Akins' jailing an 'unbelievable shock' - Clough

Lucas Akins joined Mansfield Town from Burton Albion in January 2022

The jailing of Mansfield Town striker Lucas Akins for causing the death of a cyclist is "devastating" and came as an "unbelievable shock" to the club, says Stags boss Nigel Clough.

Adrian Daniel, 33, died 10 days after he was struck by a Mercedes G350 being driven by Akins near Huddersfield in March 2022.

Akins, 36, was sentenced to 14 months in prison on Thursday.

Mansfield's 4-0 defeat by League One title winners Birmingham City on Sunday was their first game since their player was jailed.

Clough spoke to BBC Radio Nottingham shortly before the match about the sentencing of the forward, who has played under him at both Mansfield and Burton Albion.

"For player and person like Lucas, we have lost a friend and a colleague to a sentence," Clough said.

"I also can't stress enough how much we have to acknowledge the pain of Mr Daniel's family.

"It is just a tragic accident and we are devastated for Lucas that he has ended up with a prison sentence."

Mr Daniel was hit by Akins, who was driving his seven-year-old daughter to a piano lesson.

Akins had pulled out into the path of Mr Daniel, who had been cycling home from work.

In a victim impact statement, Mr Daniel's wife, Savanna, said his death had been "like hell and a nightmare I'm not waking up from".

She criticised Akins for not pleading guilty at the first opportunity, but said she did not want him to go to jail.

"We do not need any more lives to be destroyed by this," she said.

Akins was a Mansfield player when the crash happened and he continued to play for the Nottinghamshire club afterwards.

After pleading guilty at Leeds Crown Court on 4 March he started a league match just hours later.

He made a further eight appearances for the club - and even started in an international match for Grenada against Russia in Moscow last month - before he was sentenced last week.

Akins has played professionally for 18 years and counts Huddersfield, Burton, Tranmere and Stevenage as well as Scottish sides Hamilton Academical and Partick Thistle among his former clubs.

He has just two months of his Mansfield contract remaining, having signed a new one-year deal after helping them win promotion from League Two last season.

Akins' future beyond the summer remains uncertain.

"That will be discussed," said Clough.

"Nothing will be decided immediately. Everybody is just digesting what was an unbelievable shock this week.

"There is talk of him maybe appealing, so we we will see what happens in the next week or two."