Mansfield Town’s under 18s welcome their Hartlepool United counterparts this Saturday (18 March, 12.00pm kick-off) in the EFL Youth Alliance at Clipstone FC’s Worksop Van Hire Stadium.
John Dempster’s men return to competitive action for the first time this month, after their clash against York City’s under 18s was postponed last time out due to heavy rain.
Against Hartlepool, the Stags’ young guns will be seeking full points, which will draw them level on points with fellow title contenders Oldham Athletic.
Oldham have momentarily climbed to the summit, sitting three points ahead of second-placed Mansfield with 39 points. However, Dempster’s men have a game in hand which will turn the tide in their favour with a win.
The young Stags continue to remain unbeaten since the turn of the calendar year, notching two draws and two wins in four matches.
The defending champions began this decent spell with a 1-1 draw against Doncaster Rovers, followed by a 2-1 success over Rotherham United and a goalless outing against Lincoln City.
Prior to the Pools’ game, they emerged victorious against local rivals Notts County in a five goal thriller, where forwards Jason Law and Nyle Blake struck to complement an own goal in the first-half, while the Magpies took the game down to the wire with two goals either side of half-time.
Saturday’s visitors Hartlepool reside tenth in the league, with 17 points from 15 games. Manager John Hewitson’s men have struggled for form lately, remaining winless in their last four games across all competitions.
This phase of fixtures has seen them lose 2-0 to Rochdale in the EFL Youth Alliance Cup semi-final, before they were consigned to a 3-1 defeat by Rotherham either side of draws against Doncaster Rovers (2-2) and Grimsby Town (1-1).
Supporters are welcome to attend the game at the following address:
Clipstone FC,
The Worksop Van Hire Stadium,
Clipstone,
Mansfield,
Notts,
NG21 9DP
