Phil Parkinson is expecting a ‘great game’ at the One Call Stadium tonight, as the Red Dragons take on the unbeaten Mansfield Town.
Steven Fletcher’s 95th-minute equaliser clawed back a just-deserved point at the SToK Cae Ras, in Saturday’s six-goal thriller on Saturday.
It was a performance that was full of resilience as they fought hard with ten men to come from behind on three occasions.
Tonight’s fixture against Mansfield provides an opportunity to return to winning ways on the road, and Parkinson believes they are more than ready for the fixture.
He said: “The atmosphere was fantastic on Saturday and I’m looking forward to seeing the fans travelling down there.
“It’s going to be a great game to be involved in, they are a team that at the start of the season everyone expected would be right up there.
“They’ve had a good start to the season and if we have our performance levels high individually and collectively then we’ve got a good chance.”
The weekend’s fightback earned what was an important point after the previous match which saw the Red Dragons fall to a 5-0 defeat against Stockport.
It was a performance that was uncharacteristic of the side that we have season over previous seasons.
However, Saturday’s point showed the determination and resolve that the performance at Edgeley Park was missing, and Parkinson explained he was proud of his team’s reaction.
He said: “It’s the hallmark of what we are about and when we are in games like that, the lads never give in and I think that’s a great trait to have.
“There were so many positive aspects from the Crewe game, especially with the way we played with the 10 vs. 11.
“We created the better chances, and it was disappointing to concede the third goal because it was one of the only moments Crewe had in the whole game even with the man advantage.
“The determination of the group was excellent and we’re looking forward to building on that against Mansfield.”
Before last weekend’s fixture, the manager expressed his desire to utilise the squad to its maximum with a busy schedule across the next few weeks.
The impact of all five substitutions against Crewe Alexandra has shown how vital the strength and depth of the squad can be.
It is set to be bolstered with Eoghan O’Connell and Jordan Tunnicliffe back in training and Parkinson added it’s all about how the squad recovers between games.
He said: “The subs came on and made an impact on Saturday and it was crucial when both teams had tired legs on a heavy pitch.
“We will see how the lads recover in the next 24 hours [speaking on Monday].
“We will look at the others; Eoghan O’Connell has been training and Tunners [Jordan Tunniclife] continues to make good progress.
“We’ll make those decisions and pick the team we think can get a result on Tuesday night.”
Tonight’s fixture is available to stream wherever you are around the world, live on iFollow and passes can be purchased now!
