Genuine togetherness at Mansfield Town, believes David Flitcroft

The Stags manager has seen his squad gel superbly on and off the field and said: “These players care and want to get better and train.

“These lads want to spend time around each other.

“It’s poles apart from when I came in a year ago and they didn’t want to spend time with each other.

“There were cliques, people getting off early and some wouldn’t even come in for their lunch when I first came here.

“I think that people want to be together usually win together. You want to be successful together.

“You understand the cause is bigger than just your own.”

Flitcroft said that wasn’t always the case.

“Back in my day players wanted to go off and have a beer in the afternoon or an all-dayer,” he recalled.

“But it doesn’t happen now. The modern day player understand what is available to them and the riches they can go and potentially earn.

“You should always maximise your potential.”