Steve Evans can't wait to have Taft and Howkins ready for selection again

Taft played just seven games for the club after joining from Burton in the summer before his hamstring went against Barnet on 10th September.

Howkins has played 17 times for Stags since joining on loan from West Brom.

And with Mansfield already having significantly strengthened during the transfer window, Evans cannot wait to beef up his defensive options even further.

New Stags duo could start, despite unbeaten runWages the stumbling block as Stags miss out on club record transfer“Obviously Tafty and Kyle Howkins are about a week away now, so that’s great news,” he said.

“The transfer deadline has come and gone, but we’ve got two new signings next week which others won’t have. And that’s what they are for us.

“We just got Howkins back playing the way we’d like him to play after three or four consecutive games and the big fellow then got in a smashing tackle, a great centre back’s tackle, but unfortunately twisted himself up.

“But he about a week away.

“Tafty, we’ve always liked. We loved him as a player when we watched him at Burton. Of course he can play centre back or left back and he’s a big asset to us when he gets fit.

“He was worked incredibly hard behind the scenes, as Kyle has, and in a week to 10 days time we’ll have two new signings in that pair.”

Stags face Barnet on Saturday in a battle of the play-off rivals.

New signings Alfie Potter and winger Alex MacDonald could come into the reckoning for a start at The Hive.

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