OPINION: Evans can work his magic again with Stags

That was the day the club hired Steve Evans as manager with the club sitting three points above the relegation zone in League Two following a run of one win in 11 games, which had seen the end of Adam Murray’s two-year tenure at the club.

Since then Evans has more than certainly stabilised the ship, winning two of his three games and moving the Stags up away from the relegation zone and within two points of the play-off places.

The fans may be dreaming of promotion to League One, but I believe that they should be prepared for a possible trip to the Championship under Evans.

History suggests that Evans is capable of this.

Not only was he the man who led Crawley Town into the Promised Land of the Football League but he famously led a Rotherham side, who were in a similar position to Mansfield when he took over, to a double promotion from League Two to the Championship.

So why can’t he repeat the same feat at Mansfield?

The club is packed with a good range of talent and with players such as Brian Jensen, Matt Green, and James Baxendale, who have played in League One and higher, they certainly have the experience in the squad to know the higher leagues.

The key will be Evans, though, who is the best appointment the club could have made.

Having only been relegated once in his career, he is a lower league Sam Allardyce in which he can get the best out of any squad and can make them not only reach their goals but over-achieve them.

Rotherham again seems the obvious example, but I would like to point out what he did with Leeds United last season.

Under Massimo Cellino there has been no stability at the club, yet Evans managed to last fairly long under the Italian (eight months albeit) finishing 13th and setting the foundations for Gary Monk, who is doing brilliantly for the Yorkshire club this season.

Many people will doubt that Evans can lead Mansfield into the Championship, but I believe that he can.

Whether he will remains to be seen. But if he is given the time I would happily bet on it and, having already worked his magic at other clubs similar to Mansfield, he could do it again with the Stags.