City will make the short trip west to face Mansfield Town tonight, aiming to secure three points from an away game for the first time in over a month.
Mansfield Town Form
The Stags, after an excellent start to the season, are on a torrid run of form. Mansfield were promoted in third place from League Two last season, and seemed to adapt to life in League One very quickly. In their opening nine matches, Nigel Clough’s side only lost once in a 4-1 thumping at Sincil Bank to City. In that streak, the Stags went on a run where they picked up an impeccable 15 points from five matches, brushing aside Blackpool, Crawley, Northampton and Shrewsbury in the process.
A 2-1 win at Wigan was followed by a 1-1 draw to league leaders Birmingham City at the One Call Stadium, and Clough’s side sat in fourth position at Halloween. Things couldn’t have been better for Mansfield Town, and their eyes were starting to light up at the prospect of a playoff fight. However, the Stags’ fortunes took a significant turn for the worse, and the wheels started to fall off the bus.
A dire November followed, where Mansfield lost all five of their league matches. As a result, they dropped like a stone and slipped to 10th. This winless run was ended in the capital, after a 0-0 draw at the Valley against Charlton. Then, the Stags decided to turn on the style again, winning four of their next five league matches. Impressive victories against Bolton and Stockport hinted at a resurgence in form, but unfortunately for Nigel Clough’s side, these were false signs.
In the last seven league games, Mansfield Town have picked up one singular point. This relegation standard return included losses to Crawley, Cambridge and Shrewsbury, all of which look destined for the drop. The six-match losing streak Mansfield were on was ended in their most recent game with a draw against Blackpool, after squandering a 3-1 lead to finish the match at Bloomfield Road in a 3-3 draw.
Mansfield Town Tactics
Nigel Clough sets up his side in a 3-5-2 formation, or variants of that. Mansfield’s style of play often involves long balls and crosses. The Stags focus on controlling the game in the opposition’s half and prefer attacking through the middle. In possession, they usually try to hit the frontmen and put the ball in the box, and up until Lee Gregory got injured, this approach worked brilliantly. Overall, their style is aggressive, aiming to bully and press the opposition.
Mansfield’s Predicted Starting XI: GK – Pym – LWB – McLaughlin – LCB – Cargill – CB – Flint – RCB – Hewitt – RWB – Akins – RM – Baccus – LM – Reed – CAM – Maris – ST – Vickers – ST – Evans
Team News
Experienced defender Aden Flint could come back into the team after starting the last two games on the bench. Mansfield boss Nigel Clough still has a major absentee list with Lee Gregory struggling with a knee injury. Rhys Oates also has a knee problem and is set to miss the rest of the season.
In terms of the Imps, Joe Gardner is in the middle of a three-match ban. Forwards Bailey Cadamarteri and Tyler Walker are side-lined through injury and they are likely to stay there for a good while. In more bad news for Lincoln, Ethan Erhahon is also facing weeks out. Finally, creative midfielder Jack Moylan extends City’s injury list, with the Irishman out after rolling his ankle in City’s last away win at Northampton.
Match Referee
REFEREE: Lee Swabey
Linesmen: Danny Jarvis and Samuel Clayton
Fourth Official: Greg Rollason
In the 24/25 season, Lee Swabey has refereed 18 competitive fixtures, with nine being in League One. Swabey has handed out 82 yellow cards this season, averaging roughly five per game. The official for tonight’s fixture has only handed out three red cards this season, two in League One. Swabey last officiated City at the back end of last season, when we gained a crucial 1-0 win away in Oxford. In that game, Lee Swabey gave a penalty for the Imps, which ended up being the deciding moment in the match but also sent off Dylan Duffy for a second bookable offence.
Previous Meetings
City are unbeaten across their last seven away games against Mansfield Town in the EFL, with the last defeat being a 2-1 defeat in September 2001. The Stags have failed to win any of their last four league games against the Imps, having scored exactly one goal in each of those matches. In our last meeting, Lincoln ran riot at Sincil Bank. An Adam Jackson brace, a Sean Roughan free-kick and Ben House’s second goal of the season gave the Imps an emphatic 4-1 victory over their local rivals.
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