The Game
Argyle v Mansfield Town. Tuesday, 27 January. 7.45pm. Sky Bet League One.
The Opposition
Mansfield are 11th in League One, with 36 points from 25 games, and are in superb form.
The Stags drew 1-1 with Stevenage on Saturday, but before that they racked up five straight wins – and impressive ones, too. Their tricky Christmas fixtures – at Barnsley and Bolton Wanderers – ended in 3-2 and 1-0 wins respectively, with two 3-0 home wins following, against Bradford City and Port Vale. In between all that, Mansfield won 4-3 at Sheffield United in the Emirates FA Cup.
This strong run, however, came off the back of a very poor one. After beating Argyle to conclude October, Mansfield went through November losing all four league games, and then picked up just one league point from the next three, before the turnaround from Boxing Day onwards.
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, putting him the second-highest scorer in the clubs 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 in which he left, Burton were promoted to the EFL.
Clough left for Derby in January 2009, keeping the Rams in the Championship. He left after four-and-a-half years, keeping Derby in mid-table pretty well throughout, for Sheffield United. There, Clough was in charge for just over 100 games, including leading the League One Blades to the semi-final 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 to Stags to 17th in League One.
The Squad
Forward Oliver Irow joined Mansfield during this window, from Tottenham Hotspur, on loan. Irow has already played at Home Park this season, for Spurs Under-21s, when they lost 6-2 against the Pilgrims in the Vertu Trophy. On his Mansfield debut, Irow scored twice in the Stags’ 3-0 win against Port Vale.
Deji Oshilaja is an experienced central defender, now in his second season at Mansfield. Beginning at Cardiff City, he had a series of loans before landing at AFC Wimbledon, where he played for two years. He moved on to Charlton Athletic, before three years at Burton Albion led to his short move to Mansfield. He has recently signed a new contract.
Will Evans (above) is Mansfield’s joint-top goalscorer, with eight goals in all competitions. Evans did not turn professional until he was 24, signing for Newport County from Welsh Premier side Bala Town. He joined Mansfield in 2024 and, playing up front or out wide, has found the net six times in the league this season, including against Argyle earlier in the season.
Previous Meetings
When Mansfield and Argyle met in October, it ended 2-0 to the Stags. Will Evans scored early, and Jordan Bowery late on, in a game which Mansfield were always in control of.
Argyle TV
Argyle TV’s coverage of Tuesday’s game will begin with the Pre-Match Show, which begins at 7.15pm, hosted by Erin Black alongside Brian McGlinchey. Commentary will be provided by Charlie Price and Katie Middleton.
Match passes to watch this game are available overseas, and the match will be broadcast in the UK & Ireland on Sky Sports+. CLICK HERE for more information.
