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A lot of expectation will be on the shoulders of the players and the management staff as they hope to deliver a good season for the first time since 2018/19.
Upon his arrival as the club’s new manager, Nigel Clough made sure that the Stags remained in the Football League by securing a 16th place finish.
It wasn’t all plain sailing, though, as Graham Coughlan had the club without a league win after the first nine games of the 2020/21 season, resulting in the Irishman getting sacked after the 4-2 defeat to Barrow in October.
Richard Cooper took charge as caretaker manager and he did a fantastic job to get two draws in league action against Walsall and Bolton and to pick up a fantastic win against Sunderland in the FA Cup first round.
Clough was in the dugout for the Papa John’s Trophy match against Scunthorpe United, which the Stags won 2-1, as the 55-year-old began his reign as Mansfield Town manager with a bang.
The amber and blues would then make sure that they remained in League Two with a series of winning streaks and finished only three points away from a top-half finish.
Transfers
A lot of players were released from the club after the retained list was announced after the conclusion of the previous season.
This saw the Stags dip into the transfer market and sign a whole host of new players to fill in those gaps and create a squad capable of having a positive season.
Elliott Hewitt was the first signing through the door. The defender/midfielder switched Lincolnshire for Nottinghamshire as he joined the club from Grimsby Town.
He formed a formidable partnership at the back with fellow Mansfield Town defender, Rollin Menayese who was out on loan at the Mariners for the second half of last season.
The second signing of the summer was Danny Johnson. The ex-Leyton Orient man picked the Stags as his next destination after a fantastic season for the London based outfit last term.
Scoring 20 goals, the 28-year-old was a player Clough couldn’t turn down signing as the forward looks to be the main threat for Mansfield Town going forward.
Ex-Burton Albion midfielder, Stephen Quinn, joined the amber and blues permanently after a successful loan spell during the second half of last season.
Quinn formed a fantastic midfield trio with Ollie Clarke and George Maris as the middle of the park looks to be key in the Stags gaining results this season.
Another forward signed not long after that as Oli Hawkins made the switch from Ipswich Town for an undisclosed fee.
His height makes him a great aerial threat and allows him to have his presence known in both boxes. Also, he can play as either a centre-back or as a centre-forward which is another useful asset that Hawkins possesses.
The signings of two on loan goalkeepers, Manchester United’s Nathan Bishop and Nottingham Forest’s George Shelvey, followed as the positions needed to be filled after the departures of Aidan Stone to Port Vale and Jamie Pardington returning to Wolves after his loan spell finished.
Bishop has played for Southend’s first team and made a number of appearances in the EFL for the Shrimpers. Shelvey, on the other hand, has not been a regular in the first-team but has been in and around that environment which is a positive.
Young full-back Ryan Burke was the next to sign for the Stags after he left Birmingham City to join the amber and blues on a one-year deal.
The 20-year-old gives much-needed competition to Stephen McLaughlin at the left-back position and was impressive for Birmingham City’s under-23 side last season.
Rhys Oates, formerly of Hartlepool United, picked Mansfield Town as his next destination, with the Stags securing the signature of the forward, who had many offers on the table.
Oates played a pivotal role in the Pools’ promotion back into the EFL but left the club after the expiry of his contract.
Burke’s under-23 teammate, Ryan Stirk, joined the club on a season-long loan from Birmingham City as the young midfielder continues his development.
Stirk made two appearances for the Blues’ first-team at the back end of the 2020/21 season and alongside Burke were key players in the youth sides.
Nigel Clough’s thoughts after the pre-season friendly against Coventry City at the One Call Stadium
The Stags manager was delighted with how his team worked their socks off and what style of play they will be looking to adopt throughout the season.
“Physically, the lads worked very hard,” he added. “Those who needed 90 minutes got it, and then it was a good performance as well.
“Like Saturday [at Hull], it was encouraging. I think you can see the signs of how we’re trying to play and what we want to do.
“It [win over Coventry]hopefully set the tone here for ten days’ time [season opener versus Bristol Rovers].
“We caused some problems and I think on another night we’d have probably scored two or three goals.
“It was a brilliant ball from Stephen McLaughlin [in the lead-up to the goal], the run from Danny Johnson, the cut-back, then you end up with a tap-in. It was good all-round play.
“We put some great balls into the box and created chances all throughout the game. It was a perfect game for us.
“We didn’t learn an awful lot about Nathan Bishop (below), as he didn’t have a lot to do! We were pleased with his concentration, his positioning, distribution, all those sorts of things. We’re thrilled to have him in the team.
“Defensively, I thought we looked pretty solid. They had one or two chances, which they’re going to have, but we were very pleased.”
Targets
Last season obviously didn’t go to plan with the sacking of Graham Coughlan, but it was slightly resurrected after the fantastic appointment of Nigel Clough.
A 16th place finish is far from ideal as the Radfords aim to get the club into the Championship, however, it is a good start and it is clear that progress has been made.
Clough and Stags fans will be aiming for a top half finish in League Two this season after two woeful campaigns in the bottom half of the table.
With the quality of players at the club, there’s no reason why the Stags can’t deliver a good season and keeping players like George Lapslie injury-free will be pivotal.
Key Player
The aforementioned Lapslie was a bright star for the amber and blues last season, and even though an injury sidelined him for a while, he scored eight goals and got two assists in 28 League Two games.
Alongside Ollie Clarke, George Maris and Stephen Quinn, Mansfield Town’s midfield is filled with quality and those players will be the key for the Stags’ performances this season.
Going forward, the prolific Danny Johnson will look to replicate his goalscoring antics of last season, and with the added help of Oli Hawkins, the duo could form a very formidable partnership.
Youth Prospect
Tyrese Sinclair and Jason Law broke into the first team halfway through last season and proved the talent and potential that they have.
The duo made a tremendous impact when they got minutes under the belt with their sheer amount of energy and creativity.
Jimmy Knowles has also returned from his loan spell at Notts County and it is yet to be known whether he will get a chance similar to Sinclair and Law this season.
He gained vital experience at the Magpies and will be hoping for some minutes at the Stags in what sets out to be another tough season physically and mentally for the players.
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