Mansfield Town fans vote George Lapslie as Stags Player of the Year for 2020

Credit: Mansfield Town FC

The midfielder has only been at the club for a few months but the award displays the impression his tenacious playing style has made on Mansfield fans.

Having received 89 votes out of 137 votes given, Stags’ number 32 was voted by Mansfield Town fans as their Player of the Year with a whopping 65 percent of the votes.

George Lapslie arrived from Charlton Athletic on a season-long loan in October and has contributed a number of impressive performances. These have led to the Stags faithful hoping that the midfielder will sign on a permanent deal when his contract at Charlton expires in the summer.

Since signing for the Stags, he has simply been brilliant and never fails to disappoint, apart from his debut where he was sent off in a 3-1 defeat. Even on that occasion, he never stopped running, looking for a chance and trying to create for his forward teammates.

He is ever-present on the goalscoring charts as well as providing from midfield, the 23-year-old notching up six goals and two assists in all competitions for the Nottinghamshire club.

He’s also a lucky omen. In every game Lapslie has scored or assisted in, Mansfield have never lost.

His first contribution for the club came against Walsall. What looked like a shot from the midfielder turned into a pass as Nicky Maynard got hold of the ball and gave the Stags a 1-0 lead. The amber and blues failed to hold onto that lead as Elijah Adebayo scored in the second half as both sides took a point from the fixture.

The 23-year-old’s first goal came against Bolton as Mansfield took the lead in the second half through the midfielder scoring in the 57th minute but, that lead would not last as Antoni Sarcevic scored in the 90th minute of the match that saw the resurgent Mansfield only get one point.

The win against Sunderland in the FA Cup remains a high point in Mansfield’s season and the resilience, determination and goal from the midfielder was crucial to Nigel Clough’s team progressing.

Next came the Stags’ first victory in League Two when they beat a high-flying Forest Green Rovers side 2-0 at the New Lawn with Lapslie’s goal being his third in the same amount of games.

Another assist came in the next game against Colchester. The midfielder combined with Maynard once more as the experienced forward opened the scoring again, but the game ended as a 1-1 draw as Luke Norris equalised with five minutes to go.

After a two-game draught, he was back at it again with a vital goal as Stags drew 3-3 with Crawley at the One Call Stadium.

Mansfield had a 1-0 lead in the first half through Ryan Sweeney’s goal, but the result turned sour after an awful 15 minutes at the start of the second half that saw Max Watters double and Tom Dallison’s goal give the Red Devils a 3-1 lead on the hour mark.

Lapslie scored in the 72nd minute to reduce the deficit to one and Andy Cook scored in added time to get Mansfield a well-deserved point.

Another goal for the midfielder came against Scunthorpe United on Boxing Day as the Stags were able to beat the Irons 3-2 after a tight encounter between two struggling sides.

His latest goal for the amber and blues came against Salford City during midweek with the Stags getting an unlikely victory over the promotion-hunting Ammies.

Lapslie was first on the scoresheet after his strike from outside the box beat Vaclav Hladky and gave the Stags a 1-0 advantage with Jordan Bowery extending the lead to two on the half-hour mark. Di’Shon Bernard equalised in added time but Mansfield extended their winning run to three as they look to make up ground on what was a torrid start to the season.

The London-born midfielder is having his best season in football so far and has the chance of hitting double figures in goals by the end of the season. His passing and shooting ability also make him an attractive proposition for clubs upon the expiration of his contact.

Mansfield fans will hope to secure the services of Lapslie as he has brought a lot of added energy into the midfield which has been changed about due to the formation.

This has seen George Maris used more defensively alongside with Lapslie and has seen captain Ollie Clarke and Harry Charsley deployed more offensively which has worked as the Stags have not stopped winning.

Whatever Lapslie’s future hold, his impression at the One Call Stadium is undoubted. Despite his arrival in October, the award displays the effect the midfielder in having in Mansfield.

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