Nasty Stags can tough it out, says Jennings

Ahead of tomorrow’s tough trip to relegation rivals Northampton Town, the defender said: “We need to get back to being solid and hard to beat.

“We have not been nice. We are being nasty and hard to play against. We are relentless from the first whistle to the end of the game. Teams don’t like playing against us because of our nature and the way we play.”

Jennings made his return from injury in Tuesday night’s home defeat by York and said: “It was quite frustrating as I was enjoying it before the injury.

“I was playing well and contributing to the team as much as I could.

“I was playing more consistently and now I need to try to get back to playing at that level.

“I was only out for three weeks instead of the six the physio said I would miss at first.

“It was tough on Tuesday and I was just trying to get my second wind. It is difficult playing that left wing back spot, but I have played it enough times to be experienced there now.

“The lads all dug in and put a good shift in. I thought we played well in spells. We just needed that goal. We got a lot of crosses into the box, it was just that final product.”

On the string of decisions by referee Darren Drysdale that proved so costly to Mansfield, he added: “I have got to be careful what I say, but is is so frustrating. You prepare so hard yet it can all be ruined by a decision.”

Jennings is under no illusions how important it is that Stags do not lose at Northampton

“This is a massive game – one of the biggest games of the season,” he said.

“It is like the game with Wrexham last season at an important time. It is crucial we don’t come away with nothing.

“We have to go there with the right mindset and it would be great to get all three points.

“It is a very strange league. It is so tight between the play-offs and relegation. We just want to get as many points as we can and get away from that relegation zone.”