Akins plays for Mansfield hours after death crash guilty plea

Mansfield Town's Lucas Akins (left) played the first half against against Wigan Athletic on Tuesday

Mansfield Town forward Lucas Akins played for the League One club just hours after pleading guilty to causing the death of a cyclist.

The 36-year-old admitted causing the death of cyclist Adrian Daniel by careless or inconsiderate driving, at a hearing at Leeds Crown Court on Tuesday.

Later that evening he played for The Stags in a goalless draw with Wigan Athletic at their One Call Stadium home.

Akins is due to be sentenced on 24 April.

Mr Daniel, 33, died 10 days after he was struck by Akins' Mercedes car in Huddersfield in March 2022.

Akins has continued to play for Mansfield since the crash happened two years ago, and the club has declined to comment on the situation.

Sentencing Council guidelines say the offence carries punishment of anything from a community order to up to four years in prison, depending on the circumstances of the case.

When asked by BBC Radio Nottingham about the player's involvement in the game, Mansfield manager Nigel Clough said: "We can't comment on it, I'm afraid.

"We've known about it for some time, it's not just happened but we're not in a position to comment."

Striker Akins played the first half against Wigan on Tuesday evening but was substituted at half-time because of a hamstring problem.

Akins, who has six international caps for Grenada and counts Burton Albion and Huddersfield Town among the eight clubs he has played for during his near 18-year professional career, helped Mansfield to promotion from League Two last season.

His 14 goals in 49 appearances for the Stags last term earned him a new one-year contract, which expires in June.