at the start of the season.

“There were a lot of people who were questioning our ethics and morals at the beginning of the season, but we were winning matches.

“The boys are honest, they’re working hard and as I see it, they will come through it.”