Clough & Co Ready For Season Start

Having exited the Carabao (League) Cup on the opening weekend of the season, Nigel Clough’s Mansfield Town side can concentrate firmly, for now at least, on building momentum in their League One promotion bid, beginning with the league opener against visiting Doncaster Rovers this Saturday afternoon.

In taking to the One Call Stadium field, there’ll be a slightly new look to a Stags side who’ve lost the likes of Will Evans and Aaron Lewis, as well as Victor Adeboyejo, Max Dickov, and Dom Dwyer, to name a few.

However, Clough has welcomed an interesting quintet of players to the club, which includes two strikers, one of which will get a reception of sorts when Mansfield welcome Nottinghamshire rivals, Notts County, on Halloween.

Former Magpies striker, David McGoldrick, will don the Amber and Blue this season; the home-grown hitman having had a much-travelled, twenty-plus year career in the game, beginning with his hometown club back in 2004, returning on loan in 2005, turning out for Nottingham Forest between 2009 and 2013, before appearing for Derby County, then back to County, between 2022 and 2025.

Last season McGoldrick spent in Yorkshire, at Mansfield’s League One rivals, Barnsley, netting 18 goals in 41 appearances, taking his career tally to over 200 in some 675 games – he will certainly look to add to that tally this coming season.

Joining him up front is another new signing, former Preston North End striker, Michael Smith; a Geordie by birth, his career began at Darlington back in 2010, and has seen him plying his trade as high as the Championship, with Charlton Athletic (squad player), Rotherham United, Sheffield Wednesday, and Preston.

Although not prolific, he could well be the perfect foil for the likes of McGoldrick, Lucas Akins, Rhys Oates, and Tyler Roberts, manager Clough having strengthened well in the attacking department.

After hosting Doncaster on the opening day, this Saturday (15 August), the Stags’ first away day sees them travelling to Peterborough United next weekend (22 August), before seeing out the month with a home game against Luton Town.

The Stag’s first midweek game of the new season is away to Reading (2 September), but they’ll have to wait until mid-October for the first home midweek, they welcoming Oxford United (15 October).

The first, Nottinghamshire derby of the season takes place on Halloween, Mansfield welcoming Notts County to the One Call, and McGoldrick taking on his former side, before festive fixtures sees the Stags facing Barnsley at home (26 December), Sheffield Wednesday away (29 December), and Cambridge United away (2 January).

The return derby with Notts County takes place on 30 January, with Clough et al hoping they’ll be closer to a promotion challenge, rather than a relegation scrap, and that their new signings have bedded in nicely.

Alongside the additions of strikers McGoldrick and Smith, Clough has added the permanent signing of midfielder Jon Russell, from Barnsley, following a successful loan spell last season, netting five goals in 24 games, and has signed a two-year deal.

Central midfielder, Liam Thompson, has also joined the Stags, arriving from Championship side Preston North End, and the season-long loan signing of left-sided defender, Owen Dodgson.

Having began his career at Burnley, Dodgson has spent much of his play career out on loan, before joining Stockport County on loan last summer, before signing for them in May this year, and being sent out to Mansfield less than three months later.

With hopes of a promotion push this time, Mansfield having finished tenth last season, ten points off sixth, and the last play-off position, the upcoming campaign, come its conclusion in early May 2027, will do so with the Stags hosting Leicester City (1 May), before finishing up away to Stockport County (8 May) a week later.

Then, who knows, a spot in the play-offs, a promotion party, or the Stags might dream, a title-winning party to wrap things up. Who knows…..

Peter-Mann Clough & Co Ready For Season Start