Jordan Bowery so proud to become Mansfield Town’s latest international after St Kitts and Nevis call-up

It completed a great week for the 33-year-old utility player after he also signed a new one year contract with the Stags.

He has quickly flown out to the Caribbean and will be part of the squad for Friday night's game against Trinidad and Tobago and Tuesday's clash with Grenada.

“I have been talking to them for a while now and have just been trying to sort out my citizenship and my passport,” he said.

“But this has come at a good time with it being off-season and two World Cup qualifying games which I am looking forward to.

“I had this opportunity about 10 years ago and I wish I had taken it sooner.

“But it will be a good experience for me and it is something that I can be proud of.”

He continued: “They contacted me early on in the season, but I had to get so many things sorted like my citizenship, which has literally just come through.

“Then they rang me to say they had great news and would you like to come and play in the World Cup qualifiers? I wasn't turning that down.

“As much as it is my off-season and a bit of down time, I do miss football and this will be a good experience.

“It will be time away in a nice country and a new experience.”

Utility man Bowery has played several positions for the Stags and said: “They asked me what position I have been playing recently and I told them that most of the season I had been playing in defence but could go up front.

“I said I was happy to play anywhere and they said 'brilliant, we need a centre half', so I guess that is where I am playing!

“My team mates will be completely new to me though I know of Romaine Sawyers. His name is the only one I recognise really. It will be a brand new experience for me.”

Bowery was also delighted to sign a new deal at the One Call Stadium and play for the Stags for a sixth season.

“I am buzzing to have signed a new deal,” he said.

“It was a no-brainer. It's the only place I wanted to be.

“I knew I wanted to stay here – there is nowhere else really as I have had such a good time since I have been here. I wasn't going anywhere else

“We have had so many ups and downs but last season was great to say we managed to stay in League One.

“I think we achieved what we set out to do as that was staying in the league.

“Obviously we had high hopes after the start we had but the main aim was staying in the league.

“Next season we now have to push on from that.

“The start we had was unbelievable. The end was not great by our standards, but luckily that good start stood us in good stead for the second half of the season.”

Bowery said many lessons had been learned from the experience for that first season at a higher level after promotion.

“We certainly learned that this is not the same as League Two,” he said.

“We could go into games in League Two, be in second gear and still come out with a victory.

“But it's hard in League One. You have got to be at it. You won't be beating teams 9-2 like we did against Harrogate the season before.

“That is not going to happen in League One – it's going to be tough.

“They might be 1-0 wins or 2-1 wins – it's going to be tight. There are a lot of good players in League One. So we have done well to stay in the league.

“It is going to be the same again next season. The likes of Birmingham and Wrexham have gone up, having spent a lot of money and having a lot of good players - fair play to them.

“But the likes of Cardiff coming down will have good support and a big stadium, so it's not going to be easy again.

“Then you have the likes of Doncaster, Bradford, Wimbledon and Port Vale coming up, so there are no easy games. We have to be at it each week.”