The Nottinghamshire derby returns to League One on 31 October 2026 as Mansfield Town host Notts County in Gameweek 14. Mansfield enter unbeaten in their last six league outings, sitting tenth with 18 points from 11 games, whereas Notts County arrive 19th with 11 points from the same number of matches after earning promotion via the play offs last season. Mansfield's home organisation has been decisive in recent meetings between these two and the head to head record gives the visitors little encouragement.
Nigel Clough has been at Mansfield since 6 November 2020 and surpassed Ian Greaves' club record of 275 league games in October 2026, which says plenty about the stability he has built at the club. Martin Paterson took over at Notts County on 22 June 2025 replacing Stuart Maynard, meaning their direct managerial head to head is essentially a blank page. The tactical battle will be shaped more by squad profiles than any established pattern of one manager outsmarting the other and both sides go in with full squads available.
Mansfield's last five league games have produced a W-W-D-W-D sequence, with the 4-1 win away at Blackpool on 24 October the pick of the bunch, coming off the back of a 3-0 home win against AFC Wimbledon four days earlier. Notts County won 2-0 at Sheffield Wednesday on 20 October then drew 1-1 with Stockport on the 24th.
Mansfield at home are a pragmatic side who will happily sit back and invite pressure before springing forward. Michael Smith is their top scorer and will look to hold up play against Notts' back line while creating space for midfield runners, with Tyler Roberts scoring twice in recent weeks by arriving late into the half space and Rhys Oates offering a further running option in behind.
Oliver Cooper will look to test Mansfield's centre backs with his movement, while Daniel Kanu and Conor Grant offer further options in advanced areas. Getting the ball to Cooper and Kanu is precisely what Mansfield's compact midfield will be trying to prevent and if Notts are pushed wider, the home side's full backs are aggressive enough to make them pay. The likeliest pattern sees Mansfield sit deep early, wait for the visitors to push their full backs high and leave space in behind, then look to spring Smith on the counter.
Mansfield have had the better of recent meetings, winning 1-0 at home in February 2024 and 4-1 away in October 2023, with both wins coming after absorbing pressure and punishing Notts on the break, the 4-1 in October 2023 the clearest example. Set pieces are another avenue, with Smith and Oates among Mansfield's main options at corners and free kicks and Notts will need to be compact from dead balls to avoid gifting the home side cheap opportunities.
Mansfield 2-1 Notts County. Six unbeaten games, a decisive home record in this fixture and the counter attacking threat of Smith and Roberts in form is a combination Notts will find difficult to live with and Smith or Oates looks the likeliest route to the opener before Roberts adds a second, with Cooper giving the scoreline a more respectable look late on.
Ryan Baldi
Football Writer
Ryan Baldi is a professional football writer with years of experience and has been featured by respected outlets such as the BBC, The Guardian, Sky Sports, DAZN, FourFourTwo, ESPN, Yahoo Sport and Football365. He has also written several books including Arsène Who?.
