Mansfield Town goalkeeper Owen Mason has joined Gillingham on an emergency seven-day loan, with the Gills struggling with injuries to Ollie Wright and Lennon MacLorg. The 3-0 Carabao Cup defeat to Luton on Saturday saw Mason handed his debut, with Ainsworth opting to bring in the Mansfield goalkeeper over handing a rare first-team outing to Taite Holtam.
What happened?
Mason has only one Football League appearance to his name but has spent time on loan at Gateshead and Southend in the past two seasons. He linked up with the Gills during the week and trained with the players for a couple of days.
Why it matters for Mansfield
Ainsworth explained that he wanted to go down the emergency loan route, citing the protocols that apply for such loans. He felt for Mason, who has only come in for a couple of days, but has done fine.
What comes next?
Southampton loanee Wright will be considered for this weekend's League 2 opener at home to Walsall. Ainsworth will be more than happy if he has to give Mason another game between the sticks, stating that the Mansfield goalkeeper is on an emergency loan and can be renewed as many times as needed.
Mansfield Town currently sit 10th in League One, 38 points behind leaders Lincoln, with 62 goals scored and 50 conceded this season. They are on a 2-game winning run, with their last result being a 5-4 win over Cardiff on 2026-05-02. Recent form has seen the team win 3 games and draw 2, with no losses in their last 5 matches.
