Ex-Hartlepool United striker expecting 'the unexpected' for Mansfield Town against Keith Curle's side

Oates was an influential figure in Hartlepool’s promotion winning campaign of 2020-21, scoring 18 times as Pools clinched a dramatic penalty shootout victory over Torquay United in the National League play-off final at Bristol City’s Ashton Gate.

But Oates would shock Hartlepool by completing a move to Mansfield Town soon after Pools’ promotion, where he would go on to fire the Stags to within touching distance of League One with 12 goals before falling short in the play-off final against Port Vale.

But the former Pools striker, who will miss tonight’s meeting at the One Call Stadium through injury, admits he still casts an eye over events at Hartlepool.

“I’ve been keeping an eye on them,” Oates revealed to Mansfield’s iFollow.

“I think it’s hard to know what they’re going to be like having a new manager come in.

“We need to expect the unexpected.

“Obviously they haven't won yet, but you never know [what might happen] when they have a new manager.

“He [Keith Curle] could change things and they could play a totally different style.”

Oates has been out of action since rupturing a pectoral muscle in Mansfield’s 5-2 success over AFC Wimbledon back in August and is set to remain sidelined until December having undergone surgery for the injury.

“I said [I’d like to return for] the first game in December at the start. I think that’ll take it to about three months [since the injury was sustained], so I’ve always had that in my mind.

“You’ve just got to see how it goes.

“We had good news from the surgeon last week and he said I had progressed more than he was expecting.”

Oates added: “I was gutted when we first realised what it was. They said it could potentially be four to six months [out] so I was gutted about that.

“We then saw the surgeon and he said maybe around three months, so still a long time but you’ve just got to take the positives that it’s not four to six [months out].”

Meanwhile Stags boss Nigel Clough has warned his side against complacency when they host winless Hartlepool, insisting they must disregard the league table when coming up against Keith Curle’s side.

“His sides are tough to break down. A lot of teams will come here and know what to expect, so be defensively solid and a threat on the break,” Clough told Chad.

“Carlisle, in the last game, got that balance right as much as any side that have come to our place – and I think Hartlepool have the capabilities to do the same.

“We must completely and utterly disregard Hartlepool's league position.

“They have changed their manager in the last week. Someone we know very well has gone in and the first thing he's done is get a clean sheet at home. I think he will be sorting them out defensively before he does anything else.

“Everybody turns up and just expects a win is a given – it's three points. But it will be as hard as any game we've had recently because of that.”