Mansfield Town promotion push has rejuvenated me says evergreen veteran Stephen Quinn

At 36, Quinn continues to defy age with his energy and enthusiasm.

“I do feel it after games I know that! But I am enjoying it,” he smiled.

“Obviously I am coming towards the end of my career and when it's slipping away from you, you start to appreciate it a little bit more.

“Since I have come here I have been regenerated or something. The club, the set-up of the club, the club's ambitions and everything else, it's just driven me on even more.

“There are a lot of young lads here and they're a great bunch. I just want to do well for this club and hopefully get a promotion.

“I just try my best every time I go out there – in training or games and I have a strong desire to win.”

He added: “I suppose if other lads can look up to me and I can be a bit of a role model or inspiration to anyone all well and good. But I have had that base of hard working from when I was young and I won't stop that until they drag me off the pitch.

“Probably one of my best attributes is my passing. I am not the fastest player but I like to get the ball back into play and play quickly, and maybe at this level I can say to the lads to do that with quick throw-ins and speed of thought, that's how you can open up defences in this league.

“If the lads can get something from me from all my years of experience then that's good.”

Quinn said that despite his years and past glories in the game, promotion this season would mean as much as anything to him.

“I have hit the heights in the game and also many lows with injuries and stuff like any professional,” he said.

“This is massively important to me as we're in the here and now. I never really look back on all the achievements I've had, I will probably do that at the end of my career.

“The here and the now is the most important and we will just be judged on what we do this season.

“It's all well and good playing games and winning against Scunthorpe, but this club needs to be promoted. It has the infrastructure and drive behind it. We have to go and do it now in these last six games. We need a mammoth effort now from everyone to get us over the line.

“Every game is a cup final now. Exeter and Port Vale keep on winning while Forest Green have been up there all season and can afford the odd hiccup here and there. We can't rely on anyone else. We must focus on ourselves.

“Everybody involved, including the fans as well, are needed over these six games.”

He continued: “Having four of the last six at home is massive two. This last month or two is seems we were constantly away from home with fans travelling all over the country watching us.

“We know how strong we are at home and with the backing of the fans it could make it a fortress for us as it has been most of the season. It will help the lads.

“It is as much a mental thing now as a physical thing. It's the business end where minds and bodies are tired and you need just one big effort. If we do our best that's all you can ask for and we will see where are at.

“Complacency will not become an issue with the boys here, especially with the manager who has seen and done it all before and can keep a lid on it and keep players grounded.

“This group of lads have that earthiness about them and won't get carried away, we are a good, hard-working group.”

Quinn was delighted to finally bag his first league goal of the season in Saturday's 4-0 win at Scunthorpe United – and said it was down to assistant boss Gary Crosby.

“Last week, Gaz the assistant manager, mentioned to us that we needed to score more goals, and he was right,” he said.

“It hit a bit of a nerve with me in training to be honest. So after that I thought I'd better start striking a few more. So I will probably put that down to Gaz last weekend.”

He added: “It was a sweet one – especially in front of the Mansfield away fans and then watching them all go berserk – it was a great feeling.

“It was an incredible moment this season for me. The fans were so good on Saturday, it's great to see.

“I first came out on the pitch and was running over to the side, thinking it was just the corner we had. Then I actually looked behind the goal and we had that whole end as well, so it was magnificent support.

“The relationship between the fans and the staff and players has grown all season. You need that in football.

“We are joining together and it's important we all stick together through good times and bad. They've done that this season, especially in the early parts when we pretty much down and out to be honest.

“They stuck by us. There was pressure on us but they got behind us and galvanised us, especially at home. It's a special time at the moment.”