Stags’ success no surprise to Lee Beevers

As he prepared for tomorrow’s visit of struggling Hartlepool United, the Stags defender said: “It’s something I have always been aware of, living in the area. This is a big club with fantastic support and we need to keep it going.

“I don’t think we had any expectations. We know we are a good team that is hard to beat and we have kept doing what we were doing last year. We’ve hit the ground running and must now keep doing what we are doing.

“We have showed we won’t roll over and lie down for anyone away from home and at home, this is a hard place for people to come.”

Beevers said it was important that the glory of last week’s gruelling 1-0 away win at unbeaten leaders and neighbours Chesterfield is quickly forgotten as Stags begin a spell of three home games in eight days.

He said: “We have to put last Saturday behind us now- it’s a fresh game. It is a big week for us.

“I am still trying to recover from the weekend – it was a colossal performance from the players. I think we had everyone back in our own 18-yard box at the end when we were under the cosh. I think we had to play 100 minutes in total in the end!

“We are all playing well and the formation is suiting us.

“Chesterfield have good players from one to 11 and great players on the bench that can come on and change games.

“We went to stop them playing and try to hit them on the break – and we did.

“You sometimes just need to get the ball forward and relieve the pressure. But we do look to get it down in the final third and move teams around.”

Calvin Andrew proved to be the matchwinner at Chesterfield with his overdue first goal for the club, and Beevers added: “Calvin has been brilliant since he came here in pre-season. He scored a few in pre-season and now he has got one I think he will go on and get quite a few.

“He puts his heat and soul into it. He cramped up at Chesterfield after about 50 minutes but managed to carry on until he came off.”

Beevers suffered a season of injury misery last term, soldiering on with various problems, including a shoulder that kept dislocating.

“The shoulder came out again against Portsmouth in August, but he added: “I have been lucky so far this year, the shoulder has just popped out the once, so I hope that’s the end of the injuries.

“It went back in easier this time and we were able to do that in the dressing room rather than have to go to hospital again and have injections to relax me.”