Stags Duo Making Impact

In the immediacy of the January transfer window closing, the Nottingham Sport took a look at how the quartet of new signings had bedded in; now, around a dozen games have elapsed since that of Callum Johnson, Alfie Kilgour, Davis Keillor-Dunn, and Louis Reed, arrived at Mansfield Town.

There’s certainly been a change in fortunes for the club, which is more than obvious, with the duo of Kilgour and Keillor-Dunn, making a huge impact – Johnson and Reed have, unfortunately, spent most of their time on the side-lines.

A change in formation has also helped with the club’s change in fortunes, Nigel Clough switching from the previous 3-4-1-2, to an industrious, productive, 3-5-2, with Kilgour at the heart of the defence, and Keillor-Dunn a perfect, attacking foil, for the Stags front-line.

In the twelve games before the new signings came into effect (pre-Doncaster Rovers), and the Stags record saw them collect just nine points from the available thirty-six, winning two and drawing three, scoring just a dozen times and conceding nineteen.

Since the arrivals (Doncaster onwards) there’s been a dramatic change, for the better, Kilgour at the forefront of it having played the full ninety minutes, in the last twelve matches, having come on as a late substitute in the 1-1 draw against Crewe Alexandra.

During this period the centre-half has been productive at both ends, helping his side in keeping five clean sheets (they’d only kept two in the previous twelve), whilst chipping in with four goals, scoring against Doncaster (won 4-1), Bradford City (drew 1-1), Carlisle United (won 4-0), and Crawley Town (won 4-1), racking up thirteen appearances in total.

That upward change in fortunes for the Stags, over the last dozen, they’ve collected twenty-two points from the available thirty-six, winnings six and drawing four, scoring twenty-two, and conceding eleven, and five of those came in the horror show against Salford, losing 5-2.

Although not quite a horror show, in terms of a loss, and goals conceded, the afore-mentioned draw with Bradford would see the Stags lose several players through injury, including Louis Reed, who’s not played since, with a medial ligament injury, and Callum Johnson, who’d put in a man-of-the-match performance on his debut (the win over Doncaster) the week before.

Johnson did return, albeit briefly, making two, forty-five minute cameo appearances, against Salford, and AFC Wimbledon, but picked up a calf injury in the latter; Reed and Johnson, at one point, were two of at least a dozen players the Stags have had out injured, over the past few months.

The Salford result withstanding, the three, recent draws, including back-to-back goalless draws, have certainly hampered the Stags’ play-off push, and will certainly be viewed as being six points lost, other than the three points gained – the 4-1 thrashing, featuring a Keillor-Dunn double, against Crawley, was to be a huge shot in the arm for them.

Speaking of Keillor-Dunn, he, along with Kilgour, has made serious impact, the pair regularly involved in attacking moves, and the attacking midfielder taking his tally to five, in his eleven appearances.

Making his own debut, against Bradford, Keillor-Dunn had seen himself substituted in the latter stages of his first seven outings, but the last four games, he’s played the full ninety minutes (although he was brought off in stoppage time against Sutton United).

Keillor-Dunn was the provider for two goals in the Valentine’s Day massacre of Carlisle, the Stags winning 4-0 in Cumbria; his first goal for the club was their second goal in the 2-0 win at Tranmere, following it up with further goals against Salford (lost 5-2), the third against AFC Wimbledon (won 3-1), and the second half brace against Crawley.

Those five goals for Keillor-Dunn have seen him move up to fourth in the Stags’ scoring charts this season, behind Will Swan (9), Lucas Akins (7), and George Lapslie (now at Gillingham, 6), Mansfield sitting two points, and one place, outside the play-offs, with a game in hand on several of those above them.