Preview: Mansfield Town vs Bromley

It was their highest league finish in 39 years, and their best FA Cup run in 50 years, so as Mansfield seasons go, it was epic. 

The question therefore is whether that was the highest of highs or the foundation for a possible upward trend in forthcoming seasons.

Nigel Clough has been the manager at the Stags for just shy of six years, and the club has been rewarded for that show of faith with improvement season on season, culminating in last season’s historic high.

But much like the anchor that accompanies Andy Woodman at Bromley, when you set a standard of success, it creates a constant demand. 

Can the Stags outdo last season? The jury remains out on that front at this very early stage.

Both teams find themselves on eight points after seven games and have yet to get to grips with the demands of the division. 

For what it's worth, although Mansfield lost star striker Will Evans to Plymouth in the summer, they made upgrades across their squad that suggest they will hold their own this season once things settle down.

David McGoldrick (Barnsley, free), Michael Smith (Preston North End, free), Liam Thompson (Derby County, undisclosed), and talented Tottenham midfielder George Abbott (loan) all represent sound additions. 

Before the international break, their form wasn’t particularly positive in terms of points return. In the four games prior, they recorded 2 points from the last possible 12. However, those games were all against teams in the top eight (Reading, Burton Albion, Huddersfield, and Bradford), which might suggest they were merely tough early tests rather than a foreshadowing of a season. 

The Stags like to play a derivative of the 3-4-1-2 formation with a preference for a defensive screen instead of a number 10. However, questions are being raised asking whether the commitment to that shape, in-game tactical tweaks notwithstanding, is hindering their results. Do they need more flexibility in approach?

Then again, their home form is so much stronger than their away form that the argument may only relate to one aspect. 

Looking at Mansfield’s starting line-up midweek against Port Vale in the EFL Trophy, four players who are expected to start today started against the Valiants. This was a clear contrast to Bromley, who played what amounted to second-string sides against Crawley Town and Brentford B.

Therefore, if Mansfield scouts were looking to get the jump on Bromley, it is very unlikely they learnt anything in the last two weeks, which is just the way Andy Woodman likes it.

One thing to be mindful of is the fact that Mansfield like to put crosses into the box for their front two, and Nathan Moriah-Welsh is someone to watch in that regard. The Stags’ goal threat this season has largely come from his right boot.

To understand a bit more about Mansfield, I spoke with Martin Shaw, matchday commentator for iFollow Stags.

“It will be difficult to improve on last season's 10th place, which was the highest finish for 39 years. Play-offs are a stretch target, but realistically anything around halfway will still be a good achievement.”

“The signings of David McGoldrick and Michael Smith have in theory improved the strike force. However, McGoldrick has not got going at all yet, with no goals and no assists. Smith has done reasonably well, but by his own admission he would have liked more goals. Meanwhile, Will Evans and Oliver Irow are now at Plymouth and both doing well. So the jury is out on the strikers. 

“The midfield has been strengthened by the excellent signing of Liam Thompson. The defence is unchanged, but the same players are currently not performing as well as last season. The keepers are unchanged, while of course third-choice keeper Owen Mason has joined Bromley, and Stags fans wish him well, apart from against Mansfield (if he plays).”

“At home, we have seen three good results out of three: A win over Doncaster, a 5-2 thrashing of Luton, and a 0-0 draw with Huddersfield playing for 45 minutes with ten men. 

“Away, we have been very disappointing so far, with defeats at Peterborough, Reading (0-5), and Bradford, followed by a draw at Burton in the last match after coming back from 2-0 down. 

“Things can very much go either way: A win over Bromley would settle some anxiety and put Mansfield in a comfortable mid-table position. A defeat to Bromley and fans will be looking over their shoulders towards the bottom of the table, albeit at this very early stage.”

In addition to Martin’s comments, I strongly suspect Andy Woodman will be looking at the age profile of the Mansfield side and demand that his Bromley reach into their DNA bag to outrun and outwork the opposition.

With three weeks to prepare for their return to League One football, this rather feels like the start of the season all over again. 

Has the international break been a blessing in disguise for his Bromley side? Given the number of new arrivals and Woodman’s admission that his side were a few weeks behind where they needed to be when the season started, I suspect he will have been delighted with the break and a chance to get his squad up to speed with the Bromley way.

However, only time will tell how successful it was.

Given the success of the performance against Huddersfield, it is hard to see how he wouldn’t line up with the same XI, with the knowledge that he has far more options on the bench to turn to.

Jodi Jones should now be up to speed enough to feature from the bench. Likewise, Tobias Brennan got two EFL Trophy games under his belt along with new arrival Adam Jackson. Jacob Mendy got some critical minutes in his return to fitness as well.

So rather than consider who plays from the start, the harder analysis is who are the seven to make the bench and affect the game if things don’t go to plan. 

I took a stab at the line-up in the latest instalment of The Eleven. Take a look here.

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