LOMAS ON STAGS: Excitement levels are through the roof now at the One Call

Promotion rivals raised their eyebrows and fans from other clubs texted me to ask if they had seen it right – Matty Longstaff and Jamie Murphy on loan to Mansfield? Surely not?

When you add those to John-Joe O’Toole, Lucas Akins and Keiran Wallace plus the unexpected early return from long term injury of the vastly experienced James Perch, the next three months are now a hugely exciting prospect for all concerned.

Stags had almost 5,500 home fans in the ground on Saturday to watch their side duly set a new club record of eight successive league wins.

Now the Radfords and Nigel Clough have matched the town’s enthusiasm and ambtion with eye-catching signings that will further capture fans’ imaginations and hopefully bump up home gates further.

Promotion teams have that blend of experience and youth that Stags already seemed to have. Now both ends of that spectrum have been hugely re-inforced with a Premier League starlet and a former Scottish international.

Both also fit the Clough hard work, pressing style.

It was around midnight when the two deals were confirmed and Stags fans who had tried to stay awake must have thought they were dreaming but by morning excitement levels were going off the scale.

We have seen false dawns before when Stags look set for League One but it doesn’t go to plan.

But this season does seem to see all the pieces falling perfectly into place.

And, while the club will be taking it sensibly one game at a time and not getting ahead of themselves, success-starved fans will already be hoping the Stags can bypass the agonising play-offs lottery and make the top three this time around.

The January arrivals should force even more out of the existing squad with the added competition for places now.

The biggest obstacle Clough’s men will face is that due to postponements, the run-in sees far more away games than home.

So, if they are to be successful they will have to do it the hard way on the road.