Stags' under-18s take on Scunthorpe United in the EFL Youth Alliance at Brumby Hall this Saturday (kick-off 11:00am), with last month’s 8-1 victory over The Iron still fresh in the memory.
Goals from Rhys Sarson, Lewis Gibbens, Keaton Ward, Aiden Walker, Tyrese Sinclair and a hat-trick from striker Iywrah Gooden gave Stags a resounding win when the teams met at Brooksby Melton College in March.
Last time out, Stags dropped points at home, drawing 1-1 against Burton Albion with a late Henri Wilder strike earning Mansfield a hard-fought draw
A win on Saturday will see the Stags extend their lead at the top of the North East Division with Notts County, Oldham Athletic and Rotherham United lying in wait if Mansfield slip up.
Stags have games against fifth-placed Chesterfield, fourth-placed Oldham and second-placed Notts County still to come, so a win against a Scunthorpe team who sit third-from-bottom could set them up nicely for the coming weeks.
Mansfield have lost just once all season, away at Oldham in October, and since then have won seven and drawn two of their nine league games.
They also have the best goal difference in the division by some way - Stags' +22 is 13 better than second-place Notts County.
Scunthorpe recently ended a run of 11 games without a win, after a 1-0 victory at home to Rotherham. The Iron have responded positively to the 8-1 defeat with a win, and two away draws in their last three games.
The hosts are out of both the FA Youth Cup and EFL Youth Alliance Cup, so a positive finish in the league is the best they can hope for from the remainder of the season.
While a repeat of the emphatic scoreline from earlier in the season would be a tall order, John Dempster's team are in good form and will be confident of returning home with all three points.
For fans wishing to attend the game, the address for the game is: Brumby Hall, Ashby Rd, Scunthorpe, DN16 1AA.
