Ryan Sweeney urges Mansfield Town to have 'fire in their belly' ahead of Wigan Athletic clash
Mansfield Town captain Ryan Sweeney is eager for his side to bounce back from their defeat to Notts County at the weekend.
The defender gave an honest review of Stags’ performance in the derby and wants the team to put it behind them and move on from the disappointment.
They will have the chance to get back to winning ways this evening when they face Wigan Athletic at the Brick Community Stadium.
Stags turned their previously troublesome away form into performances to be feared with back-to-back wins over AFC Wimbledon and Blackpool last month. They will be looking to channel that same energy tonight against Gary Caldwell’s Latics.
“We weren’t anywhere near the standards we’ve set for ourselves,” Sweeney said, reflecting on Saturday’s result. “It was a sharp reminder to us as a squad that if you’re not at it from the first whistle to the last, you can get punished.
“We didn’t deserve anything on Saturday and they deserved to beat us. We need to move on quickly from it.”
Sweeney admitted it’s ‘difficult to put a finger’ on why Stags struggled so much against Notts County. Prior to the defeat, Mansfield were unbeaten in six games and hadn’t lost a league match at the One Call Stadium since February.
“It just didn’t click for us. We gave the ball away way too often and we were so open,” the skipper continued. “Everything we stand for as a team, in terms of being compact and helping each other out, it just wasn’t there. It was a bad off day, especially to do it in that game, which is hugely disappointing.”
Sweeney is looking forward to tonight’s challenge and sees it a huge opportunity for Stags to correct their mistakes from the weekend. However, they know it won’t be an easy day out.
The defender stressed Nigel Clough has already prepared his team for a ‘difficult task’ this evening against a side who are hard to break down.
Last season, Wigan were the only side Mansfield Town lost against during their last 15 League One games. Stags also haven’t beaten the Latics since 2024 but Sweeney says his side are up for the task, especially after their performances against Wimbledon and Blackpool.
“It’s a good thing we have a game on Tuesday so we can try and put it right. There’s got to be that fire in the belly now. We’ve been on a good run, it was our first loss in seven, so we’re really looking forward to this week.
“We’ve been trying to transfer our home performances into away games, and we did that. I think we were brilliant at Wimbledon and then had to dig in at Blackpool.
“They were really good in the first half and we came out in the second and played our stuff. I think we were brilliant over the course of both games, so we want to continue that and give the travelling support something to shout about.”