Adam Murray to move quickly to strengthen Stags this summer

With the end of the loans window, there will be far less scope to chop and change squads next season and manager Murray knows he doesn’t need too much to enhance the talented squad already at the club.

“A large part of this group will be here next season but we will add a little bit more X-Factor in areas that we feel will improve us and have another good season,” he said.

“We have got five weeks to go and we want to improve. The way the game is, it moves quickly.

“I know a couple of players at other clubs have already spoken to other clubs about next season, so people are not messing about.

“They are changing the transfer loans window policy next year which will affect people’s recruitment and people are doing a lot of work early this season. So we’ve got to be on the ball.”

Murray felt this season’s experience of League Two football would be invaluable to his youthful squad.

He said: “This spine of our team is young. The average age of our side in recent weeks has been 23/24 and they have been naïve.

“We saw on Monday we are naïve. We were done by gamesmanship and that’s where we need as youngsters to get better and learn and appreciate sometimes this is League Two and it’s ruthless.

“You can’t just smile all the time and enjoy your football. You’ve got to be a little ruthless in your actions and the way you go about games.

“The year some of these young boys have had will be the best year they’ve had.”

He added: “Look at Mal Benning – he is a perfect example. He got over his injury, had four days training and we chucked him back in.

“He came in flying, then his form dipped a little bit and it was a case of do we rest him or allow him to learn on the job? And that’s what he’s done.

“I thought on Monday he was outstanding again, but only because we’d allowed him to go through that process of making mistakes then coming out the other side and being better from it.

“We have a few like that who will have taken a lot from this season and it will be about keeping the majority of the group and adding the bits on top of it that in the tight games this season will see out a draw or a 1-0.”