And, if the Stags are playing Conference football next season, Holland is already devising a master plan for an immediate return.

Holland was given the last 12 games of the season to try to save the club from a relegation, which could be confirmed tomorrow if Chester take a point at home to Stockport.

But Holland believes he has done a good enough job to be given the post on a longer term basis and, once installed, he intends quickly sorting out his playing staff and then investigating in depth how the likes of Doncaster Rovers and Colchester United bounced back from relegation to non-League football all the stronger for it.

"We have to cling to the hope we will stay up while it is still there," he said. "But if we do go down then I believe I am the man to lead us back up.

"I have been as positive as I can since I took over and tried to get the best out of the players we have here. They responded and we have improved, though we may have fallen at the last hurdle.

"Now I hope the club will make a decision quickly. Wrexham and Chester have both given their managers new two-year contracts.

"There is a long hard summer of work ahead here and I want to get started on it as soon as I can.

"It is important to look at clubs like Doncaster and Colchester and see how they approached it when they went down. I want to speak to people concerned at these clubs and find out how they did it.

"If we are relegated it is vital we get back early. Look at clubs like Oxford. If you don't get back up first season then you can soon dwell in that league and it becomes the norm.

"It would be disappointing to have to take a step backwards. But we would then have to make sure we take two or three steps forward. And there are going to have to be massive changes here on and off the field to do that.

"If we go down we would be a League club playing in the Conference and that's a good time to attract players. I would promise them a good season, playing attractive football.

"That's how I would want to get us back up. I want us to play the right way."

However, until Chester gain one more point from their last two games, Stags hopes remain alive.

And Holland will be a more than interested spectator at the Deva Stadium tomorrow night.

"I will certainly be a Stockport fan for the night," he said. "Stockport may rest some players but I just hope they make a good fist of it.

"I will probably go and stand with the Stockport fans and start the cheering!"