One win can kickstart Mansfield Town's season believes defender Preston

Ahead of Saturday’s visit of Northampton Town, the Stags are still trying to turn draws into wins, though have only lost once and have the division’s joint best defensive record.

“It’s just a matter of time,” said Preston. “We just need to get a few wins on the bounce and things will completely change.

“I think it will take maybe one game where we get like a 3-0 and things will completely turn, or even if it’s just hanging on to a 1-0 win. As soon as we get one I think they will just keep rolling in.

“We are not doing badly at the minute, but we are drawing. So I think it will take one game or maybe two for things to really click.”

He continued: “It’s frustrating to be where we are. We started well, but some of the results we’ve been getting have not been what we’ve wanted.

“We are frustrated as a team not to be winning some of the games we should be winning.

“At the same time we are drawing games and have only had one loss – so we have to take positives from that.”

Preston said the focus in training this week had been scoring goals and final balls.

“We are hard to beat, but we are striving for better,” he said.

“That starts in training. You have to keep high standards and, whatever we do there, we have to take into a game.

“We have been working on our end product this week. We keep the ball well, but when we get into the final areas, it’s about the final product whether it’s a cross or a shot.

“We are pleased with that but we can do better – I think all of us as a back three or five believe that.

“We haven’t been opened up for the goals against us, it’s always been a mistake or a lapse in concentration.”

Last weekend’s trip to Cambridge was typical of the season so far as Stags led until the death before conceding an equaliser – albeit via a wicked deflection.

“For the first 30 minutes or so we were on fire and we got the goal. But I think we took our foot off the gas a bit, which we can’t do,” he said.

“Towards the end of the game they were obviously going to throw everything they’d got at us.

“It was about digging in and trying to get that 1-0. “Unfortunately they got a bit of spawn and it’s hit my thigh and gone absolutely top corner, which was so frustrating.”

Preston is looking forward to getting back home on Saturday for the first of two successive games at the One Call Stadium in four days.

“Everyone likes playing here and we’ve turned it into almost a fortress,” he said.

“We have to make it hard for teams to come here and get points.”

On opponents Northampton, who have only won once, he added: “They have struggled a bit but you have to give all teams in this league respect. If you go into a game thinking it’s going to be an easy rider, it isn’t.

“At the same time I think they have got to worry about us.

“As with most teams in this league, the biggest threat to us is someone switching off at the back and the other team countering on that.”