Lucas Akins marked his comeback to Mansfield Town after serving six months in prison, featuring in their EFL Trophy clash against Newcastle United Under-21s. The 36-year-old striker started and played for 64 minutes at Field Mill on Wednesday night.
A court sentenced Akins to 14 months in jail in April after he admitted causing the death of cyclist Adrian Daniel through careless or inconsiderate driving near Huddersfield in March 2022. He returned to training with the League One side earlier this month after his release.
Clough backs Akins’ return to football
Before the match, manager Nigel Clough acknowledged that Akins would “forever be conscious” of his actions and promised to give him “as long as he needs” to find his rhythm again.
Speaking to BBC Radio Nottingham after the game, Clough explained the timing of Akins’ selection.
“I talked to Lucas, (we felt) the sooner we get him on the pitch the better. It’s out of the way now, he’s had 60-odd minutes and he’ll be better for it from this point on.
“He looked rusty, exactly as we expected he would but fitness-wise he’s not too bad.
“He won’t be involved at the weekend and he’ll build up in the next week or two, or few weeks. We’ve got a reserve game against Chesterfield next Tuesday at the training ground and again he’ll feature in that,” Clough said.
Newcastle strike late to deny Mansfield
The match ended 2-2 in regulation time before Mansfield lost 5-3 on penalties. After falling behind early, the Stags responded through Max Dickov and Finn Flanagan to take the lead. But an own goal by Ollie Taylor in stoppage time gave Newcastle a late equalizer.
Focus shifts to Luton clash
Mansfield return to League One action on Saturday with an away fixture at Luton Town. Coaches expect Akins to keep building his fitness through upcoming reserve matches.
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