Although Mansfield Town would go into their clash with Harrogate Town as favourites on Tuesday night, it is almost impossible that anyone would’ve predicted the fashion in which they’d win.
The Stags put nine, yes nine, past James Belshaw in the Harrogate net en route to a 9-2 victory which sent a clear message to the rest of the league. It was a statement victory for Nigel Clough’s men, as they laid down a clear tilt for the title.
It could’ve potentially been even more, with Mansfield registering 13 shots on target but in fairness to Belshaw, some good saves would prevent the score going into double figures. Having been 5-0 up at half-time the Stags would be in the driving seat throughout the entirety of the game and didn’t take their foot off of the gas at any point.
The result means that Mansfield have now scored 13 goals in their last two games, after a similar dominant performance which would see them beat Forest Green Rovers 4-0 on Saturday. As a result, Clough’s side now have the best goal difference in the league and are beginning to really show their title credentials.
As for Harrogate, the result is obviously a massive disappointment, with the club both falling out of the play-off positions and their goal difference heavily harmed in the process. They travel to third-placed Crewe Alexandra on Saturday and will be looking to bounce back to show that this was purely a freak result.
Here are three things that we learnt from Mansfield’s dominant 9-2 victory over Harrogate on Tuesday night…
Mansfield have put down a clear title charge
With the win against Harrogate being their third on the trot, the Stags now seem to be firing on all cylinders and potentially even playing their best football of the season. After a slight wobble towards the end of January, Clough’s side have re-found their form and have caught league leaders Stockport County up in the process.
With Stockport losing to Crewe on Tuesday night, Mansfield are now just a single point behind David Challinor’s side and given their current vein of form, could well take the top spot in the coming weeks. They’ve sent a clear message out to the rest of the teams in the league after their emphatic victory, and maybe this is the season that they gain promotion to League One and perhaps even win the title in the process.
This is not the end of Harrogate’s play-off chances
After losing 9-2, many people may just write off the Sulphurites, and that is not surprising given the nature of the result. However prior to what can be deemed a ‘freak result’, Harrogate were in great form. Going into the clash they’d lost just once in their last 11 league games, and were even in the play-offs prior to kick-off.
It’ll be a lot harder for Simon Weaver’s side to now make the play-offs given their confidence would’ve taken a substantial hit but they are by no means out of the fight. They’re now tied on points with Notts County who occupy the final spot currently, and although six teams are separated by just four points, there is no reason that Harrogate cannot bounce back to go on another long unbeaten run.
Few would’ve expected them to reach the lofty heights that they have this season and Simon Weaver deserves plenty of credit for what he has done for the club this year. There is still plenty of football to be played this year and the play-off places are far from set in stone.
Mansfield are not over-reliant on anyone
Where some teams in the league may have that one standout player within their ranks, when looking at the Mansfield side, they have quality across the board rather than obvious strengths in some positions over others. Saying that David Keillor-Dunn does have 21 goal contributions in the league this season and has beven instrumental to their attacking output, but he is hardly the only player that Clough looks to when he needs a moment of magic.
Should a player get injured, Mansfield look to have the depth to cover and that is exactly what you’d expect from a team who have clear title ambitions. That strength in depth will serve them well in the final few games of the season and may just see them leapfrog Stockport to claim the League Two title.
Senior Editor
