Mansfield Town manager Nigel Clough has claimed that his side have been in a relegation battle all season after falling to a 3-0 home defeat against Lincoln City last night.
The Stags returned to the third tier for the first time since the 2002/03 season after securing a third placed finish in League Two. They enjoyed a strong start which saw them lose just two of their opening 12 fixtures, leading to unlikely play-off talk.
Recent form has been a huge cause for concern, with last night’s heavy defeat against their local rivals their seventh loss in eight games. As a result, they now sit 15th, nine points above the bottom four.
Clough Admits Relegation Concern
Although Mansfield have been in freefall in recent weeks, they can consider themselves unlucky to come away empty handed against the Imps. They conceded early but then dominated large parts of the contest before a Sam Clucas wonder goal seven minutes from time sealed the three points. A late Dom Jefferies effort compounded Mansfield’s misery.
Speaking after the game, Clough struggled to hide his disappointment, claiming his side have been embroiled in a relegation battle since the beginning of the season:
“We have been in it (a relegation battle) since August. I’ve never said anything different. I thought we would be in it from day one, and we will be in it until the 45th or 46th game.
“It’s never been any different over the course of the season. We had a great little run a couple of times before Christmas, but we’ve never been any different from my point of view.”
The Nottinghamshire-based outfit haven’t tasted victory since beating Stockport County on January 4th and host high-fliers Wrexham on Sunday.
Writer’s View
There’s not many that would tip Mansfield to drop straight back into League Two in May, but there is no denying that they appear to be in freefall at the moment. There’s little doubt that the 3-0 scoreline flattered Lincoln in the end, which may be a cause for optimism and concern for Nigel Clough. He will have been pleased to see his side dominate large periods, but they were unable to take advantage and eventually succumbed to a heavy defeat. They will be huge underdogs against Wrexham on Sunday, especially as the Red Dragons seem to have finally hit a bit of form on the road.
