Mansfield Town manager wary of Bristol Rovers threat ahead of reunion with ex-Derby striker

Mansfield Town manager Nigel Clough has highlighted Chris Martin as a key threat for Bristol Rovers when his Stags side host the Gas at the One Call Stadium on Saturday afternoon.

Martin worked under Clough at Derby County, albeit for less than a year, with the striker making the move to Pride Park initially on loan from Norwich City in February 2013 before joining permanently that summer. The former Rams boss then departed shortly after that September.

The now-Rovers front man is expected to start for the Gas on Saturday having recently returned from injury and is still looking for his first goal of the season having scored 16 times in League One last term.

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Asked what he's made of Rovers' season so far, Clough told club media: "A little bit up and down but an experienced manager who knows this level. One player in particular who's just come back from injury Chris Martin who we had at Derby for a number of years. A very compotent centre-forward, gets hold of the ball and can be very dangerous."

As one of the four teams promoted from League Two last season, Mansfield have made an impressive start to life in League One with the Stags currently sat in seventh having played the joint-fewest games in the division with 13 alongside Birmingham City.

Clough's side come into the contest in strong form having won six of their last nine league matches which included a 1-1 draw at home to Birmingham and a 1-0 defeat at Wrexham in which the East Midlands outfit's performance warranted at least a point.

After having around four to five inches of snow earlier in the week, there were some brief concerns as to whether or not the game would be called off but those have now seemed to disintegrate entirely. But, with it two weeks since their last outing, that game against Wrexham, Clough and co. are particularly keen to pick up where they left off against Rovers.

Asked how he picks the starting XI, the Mansfield boss explained: "A lot of it is based on the last few weeks in how good the performances have been and the results so the formation to best tackle Bristol Rovers.

"Mostly it will be about us and how we go about it and approach it. I want all that frustration and everything else ready at three o'clock on Saturday."

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