Nigel Clough has been to Wembley plenty of times. As a Nottingham Forest player, he scored twice there in the 1989 League Cup final against Luton Town.
As a manager, he guided his Sheffield United team to an FA Cup semi-final at the national stadium in 2014, the League One side going down 5-3 to Premier League Hull City in a thriller.
But until now, Clough has never had the opportunity to emulate his dad Brian and actually lead a team out onto the hallowed turf before a final.
A delighted Nigel Clough celebrates after Mansfield made it the League Two play-off final
The Stags beat Northampton to make it to Wembley after an extraordinary season
Clough Jnr will now get the chance to emulate his dad Brian (left), seen holding the hand of Tottenham’s Terry Venables ahead of the 1991 FA Cup final, by leading a team out at Wembley
That will change shortly before 4pm on Saturday afternoon, when his Mansfield Town side take on Port Vale in the League Two Play-off final.
‘It is a strange feeling that I will be leading them out but I don’t know how it will be until we get there,’ Clough Jnr said ahead of the big game.
Sadly his legendary father is no longer around to ask. Brian was certainly no stranger to what was a rather lengthy walk from the dressing rooms at one end of the old Wembley Stadium to the halfway line.
He stood alongside – but aloof – from his Leeds United players ahead of the 1974 Charity Shield against Liverpool, who asked recently retired manager Bill Shankly to lead them out rather than new boss Bob Paisley.
Billy Bremner and Kevin Keegan threw punches, Leeds lost on penalties and Clough’s time at Elland Road was damned from the outset.
Clough, newly installed as Leeds United manager, leads his side out alongside Liverpool’s Bill Shankly before the 1974 FA Charity Shield
Clough stands detached from the Leeds players who would overthrow him as manager just 44 days into the job
Subsequent visits were far happier. His famous Nottingham Forest team won four League Cups there and the 1978 Charity Shield. Let’s not forget two editions of the Full Members’ Cup as well.
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Ahead of the 1991 FA Cup final, one they lost, Clough memorably grabbed the hand of his Tottenham counterpart Terry Venables just as they stepped onto the pitch.
The walk at the new Wembley is much shorter but plenty of fans of a certain age will be delighted to see a manager with the name Clough leading a team out there.
The job Nigel has done at Mansfield this season has been nothing short of sensational and third tier football for the first time since 2003 is now within their grasp.
Nigel Clough (third from right on front row) scored twice as Nottingham Forest, managed by his dad, beat Luton to win the League Cup in 1989
Brian Clough leads Forest out alongside Liverpool’s Bob Paisley ahead of the 1978 League Cup final at Wembley
Clough was Sheffield United manager when they lost 5-3 to Hull in the 2014 FA Cup semi-final – but he didn’t get to actually lead his side out at the national stadium
A 14-match winless run in all competitions left Mansfield in the relegation places in late October and level on points with Scunthorpe United, who would ultimately go down.
But suddenly something clicked and the Stags lost just one of 18 league matches between October 30 and March 11, catapulting them up the table and into the promotion picture.
Their home form at the One Call Stadium proved key – they won 15 of 23 league games there and took 49 points in all, with only Tranmere getting more on their own patch.
Clough’s team were still in contention for automatic promotion entering the final day but ended up seventh, just inside the play-offs, after a 2-2 draw with champions Forest Green Rovers.
In the play-off semi-final, they beat Northampton 3-1 on aggregate, winning both legs, to set up a final against Port Vale, who knocked out Swindon on penalties.
Now over 15,000 supporters will follow Mansfield to Wembley, the numbers swollen by fans of near neighbours Forest doing a play-off final ‘double’ this weekend with their team taking on Huddersfield for a place in the Premier League on Sunday.
Having come so far, Clough doesn’t want to fall at the final hurdle. ‘We’re not going for a weekend out. It’s only rewarding if we win,’ he said.
As it happens, a previous weekend in London proved one of the turning points in their season.
Stephen McLaughlin scored Mansfield’s match-winner as they overcame Northampton
Clough applauds the travelling Mansfield fans at Sixfields after they made it to Wembley
Mansfield owners John and Carolyn Radford pictured ahead of the play-off semi-final, first leg
After a 2-1 win at Crawley Town on November 27, the Mansfield players jumped on one bus and went into central London for their Christmas do. Clough and the rest of his staff headed home to the Midlands.
The team bonding in the Capital certainly had the desired effect – the Stags won their next seven league games and went undefeated in 13.
They’d already adopted ‘Walking in Memphis’ – Marc Cohn’s 1991 hit – as their dressing room song and belted it out after the win over Northampton.
‘Early on when we got a win, it was the first song that came on after the game,’ striker Rhys Oates said told the Chad.
‘So we said every win that we get now that will be our song for after the game. I think it’s been on a few times now and most of the lads know most of the words, so it’s a good singalong.
‘The changing room has been bouncing all season and we have all been singing along to the song. But it was extra special last Wednesday, all being in a huddle and singing as a group.’
Brian Clough took charge of 1,453 games as a manager, for Hartlepool United, Derby County, Brighton, Leeds and Forest. His son is on 1,367 and fast catching him up.
But there are still ‘firsts’ even after all that time and walking out at Wembley is one of them.
And afterwards, Clough and his players would love to be walking in Memphis.