Crewe host Mansfield Town at the Mornflake Stadium this Saturday, kicking off the start to their 2023/24 League Two season. Crewe will be looking to start the season with a bang after fading to the mid-table in the 2022/23 League Two season. This is also the same case for Mansfield Town who, though faring better than Crewe, only managed an eighth place finish.
The Railwaymen finished the 2022/23 League Two season in 13th, winning only 14 games out of the 46 games played, drawing 16 times and losing on 16 occasions. This left Crewe on 58 points for the season, 18 points off of the Play-off places and 12 points off of the relegation zone. However, in the closing stages of the season, Crewe managed to end their campaign with two wins and a draw in their final three games.
The additions to the Crewe squad this summer include mostly League Two talent such as Ryan Cooney from Morecambe, Mickey Demetriou from Newport County and Jack Powell from Crawley Town. However, Shiloh Tracey has also joined The Railwaymen from League One side Cambridge United.
In preparation for this League Two season, Crewe have played an extensive seven games. This included four wins, a draw and two losses. Crewe started their preseason with back-to-back 5 - 0 wins over Halesowen Town and Whitchurch Alport. The other two wins came in the form of a 2 - 1 win over Vauxhall Motors and a 3 - 0 win over Runcorn Linnets. The draw came against Burton, the tie ending 2 - 2, and the two losses came in games against Lincoln City, a 2 - 1 loss and Barnsley, another 2 - 1 loss.
Mansfield Town finished eighth in League Two, a small downgrade from the season before, where The Stags finished seventh. Nigel Clough’s side finished the season with 21 wins, 12 draws, 13 losses and 75 points. This left The Stags a heartbreaking one point outside of the Play-off places.
The Stags have been somewhat busy this summer transfer window. George Williams has joined from Cambridge United, Baily Cargill joined from Forest Green Rovers, Aaron Lewis left Newport Country for Mansfield and Calum MacDonald made the switch from Bristol Rovers all on free transfers.
In comparison to Crewe’s seven preseason games, Mansfield have played only four ahead of the opener against Crewe. The Stags managed three wins from four, beating Alfreton Town 4 - 0, putting three goals past Oldham Athletic in a 3 - 0 win and a 4 - 2 win over Matlock Town. The Stags’ only loss came against Rotherham who beat Mansfield 4 - 2.
Crewe and Mansfield have a storied history. The two clubs have met an impressive 84 times since their first meeting back in 1932. The two sides are extremely evenly matched, making Saturday’s clash somewhat hard to predict. Mansfield have won on 31 occasions with Crewe having the slight edge with 32 wins. But just as often, 21 times, the two teams earned a point. This is a likely occurrence this weekend as three of the last five meetings have finished in a draw.