Our monthly Mansfield Town FC column is back for a new season penned by Josh Osoro Pickering. Here's his predictions for the coming season at Field Mill...
Why did you become a Stags supporter?
I was born in Mansfield, but grew up in London. My first football memories were accompanying my dad at places Orient, Barnet and Brentford. It was affordable and accessible. Stags were always there. I'd visit my grandparents and go to games with my grandad. Then I moved back and with my kids, we're now on the fourth generation. Supporting Mansfield is about family and sharing the highs and lows together, in a way that isn't always possible with bigger clubs.
Describe your matchday experience…
I typically meet my dad an hour before kick-off, for a pint, then we take our seats and bet on how long into the first half we'll need to go for a first wee. We know a fair few people in the stands so there are the obligatory greetings and running jokes; it's a social event as much as a sporting one. Win, lose or draw, we leave having spent time together. I don't go to every game, as I often work on Saturdays, but it's something I hope to do more of this season.
How did you feel you did last season?
It was very much a season of two halves for Stags, last term. On a high from promotion, and despite having lost our best player, we flew out the blocks and were in and around the playoffs before Christmas, but then went on a terrible run of form that saw us dragged into a relegation battle, before a return to form towards the end. Old legs and injuries were largely to blame, but overall we achieved the objective, which was simply to stay up.
Tell us about the gaffer…
Nigel Clough has just signed a new two-year deal, but he’s already the fourth longest-reigning manager in England. He's been fantastic for us and we couldn't be in better hands, in my opinion. I read somewhere that he will likely pass the record for most games managed by a Mansfield boss in the next couple of seasons. If he keeps us progressing gradually, as he seems to do with whomever he manages, he'll one day have a statue or a stand named after him. Club legend isn't too strong a label.
What’s happening off the field?
Off the field, the club has been upwardly mobile ever since John Radford saved us in 2010. In that time, the club has gone up two divisions, but it has made great strides in its commercial dealings, facilities and matchday experience too. We now have an excellent training ground and fanzone at the stadium and most excitingly for fans, after two decades, the reopening of the Bishop Street Stand is imminent. But charging fans £30 a ticket for League One football is a disgrace and should be called out as such. For Mansfield to be one of the most expensive tickets outside the Prem is inexcusable.
Any new signings you are excited about?
So far we've made good early progress in the market. Keeper Liam Roberts is an excellent signing from Millwall and will be number one immediately. Ryan Sweeney rejoins the club from Burton and is our new captain. Kyle Knoyle is known to us as a solid defender from his days at Stockport. Nathan Moriah-Welsh joins from Hibs, Luke Bolton from Wrexham and Regen Henry from Tranmere. Meanwhile, our relationship with Forest has seen three of their young stars join on loan: McAdam, Gardener and McDonnell. We still need another striker.
Any key departures? What big boots are there to fill?
The real area that has been depleted with outgoings is experience. As older players and big characters such as Stephen Quinn, Alfie Kilgour, Aden Flint and Lucas Aikins move on (although the latter may still return after his prison sentence), it is inevitable that some of the dressing room spirit and knowhow will need replacing. Hopefully the new lads will fill the void. I trust Nigel and Simon Clough have done their homework, and I don't have any complaints about the retained list.
What’s the mood of the fans coming into the new season?
I think pretty much everyone was happy enough with last season, although the bad run got a bit nervy around springtime. The owners and Nigel are trusted by the fans, and the signings all look to be upgrades on those who have departed, but we'll have to see. A successful season will be any improvement on league position and expectations are probably where they should be among the fanbase.
Tell us about your captain.
Ryan Sweeney has just signed, after winning player of the year at Burton last season. He's a big, strong centre-half, who can also play a bit, and he's a natural leader. After playing over 100 games for us between 2018-2021, he went to Dundee in the SPL and then Burton, who we play on the opening day! We're getting back a much more mature and confident version of the promising young defender who left us.
Where do you think you’ll finish come May 2026?
It's hard to know, with so many signings, where we’ll finish. Clough seems to have a knack of finishing higher each year so if I'm being optimistic, I'll say 14th. It could be five places either side of that though.
What does being a football fan mean to you?
As readers of my past articles on Stags will know, I value the community and ritual of going to football. I love watching the game in any form really, but Mansfield is about more than what's on the pitch. Field Mill is a church and the congregation are family. I catch up with people, take comfort in familiar surroundings, sing the songs and experience emotions in unison with my fellow supporters. It's something I intend to do more with my young family. And following the Nigel Clough model of incremental progress, I'm slowly bringing my wife round to the idea.
If your current team was a song what would it be and why?
Two seasons ago, in LeftLion, I said that following Mansfield required not taking things too much to heart. When I was a kid, if we lost the tannoy above the West Stand would pump out Monty Python’s Always Look On The Bright Side Of Life. This, in a town that had lost its pits, its brewery and very nearly its club, was an aptly witty choice, but it reflected a sense of perspective that things could be a lot worse than losing a football match.
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