LOMAS ON STAGS: Will Kieron Freeman become a full time Mansfield Town player at long last?

So it was no huge surprise to see him joining in pre-season training with his former manager Nigel Clough this week.

Neither would it be a big surprise were the 31-year-old to sign his first full time contract with the Stags after two loan spells here from Nottingham Forest and Derby County in 2011 and 2014.

Released by Portsmouth this summer, Freeman clearly still has much to offer.

He has played much of his career at Championship and League One level and even played a senior game for the Welsh international team after being capped at U17, U19 and U21 level.

Clough is known to turn to tried and trusted players he has worked with in the past too and managed Freeman at both Derby and Sheffield United.

With Stags’ problems with injuries to full backs last season and neither Elliott Hewitt nor Stephen McLaughlin set to be fit for the big kick-off, it’s also no surprise Clough wants to avoid a repeat of last season.

He has already brought in a left back in Calum Macdonald and has Aaron Lewis on trial as another possibility.

So with the ink finally dry on Christy Pym’s contract this week, it would seem all Clough is short of ahead of next week’s training camp in Scotland is the one more quality centre half he craves.

The five days at St Andrews hugely helps develop squad morale and togetherness and it would have been nice to pin down the missing centre half in time to join the trip.

But Clough has enough in the building already to make a solid start to the season and the transfer window is open until the end of August, so it would be pointless rushing someone in for the sake of it before the bus heads north for Scotland.

You would expect Alfie Kilgour and Baily Cargill to be the first choice pair if Clough goes with a back four.

It will be good to see Cargill and Macdonald in action this week as pre-season friendlies finally get underway.

With so many subs, bans on naming trialists, and sometimes players coming back onto the field after being subbed, these games are a nightmare for those of us in the press box. Roll on the real stuff!