The new year belatedly begins for Mansfield Town under-18s on Tuesday afternoon when Burton Albion travel to the RH Academy.
Wintry weather forced consecutive postponements over the first fortnight of 2021, but the youngsters end a month-long layoff by facing familiar foes.
This midweek encounter will be the fourth in as many months between these two sides across the league and both cup competitions this season.
The visitors hold the upper hand across the first three, registering back-to-back 2-0 wins in the league and group stages of the EFL Youth Alliance Cup, before a 3-2 win in the FA Youth Cup last month.
That second round tie was the Stags’ last competitive outing and saw them equalise twice after going behind before Burton eventually edged it late on.
The first of those responses came as a result of some fine centre-forward play from Jack Deakin.
He took one touch to chest down a header forward before flicking the ball around his marker and, in the same motion, firing low past the goalkeeper.
After the hosts retook the lead in the second-half, fellow first-year scholar Diego Edwards came off the bench to level things up once again just after the hour mark.
Winger Shamar Lawson began the move with an enterprising run to the edge of the area before dragging a cross-cum-shot to Edwards at the back post who poked the ball in.
While that may have been the Stags’ last competitive contest of any note, Tuesday’s visitors have been in action since, losing a top-of-the-table clash with Notts County 4-1.
That result leaves Burton in third, six places and ten points ahead of Mansfield in the Youth Alliance league having played two matches more.
Tuesday's match kicks off at 1pm, but will take place behind closed doors.
