Mansfield v Sutton preview

23 March 2023

The teams occupying the two places immediately outside the Sky Bet League Two play-off zone are in direct competition on Saturday as Sutton head to the East Midlands to face Mansfield Town. U's will be in all green.

U's will be looking for a third double of the season having already beaten Crawley and Harrogate at home and away, and come out on top 2-1 when Mansfield visited the VBS at the end of August.Tope Fadahunsi came off the substitutes' bench for the second home game running to grab the winner after Oliver Hawkins had cancelled out Josh Neufville's superb first half goal. By coincidence Crawley, Harrogate and Mansfield are three of the four sides over whom U's completed the double last season.

Mansfield were in action on Wednesday, sharing a goalless draw with Grimsby, and that result put them two points above U's with a game in hand in 8th place, and two points behind Salford who occupy the last play-off position, but U's would move above The Stags with a victory at the One Call Stadium.

Wednesday's draw was Mansfield's third game without a win, but they have been in or around the play-off area for much of the season. They are the only side to have both scored five and conceded five in home games this season, beating Wimbledon 5-2 in August but then losing by the same score at home to both Swindon and Salford. The addition of Danny Johnson, one of League Two's most consistent marksmen over recent seasons, who was recalled from his loan at Walsall in January, gives them an extra threat up front alongside Rhys Oates but they lost both Oliver Hawkins and George Lapslie to Gillingham in the transfer window.

Sutton have had ten days without a game since the 1-0 defeat at home to Grimsby and manager Matt Gray reports that some of the players who have been sidelined through injury are now close to a recall, although a couple of knocks picked up in training mean that a late decision will be made on selection.

Saturday's referee is Simon Mather, who U's fans will remember as being in charge for the famous game against Hartlepool in May 2021 that clinched the National League championship. This season he refereed the game at Stockport in October.

Advance tickets are sold on line and are available until midnight on Friday, through this link. It is necessary to register to buy the tickets, using the 'assign attendee' box having selected your ticket.

Prices are: Adults £20; Concessions (age 65+) £18; Young Adult (age 18-21) £16; Junior (age 13-17) £13; Child (age 7-12) £9; Under 7 free. There is a family ticket available, covering one adult and either a junior or a child, at £23, and children under 13 must be accompanied by a full paying adult or senior.

Tickets will be on sale on the day from the away ticket booth, card or cash. Adult, concession and young adult matchday prices are £2 more than the above, junior and child prices an extra £1. Under 7s remain free and family tickets remain at £23.

Ambulant and Wheelchair disabled pay the relevant age category above. Ambulant disabled must be in receipt of the below to obtain a free carer ticket: Proof of entitlement to the higher rate of the Disability Living Allowance (DLA); Proof of entitlement to the enhanced rate of the Personal Independence Payment (PIP); A copy of registration documents which certify Registered Blind status or qualifying documentation from a registered optician equivalent to registration requirements. Any ambulant disabled who struggle with steps can be seated around row G as this row is situated straight from the concourse.

With this being an international weekend EFL games are being live streamed, and so you can watch all the action from the One Call Stadium on iFollow Sutton United. A match pass costs £10, and can be bought here.

The Supporters' Club coach leaves at 8.30am, and is now fully booked.

For independent supporters travelling by car leave the M1 at junction 28, then take the A38 towards Mansfield. After around six miles turn right into Belvedere Street (at crossroads), then after a quarter of a mile, turn right into Quarry Lane for One Call Stadium. Matchday car parking is not available, but there are nearby pay and display car parks at Grove Street, Victoria Street, Garden Road and Church Lane, all with easy access to the ground.

Those travelling by train are advised that engineering works between Kettering and Leicester mean that journey times are extended by about an hour on East Midlands Trains on Saturday, with trains diverted via Corby. Leave St Pancras at 08.21, 09.21 or 10.22, changing at Nottingham in all cases to arrive at 12.01, 13.01 and 14.01. You can see the ground from the station. Leave the station via the footbridge, adjacent to Platform 2. Walk past Burger King, through the retail park, and you will arrive at the North Stand (away end). It should take no longer than five minutes on foot. Return at 17.12, 18.12 or 19.12, again changing at Nottingham.

Supporters who can't travel to Mansfield but who want to see live football on Saturday may want to support the 2023 Non League Day, with on loan midfielder Adam Lovatt's Farnborough team away to Hampton & Richmond and Matt Ridley likely to feature in the Chesham side at Metropolitan Police, who U's play next Tuesday in the Surrey Senior Cup. Local sides Banstead, Chipstead, Corinthian Casuals and Kingstonian are all at home. For the ninth time, Non-League Day has partnered with Prostate Cancer UK to encourage clubs and fans to raise funds to stop the disease which kills one man every 45 minutes.

Match Previews

Match Reports

Match report for Mansfield Town 0 Sutton United 0

25 March 2023

Mansfield Town 0 Sutton United 0

Sutton and Mansfield were unable to find a goal at the One Call Stadium, Mansfield's second goalless draw at home in the space of four days while U's last two away games have both finished with the scoreline blank. As at Barrow it was a game when defences were largely on top and neither goalkeeper had a great deal to do, although U's came close to breaking the deadlock in a flying start to the second half which saw three opportunities inside the first six minutes.

U's had suffered training injuries to skipper Craig Eastmond and Matt Dennis, while Lee Angol was also missing with tonsillitis, and Hisham Kasimu, named in the squad for the first time, pulled up injured in the warm up. Harry Beautyman captained a side of players all of whom except goalkeeper Jack Rose had been with the club last season, and there was little to threaten Rose's goal in a first half short on goalmouth activity but containing plenty of stoppages, including a lengthy one after twenty minutes as Coby Rowe and Riley Harbottle clashed heads, Rowe able to continue with a bandage but Harbottle forced off. Apart from a wayward long range effort from Ben Goodliffe there was little prospect of a goal and not a huge amount of incident, although Omar Bugiel again fell foul of referee Simon Mather, who had sent him off at Stockport and who this time booked him for persistent infringement five minutes before half time. U's medical team were in action again just before half time as David Ajiboye sustained a hand injury that saw him unable to come out for the second half, Enzio Boldewijn the replacement.

If there had been little to get excited about before the break U's started the second period on the front foot and Goodliffe's downward header from Will Randall's corner was cleared off the line, albeit comfortably, by Kieran Wallace within a minute of the restart. Seconds later James Gale was booked for a high challenge on Joe Kizzi, and from the free kick Goodliffe again went close and might be disappointed he didn't hit the target with his header at the far post. When Christy Pym launched the goal kick downfield Beautyman had to be alert to prevent Danny Johnson going through, guiding a header back to Rose, but Pym was soon in action again as perhaps the best chance of the game fell to Ali Smith as Omar Bugiel turned a Kizzi cross in to his path but he was unable to get enough on the shot to beat the advancing keeper (above).

Rose had his first action as he easily collected Alfie Kilgour's header from a corner, and was prevented from needing to make another save when Wallace's shot struck Kilgour when it might have troubled U's keeper. Mansfield's best chance fell to Davis Keillor-Dunn, who shot wide of the far post after Lucas Akins had beaten Rob Milsom on the by-line and laid the ball back in to his path, while some fine defending by Rowe and Kizzi halted a dangerous run from Keillor-Dunn, but neither side could find the required quality with the final pass as the game fizzled out to a result that kept both sides in touch with the battle for the play-offs. U's finished with a strike force separated by 23 years, as had happened at Oldham almost exactly a year earlier, as Craig Dundas came on to join Kylian Kouassi, who had replaced Bugiel just before the hour mark.

Sutton: J Rose, J Kizzi, R Milsom, C Rowe, B Goodliffe, D Ajiboye(sub E Boldewijn H-T), D Wilson(sub C Dundas 83), A Smith, O Bugiel(sub K Kouassi 59), H Beautyman, W Randall. Subs n/u B House, S Hart, L Gambin, H Kasimu. Booked: Bugiel, Kizzi, Randall, Beautyman

Mansfield: C Pym, J Gale(sub H Boateng 65), K Wallace, E Hewitt, A Kilgour, R Harbottle(sub J Perch 20), L Akins, O Clarke, J Bowery, D Keillor-Dunn(sub J Law 90+3), D Johnson(sub R Oates 65). Subs n/u S Flinders, T Anderson, L Reed. Booked: Gale

Referee: Simon Mather

Attendance: 6,288 (196 away)