MANSFIELD TOWN arrive at York City enjoying a five-game unbeaten streak in Sky Bet League Two.
The Stags grabbed a point from the battle of the promoted sides when they drew 1-1 at Newport last weekend and boss Paul Cox has his players in confident mood.
They’ll come with a score to settle too, having been forced to wait a season to return to the League pyramid after the Minstermen came out triumphant in the two-legged Conference play-off semi-final 16 months ago.
The first leg, played at Bootham Crescent, was a fractious affair, with chief executive Carolyn Still arrested outside the ground and cautioned following an altercation with police.
A lot has changed since then, with Nigel Worthington now in the City hot-seat, but the rivalry is sure to be fierce as Mansfield look to build on a solid start to the campaign.
While the Minstermen are toiling towards the foot of the table, Mansfield are in tenth with nine points from their first six games.
Since losing 2-0 at Scunthorpe in their opener, and 2-0 at Tranmere in the Capital One Cup first round, the Stags haven’t tasted defeat.
Draws with Exeter, Portsmouth and Newport have been supplemented by wins over Wycombe and Dagenham & Redbridge with clean sheets in three of those five games.
Up front, Sam Clucas, converted from a winger to a forward in recent games, has now set himself an ambitious 15-goal season target as he has scored in consecutive games having netted ten last season from the flanks for Hereford.
Cox has yet to make a decision on who is to partner Clucas.
However, he won’t be able to call on Matt Rhead, who serves a suspension after being sent off having receiving two yellow cards in the Newport draw.
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