Back On The Road For The Stags As They Face Their ‘Bogey Team’ Harrogate Town
Mansfield Town are on the road once again as the slightly more rested amber and blues travel to a side they have never beaten in the EFL in the Yorkshire-based Harrogate Town.
The Stags have failed to gain three points against the Sulphurites in Harrogate Town’s three years in EFL League Two as they will look to pick up some valuable points against Simon Weaver’s side.
However, the Yorkshire-based outfit will look to record back-to-back victories for the first time since late September and continue their fantastic record over Mansfield Town in the EFL.
The Sulphurites Making Slow Progress Up The Table
Harrogate Town have been steadily a mid-table side so far this season in League Two as they have been slowly picking up points and keeping up with the Play-Off race, only four points away from seventh-placed Accrington Stanley.
Looking to get back to winning ways, Simon Weaver’s side travelled to the JobServe Community Stadium as they faced the struggling Colchester United.
The first half was very fiercely battled and it was not until the second half that the game actually sprung into life.
The U’s were the ones that took the lead in the 62nd minute as Chay Cooper put the hosts into a much-needed lead with the pressure on manager Ben Garner.
However, only three minutes later, Matty Daly levelled the game up at 1-1, and in the 80th minute, Sam Folarin put Harrogate 2-1 up, a lead that they held onto as they picked up the three points.
The defeat saw Garner lose his job and the Sulphurites got back to winning ways as they moved ahead of MK Dons, Doncaster Rovers, Salford City and Barrow into 14th place.
Stags High On Confidence Following Derby Day Victory
With their game against Forest Green Rovers postponed last weekend, the Stags’ last clash was over seven days ago as they faced Nottinghamshire rivals Notts County in the Nottinghamshire Derby.
Heading into the clash at Meadow Lane, Mansfield Town recorded three draws in a row and looked as if they were the underdogs heading into the clash even with their unbeaten record in all competitions.
Notts County, however, did not lose at home ahead of the clash and were at the top of the league as they looked for back-to-back promotions.
The Magpies got off to the perfect start as Dan Crowley opened the scoring inside the first five minutes but that was cancelled out as Louis Reed slotted the ball into the bottom corner in the 24th minute.
What followed in the second half was an impressive attacking display from the Stags as they took the game to County and raced clear of their local rivals.
Three goals in 11 minutes from Baily Cargill, Lucas Akins and Aden Flint saw the amber and blues run out 4-1 victors and gained the bragging rights in the Nottinghamshire Derby.
Moving up to third in the league, the Stags closed up the gap between them and Notts County down to one point as the two Nottinghamshire sides were first and second temporarily before Stockport County won their game and moved to the top of the league.
Since then, Mansfield Town dropped down to sixth after their game was the only one to be postponed in League Two with teams above them gaining valuable points to move them clear of the amber and blues.
Form Guide
After their weekend clash against Forest Green Rovers was postponed due to heavy rainfall in Nottinghamshire, the Stags retained their unbeaten record for another week but subsequently dropped down to sixth in League Two.
Having got back to winning ways last week after three successive league draws, Mansfield Town boast a record of two wins and three draws from their last five League Two matches.
Scoring six goals, conceding two and keeping two clean sheets in those last five matches shows where Mansfield Town’s strengths lay as their defence has produced amazing figures and have conceded the least number of goals out of any League Two team so far this term with only 10 conceded.
Following their victory at the weekend, Harrogate Town have the same number of points as the Stags from the last five fixtures as they have won three and lost two.
Keeping one clean sheet from those five matches, it was only the Sulphurites’ third clean sheet of the season.
Scoring six and conceding six in the last five matches, the Yorkshire-based side have their strengths in attack but can be vulnerable in defence which the Stags will want to exploit.
Head-To-Head
The all-time League Two head-to-head looks very bleak for the Stags against the Sulphurites as they have failed to get a win over the Yorkshire-based club in six previous attempts.
Nigel Clough’s Mansfield Town came closest in February 2022 as they recorded a 0-0 draw against Harrogate Town at the EnviroVent Stadium, however, Simon Weaver’s side have won five out of the six matches in the fourth tier.
Harrogate have scored 10 goals compared to the Stags’ measly two goals and shows the dominance that the Sulphurites have had over the amber and blues in their recent meetings over the last three years.
With an average of two goals per game, the game at the EnviroVent Stadium will be a crucial game for Mansfield Town if they want to continue their unbeaten run and gain their first win over Harrogate Town in the EFL.
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