The Game
Mansfield Town v Argyle. One Call Stadium. Tuesday, 28 October. 7.45pm. Sky Bet League One.
The Opposition
Mansfield lie eighth in the table, having played 13 games, winning five, drawing four and losing four.
The Stags began with consecutive 2-1 defeats – away at Burton Albion, then at home to Doncaster Rovers – then won three on the bounce, beating Exeter City away (2-1), then Blackpool (2-0) and Leyton Orient (4-1).
They failed to win in the next four, alternating draws with Lincoln City and Stevenage with losses to Wycombe Wanderers and Port Vale, then picked up, with a win at home to Rotherham United.
A draw at Reading was followed by a 2-0 win at Luton Town, and then, most recently, a 1-1 home draw with Wigan Athletic.
The Gaffer
Nigel Clough was born into footballing royalty, the son of legendary manager Brian Clough. Young Nigel made his breakthrough at his father’s Nottingham Forest, and more than held his own, scoring 131 goals in over 400 games for Forest, making him the second-highest scorer in the club's history.
He also played for Liverpool and Manchester City in a distinguished career in which he also featured 14 times for England. In 1998, he moved to Burton Albion, where he became player-manager. In a little over ten years, he took Burton from the Southern Premier League to the National League, a rise of three divisions. In the season he left, Burton were promoted to the EFL.
Clough left for Derby in January 2009, keeping the Rams in the Championship. He departed after four-and-a-half years, for Sheffield United. There, Clough was in charge for just over 100 games, including leading the League One Blades to the semi-finals of the FA Cup one season, and the League Cup the next.
Clough returned to Burton Albion, whom he took to the Championship for the first time, and kept them up for two years, before finally succumbing to relegation in 2017/18.
He left Burton in May 2020, and in November of that year took the job at Mansfield. At the fourth attempt, he took Mansfield up to the third tier, and last season steered the Stags to 17th in League One.
The Squad
Will Evans, 28, has played all 13 of Mansfield’s league games this season. Typically playing up front, and occasionally from the left wing, Evans has contributed three goals, the joint-highest in the squad. Evans did not turn professional until he was 24, signing for Newport County from Welsh Premier side Bala Town. He joined Mansfield in 2024.
Fellow Welshman Tyler Roberts (below) also has three goals to his name, despite playing just seven times. On loan from Birmingham, the 26-year-old has 20 caps for Wales. Gloucester-born, Roberts turned pro at West Bromwich Albion, and played over 100 times for Leeds United, before signing for Birmingham in 2023.
Jamie McDonnell has impressed at the heart of Mansfield’s midfield. The 21-year-old, on loan from Nottingham Forest, played regularly for Colchester United on loan last season, and has quickly taken to League One life. He has played 12 games, scoring two goals, and has recently been called up to the senior Northern Ireland team.
Previous Meetings
Argyle have not met Mansfield since 2019/20. Then, Ryan Lowe’s Pilgrims won home and away against the Stags, in a League Two promotion season. On the road, a 1-0 win came via a goal from Conor Grant, and at Home Park, later in the season, the Greens won 3-1, with Niall Canavan, Antoni Sarcevic and Ryan Hardie on target.
A Strip for the Trip
Argyle will be wearing their green home kit for the game.
Argyle TV
Argyle TV’s coverage will begin with the Pre-Match Show, hosted by Charlie Price and Ian Stonebridge. Then, there will be live commentary from One Call Stadium with Rob McNichol and former Argyle forward Joel Grant.
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