AFC Mansfield Pre-match News
Gresley Rovers host AFC Mansfield at the Moat Ground on Saturday (3 pm), still searching for their first league win of the season at the 6th attempt. Carl Abbott's men have drawn 2 and lost 3 of their opening 5 league games, but those who have seen all of the matches would no doubt agree that the team's performance have been better than the results suggest.
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Abbott will be hoping the team's luck is about to change as they embark on the first of two consecutive home games. The Moatmen are scheduled to face Hucknall Town on Tuesday evening (7:45 pm).more...
If the team’s luck is about to change, they will have to do it the hard way as a crippling injury list continues to hamper the managers selection plans. Rovers will be without defenders Jack Andrews (Achilles) and Jordi Gough, who remains sidelined with a knee problem. Midfielder Bekhir Halil starts a suspension due to his extra-time sending off against Sporting Khalsa in the recent FA Cup replay, he has indicated that he will be leaving the club in any case.
Gresley will also be without young goalkeeper Charlie Wood, who has impressed since joining the club earlier this month but sustained a broken ankle late in the Bank Holiday Monday trip to Heanor Town. Abbott has secured the services of Jack Sandel on loan from Stafford Rangers, and he will go straight into the side.
Abbott has been trying to sign a former Derby County U21 player who is currently back in the country for a few months from a scholarship in the USA. The 6ft 3 inch defender, who can play at centre-back or right-back, has encountered registration issues due to still being shown as under contract with Derby County, and the club has been trying to resolve the issue with the FA.
The one piece of potentially good news for Abbott is that young striker Finn Barker could return from a hairline foot fracture, having been missing for the last 4 weeks. The 20-year-old will undergo a fitness test ahead of the game.
Defender Ben Gough also has a chance of returning to the squad, having missed Monday's draw at Heanor Town, as does youngster Osaze Okuonghae. Defender Will Robinson, who was sent off after receiving two yellow cards at Heanor Town, is eligible for Saturday's match but serves a one-match suspension against Hucknall Town on Tuesday evening.