Manager Nigel Clough spoke to the local media ahead of tomorrow evening’s match at home to Sutton United (7.45pm kick-off).
When Stags face the South London outfit at One Call Stadium, the boss’ side will have gone ten days without a game due to postponements against Forest Green Rovers and the originally scheduled match against The U’s, last week.
On Mansfield’s period without a match, the gaffer said: “[We’ve been] Just trying to tick over and stay ready for the next game.
“It’s difficult when you think you’re going to play on the Saturday, and you can’t train on the grass – it’s obviously frozen.
“We’ve been doing what we can on the artificial [grass] and getting ready for Tuesday night.
“We were pleased when it got cancelled on Friday that we could put it [the match] in straight away for Tuesday.”
Nigel went on to provide an update on his squad’s fitness.
“John-Joe O’Toole has trained so he might come back into the [matchday] 18, him and George Cooper makes the 19 and that’s it,” he said.
“It [Calum Macdonald’s calf injury] is a little bit more complicated than that [a dead leg].
“He’s had a scan and he’s got a slight problem which will probably be four to six weeks [away from action].
“It [Macdonald’s calf] was really cramping up and causing him a problem, something to do with the blood flow into your calf.
“It [Rhys Oates’ knee surgery] all went well, the surgeon was very happy with how it all went.
“I spoke to him [Rhys] after the night of the operation after he’d had it, and he was in reasonable spirits but [it’ll be] a long nine months ahead.”
On Stags’ search for a striker, Nigel said: “We’re still pursuing the one. We should know this week, that’s pretty much the cut-off point.
“If it’s going to be done, we want something doing this week. We’ve got other targets as well.
“Hopefully after the game tomorrow night, sometime in the next couple of days after that, it should become a bit clearer.
“A lot [of transfers] go to the last minute but from our point of view, we’d like to get one in before Saturday.
“We put a very very good offer on the table but it’s just trying to get the other club to agree to it.”
Mansfield host bottom-of-the-league Sutton United tomorrow who appointed new manager Steve Morrison earlier this month.
“I don’t think he’s had many games in charge so it’s difficult to tell [how Sutton will play] but he’s brought in three or four good players,” said the boss.
“I think there will be a different atmosphere around the place [at Sutton], and they’ll be a different proposition in terms of the team that are out there [to the one faced away, before Christmas].
“Steve’s got good experience in terms of higher up and I think they’ll fancy their chances of staying up.”
