Winger Brown wants to stay a Stag next season

The winger joined on loan from Oxford last November and his exciting early performances quickly earned him a permanent move to the end of the season in the January window.

Brown, who has just come back from a four-game ban, said ahead of tomorrow’s visit of Portsmouth: “I settled in here quite quickly. Knowing several of the players made it quite easy.

“I have enjoyed my time here and we will have to see what happens with regard to next season.

“It’s difficult this time of the season as everything is up in the air contract-wise and where you are going to be playing. But as a player you accept that and have to deal with it. You have to keep working hard and putting in performances to get something here or somewhere else.

“With the fans, the lads and the staff, it would be nice to stay here, but it’s not down to me.

“My decision isn’t the deciding factor. That will be down to the gaffer and the board. I will just try putting in performances that will try to sway their decision in my favour.

“We are all fighting for our futures. You have to keep working hard and show the staff you are committed to the cause and that we want to be here next season.

“Six points from these last two games would stand players in good stead to maybe earn another contract here.

“It’s a big day for us, being the final home game of the season. We need to put in a big performance and sign off with a good result.

“Portsmouth have had a difficult season. At the start you’d have expected them to be in and around the top spots. But you can’t take anything for granted and maybe they have done at times. We just have to focus on ourselves and put in a good performance for the fans and ourselves.”

Does Brown believe that, with the club now being safe, they can express themselves more tomorrow without the pressures of relegation worries?

“You’d like to think so,” he said. But the pressure wasn’t on last Saturday and we didn’t perform. We have to work hard and, if we do, good things will come.

“It was frustrating at Cambridge, having performed so well on the Tuesday. But that physically and mentally took a lot out of the lads.

“On Saturday we didn’t really give a good account of ourselves which was disappointing.

“But we still have two games left, six points to play for, and it would be nice to finish the season well.

“We have found it tough at times. This is a work in progress with a new manager and a new group of players. The focus now is on getting it right next season.

“We go into these games hoping to get six points and working hard to the end of the season.”

On his four-game ban, for a red card at Hartlepool, he added: “It was annoying not being involved, working hard in training and not being in the thick of it come the weekend.

“I just kept working hard, came back in (against Tranmere) and we got a valuable win we needed in difficult circumstances.

“My hamstring had been irritating me which wasn’t helping get the best out of my performances. So in a way it was a godsend to miss four games, which was valuable rest and recovery time.

“But a lot of players play on with niggles at the end of the season. It’s part and parcel of the game. You do what you have to do for the team.”