Giant Killing Alert: Burnley vs. Mansfield Town | OneFootball

As the FA Cup returns for the Fourth Round, Premier League strugglers Burnley will welcome League One side Mansfield Town. The two sides have not met for over 20 years, last going head-to-head in the Third Round of the same competition in 2004 when Mansfield were comprehensively defeated.

Burnley put on a strong performance in this year’s Third Round tie in January, dismissing Championship side Millwall 5-1.

While they may be focusing on Premier League survival, they will be hoping to use the Cup ties to boost their momentum.

As for Mansfield, they did well to race to a 4-1 lead against Sheffield United and held on to knock out the Championship side in the last round.

But now they will have their eyes on an even bigger giant-killing to scalp a top-flight side, even one in the relegation battle.

All about momentum for Burnley

Ahead of the clash, Burnley manager Scott Parker highlighted the lift his team could get if they can use the magic of the FA Cup to make a run deep into the competition.

“A good run in this competition can give everyone around the place a big boost. It can give everyone a real lift – fans, staff, players,” he said. “It can energise us in many different ways.”

He continued: “The FA Cup is a special competition – it’s a competition I hold in high value.

“We enjoyed a comfortable win against Millwall in the last round, thanks to a really good performance, and we’re all determined to continue to progress in this competition as far as possible.”

Since that Millwall win they have had indifferent form; losing one, drawing one before showing true grit and fight in their league fixture against Crystal Palace. They staged an extraordinary first-half comeback, scoring three goals in seven minutes.

“There’s been a noticeable lift in the mood around the place as you would expect coming off the back of such an important win – and one we’ve been waiting for such a long time,” Parker acknowledged. “We now need to take the momentum of Wednesday night’s win into the weekend.”

Can Mansfield take another step towards making history?

Mansfield boss Nigel Clough recognized the challenge ahead, admitting that although “people say Burnley are vulnerable, they are Premier League vulnerable.

“We are not sure what team Scott Parker will put out. But whatever it is it will have some quality players in there. And it will be a nice respite for them.”

Although it’s still a long way off, the FA Cup trophy has a personal edge for Clough, as it is the one major trophy that evaded his father, Brian Clough.

Clough Senior was appointed manager of Nottingham Forest in 1975, and cemented his place in the hall of great managers by winning the First Division title in 1977/78, the season after he got the club promoted. He then followed it up with back-to-back European Cups in 1978/79 and 1979/80, and the European Super Cup in the latter season.

Clough won four League Cup titles with Forest, but the one trophy that escaped him was the FA Cup. He reached the final in 1991 only to lose to Tottenham Hotspur 2-1.

Nigel played in the team that was managed by his father, and now is still in the hunt with a chance to take home the prize.

This will be the sternest test the Stags have had to face on their Cup run so far. Before Sheffield United, they battled their way past League Two Harrogate Town and then Accrington Stanley.

The Takeaway

The tie will be a test for two teams on poor runs of form to see who can reclaim their momentum. Six Premier League teams have already been knocked out of the FA Cup, and Parker will be desperately hoping his side do not join those ranks.

For Clough and his side, they will come into this game knowing that they could make waves if they pull off a giant killing and take another step towards an unlikely FA Cup title.