Un-named shot-stopper to play against Leeds United tomorrow night.
Boss Paul Cox has confirmed that a trialist goalkeeper from Switzerland will feature in tomorrow’s clash with Leeds United at One Call Stadium.
The Stags’ manager, who was speaking at a press meeting earlier today, will cast his eye over the un-named shot-stopper as he nears making a decision on which ‘keeper to bring to the club.
Trialist Dimitar Evtimov kept goal in the 3-1 victory over Notts County nine days ago, before a custodian from Birmingham City was in the net for last week’s 3-1 reverse to Aston Villa.
Our boss also hinted that some new signings could be made in time for Friday’s match at Grimsby Town.
“We’ll have a look at a Swiss keeper against Leeds. He’s looked good in the week’s training he’s had with us, but we want to see how he performs under some stress,” said Cox.
“We need to make sure we bring in the right person. Dimitar (Evtimov) did well against Notts County but, with all due respect, he didn’t have a lot to do that day.
“The ‘keeper that played against Aston Villa was put under a lot of stressful situations, particularly in the last 20 minutes, and performed admirably.
“We’re still talking to Birmingham and could still do something, but we must be respectful because he is still a Birmingham City player.”
Our boss continued: “The Leeds game is all about fitness and getting the boys extra minutes under their belts. I’ve got one or two more trialists to come in then I need to make some good decisions on them.
“I’m not putting a time-frame on anything, but coming into the Grimsby game there may be another two signings on board.
“We’re very, very close to finalising a new ‘keeper so there may be three additional players, which more or less takes us up to our quota.
“One of the two outfield players may be from the trialists we’ve looked at. Someone may just jump out. The other could be one of the ones we have spoken about who we’ve been tracking through pre-season and have had to show patience. I want to bring in the right player at the right price.”
Meanwhile, the future of midfielder Anthony Howell remains unclear.
The 28-year-old has featured in our recent clashes with Notts County and Aston Villa, but hasn’t yet signed a new deal that he was offered at the end of last term.
Yesterday, Howell also played for Cambridge United in a friendly with Shakhtar Donetsk.
“I’ve been honest with Anthony and told him don’t put all you eggs in one basket,” added Cox. “I know that he played for Cambridge at the weekend. I’ll have a chat with him at some point today and see where the land lies, but I have no news yet.”
