Our second half-term report featuring the counties top three professional football clubs focusses on the second highest ranked of those teams and Mansfield Town of the Sky Bet Football League Two.

Like both Forest and Notts County, the Stags year has not been without turbulence and after finishing the covid-cut-short 2019/20 league campaign 21^st in the division, hope was that the coming season would be more positive than simply trying to ‘avoid the drop’ into the National League.

After big changes in the summer, the likes of Jordan Bowery, Ollie Clarke, Marek Stech, George Maris, James Perch and several others joining, the Stags started the season badly, a 4-0 defeat at Preston in the EFL Cup followed by a 3-0 loss at home to Manchester City U21’s in the Football League Trophy and a scoreless home draw in the league against Tranmere on the opening day of the delayed campaign.

Tranmere wasn’t a bad performance, but the Stags lacked goal threat, this was put right at Leyton Orient after twice taking the lead to look like taking three points at Brisbane Road, only for a last-minute equaliser to deny Graham Coughlan’s side.

Two successive defeats in the league, at home to Exeter and away at the much-fancied Newport, both 2-1 losses, meant that Stags season was slipping away from the off. A 0-0 draw with Stevenage and a further defeat, 3-1 at home to Bradford and it seemed the Managers job was coming under real pressure too.

Coughlan had taken the reigns in December 2019 after working small miracles with Bristol Rovers, but at Mansfield, things didn’t work. Some say his regimental stance and tough demands of his players were too much for those struggling at the wrong end of English football’s fourth tier… Coughlan’s 44% winning record at Rovers, turned to a 14% winning record at Mansfield.

A 1-1 draw at Morecambe provided hope, on a night when the Stags performed well, a scoreless draw with Cheltenham was the third scoreless draw of the campaign, a 4-2 defeat at home to newly promoted Barrow, the final straw.

Against Walsall, a likeable coach from the clubs youth team stepped up, former Forest youngster Richard Cooper taking the temporary reigns and steadying the ship to its usual drawing mentality following the inevitable departure of Coughlan, a 1-1 share of the spoils was a sixth draw of the campaign with Cooper following that up with ‘almost’ winning at Bolton but for a last minute leveller to deny a first three points of the season.

Stags had changed from a back three to a four and in the FA Cup faced a tricky tie at League One Sunderland as Nigel Clough was announced as the new man to take control. Cooper would take hold of his side for one last time, and he’ll always be remembered for masterminding a famous cup win.

Mansfield went to the Stadium of Light and won, a single George Lapslie goal was enough to take them through, such a shame no fans were there to watch it, the Stags reward a second round tie with Dagenham.

Clough took control, fully, for an EFL Trophy tie at Scunthorpe. Stags already out following a beating by Manchester City’s kids and a defeat at home to Lincoln City, they at least beat the Irons in their final group game, a much-tinkered side as the new Manager took a good look at his players, the immediate positive influence of having a new man at the helm helping Mansfield to a first league win in Clough’s first league game in charge. A 2-1 win at Forest Green Rovers, youngsters Lapslie and Charsley with the goals.

The Stags again went close to taking all three points against Colchester but for a late goal to again deny them. From conceding goals in the last five minutes Mansfield under Coughlan, Cooper and Clough have lost seven points this season, the difference in the clubs current position in 20^th compared to being potentially comfortable in fifteenth.

A 1-0 defeat against Harrogate was the first inflicted by Clough but Mansfield beat National League Dagenham after extra-time in a dramatic second round FA Cup game where Nicky Maynard’s 120^th minute strike proved to be the winner to set up yet another winnable encounter at Cheltenham in the new year. Bouyant from that result a 1-0 win at Cambridge was the first played in front of fans this season for Mansfield, Jamie Reid doing the damage to push Clough’s men away from the danger zone.

Since that win though, Mansfield have stumbled of late. A 3-3 draw against Crawley was entertaining, Andy Cook levelling late on after the Stags were 3-1 down so a point in the end well rescued, followed by another draw this time at Ian Holloway’s Grimsby, a 1-0 defeat no shame at Carlisle, and on Saturday a frustrating point at Field Mill against bottom of the table Southend.

Mansfield have seen so many changes this season it is very difficult to compare against last seasons team. A young side now, with the likes of Corey O’Keeffe and Aaron O’Driscoll not to mention Harry Charsley all having Cat 1 Academy experience.

Kellan Gordon has impressed, George Maris too, Lapslie, Charsley, Ollie Clarke the one parting gift from Coughlan that has really paid off, each offering something different in midfield. Mansfield ‘need’ more goals though and relying on Nicky Maynard is starting to take its toll on the 34 year olds legs.

Since Clough, the side have won 2 lost 2 and drew 4 of their 8 league matches, still too many draws, 11 in the league this season, more than anyone else and already the same amount as they had in the whole of the 2019/20 campaign.

The Stags still have hard work to do in order to get away from the relegation zone, with so many young players, we hope they can pull through as the future is bright, especially if Clough can strike the right balance to take his side to better things. One or two more additions in Jan could help?

Whilst promise is high, today is still not good enough, just four points above the drop zone for now, this quickly needs to improve or Mansfield could be in some trouble soon.

So an Xmas File D+ for now but with a potential end of term grading to C and higher should Clough continue to make progress at the One Call Stadium in the new year, we need to see much more improvement however before the ‘real examination’ in May determines whether it’s football league or national league that Mansfield will be playing by this time in 2021.

*Main image @mansfieldtownfc Nicky Maynard scores a dramatic winner in the FA Cup.