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Match Previews

Match preview: Stags vs Everton U23s

31 October 2017

Match Previews

Match preview: Stags vs Everton U23s

31 October 2017

Mansfield Town welcome Everton's U23s in their final Checkatrade Trophy Group Stage game on Tuesday evening (31 October, 7.45pm kick-off) and this is your comprehensive guide to the fixture.

The only absentee in the Stags' camp will be defender David Mirfin, who tweaked a hamstring against Barnet a fortnight ago. 

Captain Zander Diamond will be involved against the Toffees, boss Steve Evans confirmed in Monday morning's news conference. 

The Toffees have no injury worries, but defender Jonjoe Kenny and midfielder Beni Baningime are unlikely to be involved after playing for the first team against Leicester City on Sunday. 

Stags are unbeaten in the last four games in all competitions, securing three draws in Sky Bet League Two and a victory in the Checkatrade Trophy. 

Manager Steve Evans' men defeated Notts County 2-1 last Tuesday - despite making 10 changes - in the Checkatrade Trophy. Goals from striker Lee Angol and winger CJ Hamilton saw Stags win their first points of the season in the competition. 

A dominant display against Exeter City then ended 1-1 at One Call Stadium on Saturday after winger Lee Holmes rescued a point for the visitors late in the game. Striker Kane Hemmings had given the Stags a first half lead. 

The Toffees' under 23s have two wins in their last five games in all competitions. 

Their 3-0 victory over Manchester City in the U23s Premier League 2 was followed by a 3-1 home defeat to Wolfsburg in their opening Premier League International Cup game. 

Everton then lost 1-0 at home to Sunderland in the league before slipping to a 2-1 defeat in their most recent Checkatrade Trophy game, against Lincoln City. 

A stoppage time Shayne Lavery goal ensured they returned to winning ways on Friday, however, as they recorded an excellent 2-1 win away to Swansea. 

How can Stags progress?

Steve Evans' side will reach the second round of the competition if they better Notts County's result, who take on Lincoln City next week. 

If both Stags and Notts County win their matches, both sides and Lincoln City will be on six points. 

The two teams who progress will be the pair with the superior goal difference. 

If Stags lose, they will exit the competition regardless of the result between the Magpies and the Imps next week. 

This will be the first meeting in the clubs' history, having never met before. 

The referee for the encounter will be Michael Sailsbury and he will be assisted by Peter Gooch and Stephen Wade. Mark Heywood will be the fourth official. 

Mr Sailsbury's last match in charge of the Stags was our 1-0 Checkatrade Trophy win over Port Vale last season. 

Tickets are only available in the Ian Greaves Stand for tomorrow's game (upper and lower) as both the Quarry Lane End and the North Stand are closed. 

Tickets are priced as follows: 

Adults: £10
Seniors & under 17s: £5

Away supporters will be able to purchase tickets from the main ticket office or the matchday ticket office at the same price as above. The ticket offices are located at the Quarry Lane End of the ground. 

There will be no price increase on the day of the game.

The Sandy Pate Sports Bar will be open from 12.00pm for supporters of both clubs to enjoy pre-match food and drink. 

Supporters can order from the main menu between 12.00pm and 4.00pm, after which the matchday food menu will be available.

Furthermore, the bar will be serving alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages throughout the day. 

Supporters with a ticket in blocks N, P, Q and R of the Ian Greaves Stand (upper tier) will be able to access the Kevin Bird Suite from 6.00pm on Tuesday.

The Suite, situtated in the upper tier of the Ian Greaves Stand, will be serving hot and cold drinks for supporters to enjoy. The bar will also be open at half-time for supporters with a ticket in the aforementioned blocks.

We'll be publishing live text commentary of the encounter on our twitter feed and the match centre on mansfieldtown.net will contain Opta-populated updates.

To access our twitter feed, head to twitter.com/mansfieldtownfc. The match centre can be accessed here, or by clicking the link on the home page on Tuesday. 

Furthermore, iFollow Stags subscribers will be able to listen to full-match commentary of the clash, courtesy of commentators Martin Shaw and Dean Foulkes. 

A report of the match will be published on www.mansfieldtown.net after the game and full reaction will be available to view on mansfieldtown.net and iFollow Stags.


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