Stags had faced embarking on their Conference season at Ebbsfleet on Saturday with a trial keeper if McEwan had been unable to tie up the deal.

• Experienced Stags want to 'hit ground running'

But the Stags boss is both delighted and relieved to have landed the 19-year-old Forest keeper - who has excelled at Field Mill in several pre-season friendlies while on trial.

"I've had him before at my previous club when he was a bit younger and he had a great season last year at Conference North level," said McEwan.

"And this is the next part of his development so we are grateful to Forest for allowing him to come.

• On Thursday the Stags allocated their squad numbers for the new season. Click here to go to the club's official website mansfieldtown.net to find out the details

"He will be here at least until Christmas time, it's a chance for him and we hope he's going to take it. It helps Forest, it helps us and it helps him.

"But we are under no illusions that we still need another goalkeeper, not just Paddy. Jason White needs an operation, but we have a couple of young keepers that we're looking at – one's very young and the other is at Bradford so we'll see how that goes.

"I have got keepers lined up in the event of anything untoward happening to Paddy.

"But the clubs I'm talking about are good League clubs, who would let the players come to me but they must be in the team. Paddy's in the team for now and it's up to him to keep his place, and if he doesn't I've got to go and get another keeper in."

Last season the teenager was on a season-long loan at Stalybridge Celtic.

Also in from Oxford United to boost the left side is Alex Jeannin - as reported at Chad yesterday - of whom McEwan added: "I've known Alex for some time – he's a French lad who has been over in England for quite a time.

"I first came across him at Hereford and I liked him then. I've followed his career when he moved to Exeter. I know what he's good at and also what he's not so good at, and I'm sure he'll be a very positive acquisition to our squad."

McEwan stressed how vital it is that the players he has recruited have a lot of experience, whether at League or Conference level.

He added: "You can't mess about and go with all kids. I'm experienced at this level so I've got lots of contacts, and that made it a little less difficult for me when players became available because I know all about most of them and know which ones best fit my bill.

"I've still not got what I feel is my full squad yet – I still feel three or four light of what I'm looking for. But because of the time factor we don't have the time to start teaching players what is required of them.

"The players I have brought in already know that. You don't have to teach players like Moses or Stallard stuff that they already know.

"We saw at Boston that we were weak down the left, and Alex will go some way to rectifying that. So we are getting there.

"There were only two players here when I took over and one of those, Jason White, was injured, but we've brought in others gradually. We're still not finished by a long way, but these guys who have come in have the chance and it's up to them whether they are part of my team in six months, because we are light in certain areas."

But the manager stressed again the need for the fans to be patient. "You can't build a house overnight or it will fall down because the preparations and foundations aren't in place," he said. "So we've been cautious over the players we have brought in.

"I feel that the players we have signed are the right ones at this stage of the development of this football club, and hopefully they can bring a bit of respectability back into the place.

"They are all new players, gelling together takes time, achieving maturity as a team takes time, so I would ask the fans to be a little sympathetic and get behind the boys. We're working as hard as we can in the limited time we have had as a group and we are looking forward to the season.

"It's up to me to get the team to gel as quickly as possible and mould them into a team to play the style I want, because it's my job on the line at the end of the day.

"I want to get that feeling back here that was here when I played for the club, that family atmosphere with everyone pulling together in the same direction.

"So to help that we need the supporters to come and encourage, but also to be patient if things don't go our way from the start."