Clough’s Stags count the bumps and bruises after a “tough watch” before Bromley
Wednesday 7 October 2026 · By Steve Mellor
Mansfield Town have not played a league game since 19 September. Two postponements, at home to Leyton Orient on 26 September and away at Wigan on 3 October, have left Nigel Clough’s side waiting a long time to return to League One action. On Tuesday night, they did not enjoy their run-out.
The Stags lost 2–0 at Port Vale in the EFL Trophy, a result that left them bottom of Group D with no points and out of the competition. Clough did not hide his disappointment, calling it “a very tough watch” and saying his team had been “a shadow” of themselves.
Worse still, there were fresh injury concerns. “The downside is Louis Reed has a gashed shin and Ryan Sweeney got a whack on his hip,” Clough said. Both are doubts for Saturday’s home game against Bromley, according to the Chad on 7 October, and Sweeney is the club captain. David McGoldrick also took “a whack” and is a doubt. Lucas Akins is also out, with a hamstring injury picked up on international duty that could keep him out for “more than 4–6 weeks”. Baily Cargill is still waiting for his first appearance of the season.
There was some positive news on selection. Tyler Roberts and George Abbott got valuable minutes at Port Vale. Michael Smith and Liam Thompson were rested and are described as “definite starters” for Saturday.
In the league, Mansfield are 17th with eight points from seven games. They have two wins, two draws and three defeats, with ten goals scored and 13 conceded. Their recent form reads L W L L D D. The most memorable result came on 30 August, when Mansfield thrashed Luton 5–2. But that was followed by a 5–0 defeat at Reading, a 1–0 loss at Bradford and a goalless draw with Huddersfield. The most recent league game, on 19 September, ended 2–2 at Burton.
Now the long wait is over, and October looks very busy. Bromley visit Mansfield on Saturday 10 October, before Oxford come to Mansfield for a televised game on Thursday 15 October, with a 20:00 kick-off. The Stags then travel to AFC Wimbledon on Tuesday 20 October and Blackpool on 24 October. The month ends with the Nottinghamshire derby at home to Notts County on 31 October, a game that every Mansfield supporter will have circled on the calendar.
Bromley have the division’s worst goal difference, so Saturday looks like a good chance to get back to winning ways after almost three weeks without league football. Clough will be hoping his injured players recover in time. He will also want his side to show far more than they did at Port Vale.
It has been a frustrating spell, but the run of fixtures gives Mansfield the opportunity to climb. If the Stags can rediscover the form that saw them put five past Luton, they should be fine. A strong October, finished off with a derby win, would set them up nicely for the rest of the season.
One Call Stadium, still widely known as Field Mill, sits on Quarry Lane in Mansfield (NG18 5DA). Football has been played on the site since 1861, which makes it the oldest professional ground still used in the Football League. Mansfield Town have been here since 1919. For a visiting supporter it is a compact, mostly modern three-and-a-bit sided stadium of around 9,000–10,000, with good sightlines and a short walk from the railway station.
You will almost always be housed in the covered North Stand, directly behind the north goal. The allocation is typically about 1,700 to 1,900 seats. The stand is a single-tier 2001-era build with no roof pillars, so views are unobstructed from pretty much every seat. The roof is relatively low, which helps visiting noise carry. Facilities — toilets and a kiosk — sit in the concourse behind you. Designated accessible spaces are usually in blocks B and D. Smoking is only allowed in the marked area to the rear of the stand.
Opposite you, behind the south goal, is the Quarry Lane End. That is the home end: a similar single-tier stand holding just under 2,000, and the place where the loudest Stags support gathers. The players’ tunnel is in the south-west corner, between Quarry Lane and the Ian Greaves Stand. The west side is the two-tier Ian Greaves Stand, the largest part of the ground at a little over 5,400 seats, with hospitality, the Sandy Pate bar underneath, and the dugouts now in front of it. The east side, long known as the Bishop Street Stand and more recently tied to the Radford Family Stand project, spent years closed behind hoardings; renovation has brought it back into use in phases, so the bowl no longer looks quite as lopsided as it did for much of the 2010s.
Getting there is straightforward. From Mansfield station (not Mansfield Woodhouse) leave via the footbridge by platform 2, walk past the retail park and Burger King, and you arrive at the North Stand in around five to ten minutes. Coaches are usually directed into Portland Retail Park. On-site supporter parking is very limited; the station car park and Water Meadows Leisure Complex are the usual alternatives. The ground is cashless on many matchdays, so have a card ready. Under-14s must be with an adult.
The Sandy Pate under the Ian Greaves Stand has, on some fixtures, welcomed away fans before kick-off — check the club notes for that game, as access is not guaranteed. Town-centre pubs ten minutes away are generally relaxed; closer in, follow local and police advice if there is history between the clubs. Stewards will point you to the North Stand turnstiles off St Peter’s Way. Segregation between the North Stand and the Ian Greaves Stand can be tightened on bigger days.
Once inside, sit in your allocated seat. Views from the away end are among the better ones at this level: you look straight down the pitch towards Quarry Lane, with the two-tier west stand on your right and the east side on your left. Audio-descriptive commentary headsets can be collected from the Kevin Bird Suite entrance on the Ian Greaves side. The atmosphere is honest rather than hostile on most League days. Arrive early enough to find your block without a scramble, and you should have a straightforward afternoon at one of English football’s oldest working grounds.