What a huge game to have at this point of the season. With the scrap for an automatic promotion spot still involving at least 6 teams, and the title race similarly wide open, the fixture lists serves up a clash between the league leaders and a 3rd-placed side who would go level with a win. The stakes are enormous, and a winner would take a massive stride towards League One.
THE WREXHAM ANGLE
Last Saturday's dominant performance at Grimsby was impressive, but came at the cost of an injury to Jacob Mendy. While he's not expected to be out for long, this match probably comes too early for him, so Wrexham will need to make a change.
Callum McFadzean came through his first league appearance of the season with distinction, and is an obvious replacement, but James McClean is also available after his 2-match suspension.
A magnificent performance at Blundell Park by the midfield trio of Andy Cannon, Tom O'Connor and Elliot Lee means Phil Parkinson might decide to return McClean to his wing-back position.
Good news for Parkinson is the anticipated availability of Ryan Barnett. He was felled by a poor challenge in the Tranmere game, and initial fears were that his season might have been brought to a premature end.
However, scans of the injury came back clear, so he is expected to be available against Mansfield. However, in his absence Luke Bolton impressed at Grimsby, so Barnett's return is no foregone conclusion.
LAST MEETING
THE OPPOSING VIEW
From the start of the season Mansfield have been serious title contenders. Their confident possession-based style of play under Nigel Clough has made them a formidable proposition, and they boast the best away record in the division. Nobody else has managed 10 wins on the road, or scored more goals.
However, like all the promotion-chasing sides, 2024 has been inconsistent. From the heights of scoring nine goals against Harrogate and putting five past Salford and Bradford to the depths of dropping 10 points out of 24 at home, The Stags have threatened to make a decisive move for the title, only to hit an obstacle. Their two home losses in 2024 have come against fellow promotion centenders too.
Last Saturday was frustrating, as they drew at home to struggling Colchester, who led for 50 minutes. United's spoiling tactics frustrated Mansfield, and they could have emerged with all three points, as Christy Pym had to turn a shot onto the post in the closing moments.
Speaking to the Mansfield Chad, Clough preferred to see it as a point gained rather than two dropped. In the end we're satisfied with a point with the way the game went and the conditions.
“It was one of those games that, having given a soft goal away early on, we could have easily lost that 1-0. Even at the end we could have lost 2-1 with the corners and set plays they had.
The result keeps our little run going. We haven’t had enough draws of late, those defeats should’ve been draws. So we go to Wrexham next week in better heart than we would’ve done had we lost the game.
- Nigel Clough
“We’re still top of the league, let the others battle it out this afternoon and it could be a very valuable point come the end of the season.
“We did not start the game anyway near as well as we would have liked and we gave Colchester too much encouragement and a goal as well. “We had enough situations and chances today but couldn’t quite get more than the equaliser. “They would’ve been happy with a 0-0 and a point today. You give them 1-0 and it gives them that added incentive.
“We kept plugging away and I thought we put some good crosses in today. The equaliser in the end has come from a scrappy goal from a set play.
It was one of those games where Christy Pym is not going to be involved a lot. He got a little bit fortunate with the one he tipped onto the post, I think it bobbled just in front of him but he kept it out. Late on, he came and dealt with a couple of corners superbly.
“I certainly think the conditions played a major role. We saw yesterday it was going to be blustery today. When you do try and get it down and play it makes it very difficult, especially when it’s blowing straight down the pitch as it was today. It doesn’t make for the best game.”
A major threat in the Mansfield ranks who Wrexham will be familiar with is Davis Keillor-Dunn. His quality was apparent during a brief spell at the SToK Cae Ras five seasons ago, particularly when he linked up with Dan Jarvis in Dean Keates' box midfield. His magnificent solo goal at Bromley was seen as a taste of what was to come, but Keillor-Dunn turned down a contract offer that summer and moved. Now he spearheads Town's efforts to go up, and has 19 goals to his credit so far this season.
That's not enough for some people though: as he explained to BBC Nottingham, his harshest judges are closer to home!
"My mum at the start of the season was saying 'I want you to get 30 goals' so look, there is no pressure there. I really just try to get to double figures with goals and assists, chipping in with my own little collection."
" I keep thinking 'oh it would be nice to get this many', and then I get to that mark and think 'I'm not happy with that'.The key is not getting comfortable with what you are getting and always wanting more."
He wasn't concerned to see someone else get the crucial goal last Satuirday though, as it's the result that counts:
"That is the biggest thing, everyone has to chip in and we are really good at that. The main thing is having boys coming from all over the pitch popping up with a goal."
HEAD TO HEAD
* The smallest crowd in a Mansfield "home" game was 1,052 for a League Cup game in August 2000 which was nominally a home game for Mansfield but actually took place at Notts County.
Mansfield’s last game at the SToK Cae Ras came in the season they won the National League and returned to the EFL. They were relegated with us, but bounced back a full 11 years before we finally got back into the fourth tier.
It was a momentous match though: they went into the game in imperious form, having won their previous 12 league matches, meaning a Stags victory would break the National League record. Matt Green put them ahead after the break, but Wrexham fought back to clinch a fine win. Dean Keates equalised from a free kick and Danny Wright scored the winner following some fine work by Glen Little.
That was the sixth time Mansfield came to North Wales during our years in the National League, and we generally did well, winning four and losing once.
In 2008 the first ever match in the F.A. Trophy for either side saw Jon Brown and Ashley Westwood score the goals which earned us a 2-1 victory, and the league double was completed the following April with a 2-0 win thanks to Obi Anoruo and Andrew Crofts.
We did the league double the following season too, with Wes Baynes and Andy Mangan scoring in another 2-1 win. In the return match the only goal of the game was scored by Mark Jones. Sadly, that would turn out to be his last goal in a Wrexham shirt.
The following season saw Marvin Andrews earn a point at a snowy SToK Cae Ras, but in September 2011 the Stags finally managed their first win in 8 attempts to spoil Andy Morrell's first home game as Wrexham manager.
Lee Fowler equalised with a fine goal, but we slipped to a 3-1 defeat. The return game wouild be a memorably miserable experience for Wrexham as we fell to a 2-0 defeat with the second goal scored by Mansfield goalkeeper Alan Marriott!
We haven’t lost at home in the league to Mansfield since 1986, when Nick Hencher’s goal couldn’t prevent as suffering a 2-1 defeat. We have lost a cup tie to them at The Racecourse since then though, and in pretty conclusive circumstances!
Having won the first leg of a League Cup first round tie 1-0, Brian Flynn’s side would have been confident that they could complete the job back in September 2000, but they capitulated spectacularly and lost 3-0 to The Stags, a result which is our worst against them on home ground.
We’d have to do something special on Friday to beat our best ever result against The Stags, as we’ve twice come out 5-0 winners against them.
Back in September 1933 Tommy Bamford got a hat trick against Mansfield, with Matthew Lawrence scoring the others, and twenty-eight years later we walloped them in our first home match of the 1961-2 campaign, Stan Bennion weighing in with two and the others being scored by Wyn Davies, Micky Metcalf and an unfortunate Mansfield defender.
This will be the third time the sides have met this season, but that's nothing compared to the 1975-6 season, when we couldn't stop bumping into each other, facing each other six times at three different venues!
The league games went in our favour, winning at home and drawing away, but The Stags triumphed in both the F.A. and League Cups, although they required a second replay at Villa Park to progress in the former competition.
TODAY’S OTHER FIXTURES
POTENTIAL MILESTONES
Jack Marriott's 425th career game.
Jacob Mendy's 200th career appearance.
Jordan Davies' 125th league match.
