Nigel Clough: Mansfield Town will 'work harder' to stay top of League Two

Mansfield Town have scored 67 league goals this season

Mansfield Town's free-scoring form has sent them top of League Two, but boss Nigel Clough says only an unflinching work ethic will seal promotion.

The Stags are among the most prolific in the fourth tier, and only Arsenal have matched their 25 goals in 2024 so far in England's professional leagues.

They also have League Two's best defence, conceding just 29 goals.

"The only thing we need to do is actually increase everything we do," Clough said.

"We have to work even harder in the next 13 games.

"All these things, being [second] top goalscorers, having the best defensive record, if we have got those and don't achieve our aim at the end of the season, it will be worthless really.

"We have done nothing so far apart from being top after two thirds of the season."

Clough on being 'showmen Stags'

What they did do was hit an incredible 20 goals in February, a month that included a club record-equalling 9-2 demolition of Harrogate.

In that game, Mansfield registered 23 shots - a tally bettered with 28 against Salford in another merciless 5-1 triumph at the weekend.

When asked if being the 'showmen Stags' was a moniker Mansfield would be happy with, Clough laughed as he said: "I don't know about that.

"We are not getting into that and we just want a point or three against Newport on Saturday. Nothing else.

"Supporters seem to be enjoying coming to watch us, we are getting close to full houses. I think there is a good feeling about, but we have to maintain that for the next couple of months."

Apart from one night spent at the top of League Two early in the 2015-16 season, this is the highest Mansfield have been in the football pyramid since their relegation from the third division 21 years ago.

Former Sheffield United, Derby County and Burton Albion boss Clough took charge of Mansfield when they were third from bottom in November 2020, and has had them chasing promotion ever since.

Mansfield were beaten by Port Vale in the 2022 play-off final and last season they fell a goal short of another play-off campaign.

Soon after the near miss, he signed a one-year contract extension knowing the Stags had been "nicely building" as promotion contenders.

'Stags up there to be shot at'

Clough was appointed Mansfield boss in November 2020

The former England, Nottingham Forest, Liverpool and Manchester City striker says being league leaders - having twice previously missed chances to go to the summit in recent weeks - will inevitably change things for a side that has been in constant pursuit of others in recent years.

"It's a different thing being top compared to when you are chasing," Clough said.

"And it will be for the opposition as well. You are up there to be shot at now.

"It becomes a bigger scalp for a team to beat the one at the top of the league.

"We sensed it a bit at Walsall. We were 1-1 and our fans were singing 'we are top' with Stockport losing, and you sort of sensed the Walsall players and crowd go 'just a minute, let's knock these lot off their perch'.

"But we have made it now and the challenge is to stay there."

And his message to players as they cope with that new pressure is to "work harder and deal with it".

"And the way you deal with it is to actually double down on what we have been doing, and make sure you are prepared for that," Clough continued.

"You know teams are going to put maybe another 10% in."