Stockport County vs Mansfield Town - prediction, team news, lineups

Both looking to respond to frustrating draws past clip out, Stockport County and Mansfield Town fastener horns connected Tuesday nighttime successful a significant League One brushwood that could signifier the contention for the playoff places.

The Hatters were denied triumph successful melodramatic manner arsenic Exeter City goalkeeper Jack Bycroft scored a stunning 96th-minute equaliser successful a six-goal thriller, portion the Stags squandered a two-goal pb astatine location to Luton Town and were forced to settee for a point.

Match preview

Although unbeaten successful 7 League One matches, Dave Challinor’s Stockport County saw their already slim hopes of automatic promotion mathematically ended by that precocious gully against Exeter City, confirming their spot successful the playoffs heading into the last stages of the campaign.

The Hatters led 3-2 successful the closing stages astatine St James Park, lone to concede a singular last-gasp header from the absorption goalkeeper, a effect that marked their 11th gully of the play and simultaneously confirmed Cardiff City’s spot successful the apical two.

With the apical 2 places present retired of reach, Stockport participate the last agelong of the play with a five-point cushion implicit seventh spot and a playoff spot virtually secured, with 4 fixtures remaining.

Should the broadside from Greater Manchester navigate the playoffs successfully, they volition beryllium keen to debar a repetition of their caller Wembley disappointment, having fallen to a 3-1 decision against Jack Wilshere’s Luton Town successful the EFL Trophy final.

Challinor’s men volition besides beryllium targeting a third-place decorativeness to unafraid a much favourable semi-final tie, with Bradford City and Bolton Wanderers inactive wrong scope if they tin support their beardown form.

Their run-in sees them look 4 sides each presently beneath them successful the table, opening with Mansfield, arsenic Stockport purpose to spell 1 amended than past season, erstwhile they finished 3rd but missed retired connected promotion to the 2nd tier.

As for Mansfield Town, they participate their last 4 league fixtures of the play with a 7 constituent cushion implicit the bottommost 4 and facing nary existent menace of dropping into League Two. 

Nigel Clough’s broadside presently beryllium 14th with 55 points, with their 2-2 gully against Luton Town past clip retired seeing them surpass past season’s full and amended connected their erstwhile campaign’s finish.

While determination is small near astatine involvement successful presumption of league position, the Stags volition inactive beryllium anxious to extremity the play connected a affirmative note.

That gully extended their unbeaten tally but volition person felt similar a missed opportunity, having raced into a two-goal pb wrong 28 minutes acknowledgment to a quickfire brace from Jon Russell.

However, goals either broadside of fractional clip saw them pegged back, forcing them to settee for a 16th gully of the season, with lone Bolton Wanderers signaling much stalemates successful the division.

The reverse fixture successful December saw Stockport assertion a 2-1 victory, a effect that near Mansfield successful the relegation portion astatine Christmas, highlighting the beardown advancement they person made successful the 2nd fractional of the campaign.

Stockport County League One form:

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Stockport County signifier (all competitions):

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Mansfield Town League One form:

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Team News

Following their melodramatic gully astatine St James Park, Challinor volition beryllium pleased his squad came distant with nary further injuries and has the luxury of naming the aforesaid XI erstwhile again. 

Despite that, they volition beryllium without Joseph Olowu, Brad Hills, Josh Dacres-Cogley, Callum Connolly and Arttu Hoskonen done injury.

Those absences person impacted their antiaircraft options, with striker Kyle Wootton having been deployed astatine centre-back successful caller matches; the guardant sits 2nd successful the League One aureate footwear race with 19 goals, but his unfamiliar relation is apt to hinder his chances of claiming the award, though helium is inactive expected to diagnostic erstwhile again.

For Mansfield, Russell’s first-half brace past clip retired should spot him clasp his spot successful attack, alongside Will Evans and Tyler Roberts.

Also sustaining further injuries, Clough could sanction the aforesaid XI erstwhile again and is expected to instrumentality with his preferred backmost 3 enactment that contains skipper Ryan Sweeney. 

Stockport County imaginable starting lineup:

Addai; Dixon, Wootton, Pye, Edun; Norwood, Osborn; Diamond, Stokes Barry; Sidibeh

Mansfield Town imaginable starting lineup:

L. Roberts; Hewitt, Oshilaja, Sweeney; Atkins, Reed, Hendry, McLaughlin; Russell, Evans T. Roberts

We say: Stockport County 2-1 Mansfield Town

Looking to solidify their spot successful the apical six, Stockport County volition beryllium hoping to marque it 7 unbeaten with different triumph connected Tuesday. 

We expect the hosts to borderline a competitory contention and assertion a constrictive victory, repeating the scoreline from the reverse fixture.

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