LOMAS ON STAGS: Momentum and belief starting to grow after a dream week for Mansfield Town

Stags’ injury list now totals an incredible nine players – several of whom would be first choice.

But just at a point in the season when it seemed inconsistency had left Stags with a batle just to make the play-offs and the top three a distant dream, the players have rallied against the injury adversity and stepped up to the plate.

Now, with just 15 games to play and Mansfield bang in form, that three point gap to the top three looks nothing and five points to second place the same – also having to play teams above them still.

It’s not just that Stags have started to gain results consistently, it’s how they have achieved them too.

It is a three-game winning run for the first time since that eight-game winning run between November 2021 and January 2022

Even better is three clean sheets in a row – the first time under Clough and the first time since 2017.

And at the other end of the park Stags are now joint top scorers with Carlisle United on 49 goals, so they could hardly be accused of being overly defensive.

After three fine games as deputy, goalkeeper Scott Flinders was replaced by the returning Christy Pym. But over 180 minutes of football since he has only had one real save to make – that just before half-time at Carlisle when Stags were already 4-0 up.

At Tranmere on Saturday Mansfield were simply magnificent, defending so well that Pym did not have to face a single on-target shot and netting twice at the other end for their first win at Prenton Park in eight attempts to delight almost 1,000 travelling fans, who are now also starting to share the players’ belief.

With the team playing so well and so many players still to come back into the reckoning from injury, optimism is growing by the week.

And that will grow further if Stags can see off promotion rivals and perennial underachievers Salford City at the One Call on Saturday, who have only taken one point from their last nine but are only three points behind Mansfield, albeit having played one game more.