Nigel Clough: Mansfield Town boss says arduous away schedule 'massively' affecting squad

Mansfield manager Nigel Clough says his side's current relentless away schedule is "massively" affecting his squad as they try to maintain a League Two promotion push.

The Stags' 2-1 win at Oldham was their fourth road trip in a row with another - at Hartlepool - to come on Tuesday.

"We might change it around," Clough told BBC Radio Nottingham. "We need one or two pairs of fresh legs out there."

Mansfield are eighth, a point outside the play-offs with 10 games left.

Once the trip to Hartlepool is done, Mansfield's team coach will have clocked up nearly 900 miles in 18 days having already visited Tranmere, Port Vale, Rochdale and Oldham.

With previous away games at Bristol City, Newport County and Bradford, the Stags are in a run of eight matches on the road in their last nine.

Speaking after their victory at Boundary Park on Saturday, Clough said the mileage is "massively" taking its toll on the squad.

"We're two hours coming up here on the bus and two hours back - on the back of Rochdale the other night getting home at one o'clock in the morning - like the supporters," he said.

"But when they've been running around, the players feel it. The starters are doing very little training, it's all about recovering - mentally and physically.

"We saw some mentally and physically tired players - the captain Steve McLaughlin has played nearly every game this season - that's a lot of football. He was really struggling at times."

Stags 'deserve' any luck

Despite the arduous nature of their constant travelling - the reverse of their five successive home games in December and January - the Stags have kept in the hunt for a play-off place.

Victory at Pools would take them fourth and only one point off the automatic promotion places with nine games left.

Their win at Boundary Park had elements of fortune about it with Rhys Oates' deflected equaliser and George Lapslie's bundled winner in the fifth minute of injury time after the ball came off a post - but Clough says his side merited any luck that came their way.

"We deserved it for earlier on in the season," he said.

"We went to Colchester and had a penalty given against us in the 93rd minute that wasn't. Going to Swindon and playing really well - we should've had one (a goal) that was over the line. Playing at home against Harrogate - where you get two sent off and three penalties turned down.

"It's just balancing itself out from those sorts of times."