Mansfield may have beaten Championship side Sheffield United and Premier League side Burnley in the final two rounds of the FA Cup, but this is another game to watch for Town manager Nigel Clough.
“Acrington are away,” the 59-year-old said without missing a beat.
That was three months ago, in early December, during the second round. They had just beaten Harrogate in League Two at home 3-2 in the first half.
“We were behind in extra time and played in the worst conditions I’ve ever seen. We’re done.
Nigel Clough takes Mansfield to the FA Cup fifth round for the first time since the 1974/75 season
“A young player called Kyle McAdam, who was on loan from Forest at the time, scored a goal and it was one of the most important goals of the season.”
Coach Clough’s team advanced with a 3-1 shootout victory.
“You have to overcome those moments. Whenever a club from a lower league performs well in a cup game, there always comes a moment like that, an absolutely decisive moment. I think that was our match.”
“You have to overcome those hurdles to have a chance of reaping the rewards later in the competition.”
Mansfield came from behind to beat Burnley 2-1 in the fourth round, clinching their place in the fifth round for the first time since the 1974/75 season when they were a fourth division club, losing 1-0 to Carlisle.
“We took around 3,500 people to see people’s faces after the Burnley game, and we would have taken more if we had been allowed to. And what it meant to them was worth every penny,” Clough added.
“I started paying attention to football when I was nine or 10 or something like that, so the reality is that most Mansfield fans under the age of 60 have never seen their club in the fifth round of the FA Cup.
Mansfield defeated Burnley 2-1 in the fourth round.
Lewis Reid scores the winning goal at Turf Moor
“It’s special to be able to give that kind of experience to a whole new generation.”
It is perhaps fitting that the reward for reaching this stage is a draw with Premier League leaders Arsenal.
Tragically, the Gunners were the last team his father, Brian, faced in the FA Cup before retiring in the summer of 1993 after more than 18 years as manager at Nottingham Forest.
There is no room for emotion here. “That’s a bit of trivia,” he says with a laugh. “I didn’t get it!”
But there is room for excitement.
“When you look at this draw on paper it looks very special and it probably symbolizes what the FA Cup means.
“I absolutely can’t wait for the supporters and everyone. It’s a once in a lifetime thing. We’re talking about Mansfield not being here for 51 years and then Arsenal coming to our little ground.”
“It will be a great opportunity for everyone. For Arsenal fans, it will be a little cheaper to come to Mansfield!”
But for Clough personally, the most important emotion is one of anxiety.
“The last time I saw Mikel Arteta I was at Burton and he was Pep Guardiola’s assistant at Man City and they beat us 9-0!”
“I haven’t seen him since, and if that’s true, I’m not particularly looking forward to seeing him this time either!”
There are also concerns about Mansfield’s position in Sky Bet League One.
They reached the fifth round in 1974/75 and were promoted to division four champions. This time they are in 16th place, without a win in nine games, and are only five points out of the relegation zone.
“We’re in a bit of a dangerous situation at the moment and we need a few points,” he said.
“If we don’t stay in the league, this season will be wasted. We remind our players every day what’s important here, and they understand that.”
“Yes, this is an opportunity, but the focus will be on the league games after that. We have to work to stay in the league. At the moment, we are at the bottom of Ligue 1, which is a very difficult situation.
“Our performance in the cup was great, but it hasn’t affected our form in the league because we’ve been playing well. If you look at our effort and our running stats, they were right around the FA Cup win at Burnley.”
“There is no difference in the attitude of the players and it will never change.”
Use Chrome Browser for a more accessible video player
Sky Bet League 1 match highlights between Rotherham United and Mansfield Town.
Clough insists the preparations for Arsenal’s visit will not change dramatically. If anything, he suggests that a draw with a bigger club could actually simplify things.
“When you play a team above the table, you never know what they’re going to do. They have big games on both teams so you never know who you’re going to play against.
“Given the strength of the squad, I hope Arsenal will make changes as they play Brighton on Wednesday and then have a Champions League game on the horizon. We have far more concerns than we did away to Mansfield in the FA Cup.”
Arsenal beat Brighton 1-0 in the Premier League on Wednesday night.
“We can’t do too much for them and just tell the players to focus on themselves, which is really focusing on the team. We can look at the Arsenal team, but if we start doing that, the lives of our players will be in danger! So, just like in previous rounds, we just focus on ourselves.”
It’s an approach that has already taken Mansfield past Sheffield United and Burnley, and although they won’t say so, they hope it will help them take another step forward.
