OPINION: Mansfield Town have the 'oldest average squad age' in English professional football but does that really matter?

The age of retirement in football has typically always been young, which has created a stigma around ‘older’ players.

The general outlook is that once you hit 30, you’ve entered the latter stages of your career. Transfer values start to decline despite players still competing at full fitness, and regular game time lessens, or at least at the very top of the pyramid it does.

The Premier League is an elite machine, with worldwide eyes watching and criticising every week. Naturally, the very top rung of the ladder pushes for the constant polished product. The sheer amount of millions readily available to spend also means the next exciting young talent overseas becomes the next hot target, often pushing out older, existing players.

However, such business is unheard of in League One and players tend to push themselves beyond what is deemed the typical retirement age.

A recent study revealed the average age across English professional football, and Mansfield Town came out on top in that area. Stags reportedly have the oldest average squad age of all 92 clubs at 30.6 years, 1.8 years more than next oldest club in MK Dons (28.8 years average), who return to League One this season (via Byline Coverage).

It has been something of an ongoing joke amongst Mansfield Town fans in recent seasons that the club has a preference of signing players closer to the end of their careers. When transfer rumours emerge, many joke about the player in question being too young to join the One Call ranks.

This discussion resurfaced after Stags announced the signings of David McGoldrick and Michael Smith this summer. The new duo are 38 and 34 years old respectively, putting them among the older players in Nigel Clough’s squad. They join Lucas Akins (37), Stephen McLaughlin (36) and Jordan Bowery (35) as the oldest members of the first team.

Mansfield currently have 12 regular senior players who are 30 or over – but what exactly does that mean and is it viewed as a bad thing?

Experience is crucial for a side like Stags who are looking to push into their next chapter. Clough’s side are now looking to thrive in League One rather than just survive, and that means knowledge and experience of the competitive nature of the competition is key if they want a serious shot at cracking the top six.

Newest signing Smith is no stranger to a promotion fight, having gone up three times during his career so far. The 34-year-old is well versed in the Championship and has an impressive League One goal-scoring record as well. He arrives at the One Call Stadium highly recommended and could well be the key to Stags unlocking this next stage in their journey.

Similarly, McGoldrick joins the club still more than capable of serving as a team’s target man in attack. Last season, he netted 18 goals in all competitions for Barnsley. A solid return for the now oldest regular player at Mansfield Town and he fancies himself to keep that kind of output going in amber and blue.

During his announcement interview, McGoldrick wasn’t shy when saying his aim was to bang the goals in for Stags. After all, that’s exactly what he has been brought in to do.

Then you take into account the likes of Akins. At 37, he was a real clutch player for Stags last season, popping up with important goals to influence positive results. Deji Oshilaja (33) was also a huge presence for Mansfield Town. The solid defender played a full 90 minutes for 30 consecutive League One games and was a standout performer in most. In fact, he received plenty of votes for the Chad Stags’ Player of the Season award.

Back in April, Oshilaja admitted the competition for a spot in Clough’s line-up is strong. He said he believes ‘everyone could be starting’, which draws us back to argument about age and whether it matters or not.

Having the reported ‘oldest average squad’ in English professional football might seem like an unwanted label but with these senior players, Stags defied the odds last season. They clawed their way from the bottom of the table, with safety their only focus at one point, to secure their highest league finish in almost 40 years after an incredible finishing run.

These same players have been able to keep their bodies fit and perform as they are expected to. Oshilaja, McLaughlin and Frazer Blake-Tracy putting their bodies on the line to defend, Akins scoring imperative goals, Liam Roberts making an instant impact and earning multiple Player of the Season awards, plus Rhys Oates ending the campaign as Stags’ top goal-scorer.

All of these stars are 30 or older and will certainly be relied on once again as Stags kick on this season. The additions of McGoldrick and Smith have also been targeted with the aim of pushing on from the latest top ten League One finish.

Of course, the argument of how well the older players will fare against nippy youngsters ten years their senior is also valid. The beauty of the EFL is the amount of young players coming through academies or joining on loan from Premier League clubs and proving themselves for a bright future.

These players can indeed pose a real threat against older legs. Last season’s Stags loan duo from Tottenham Hotspur, George Abbott and Oliver Irow, certainly added a fresh injection of energy and pace and both had their moments in the spotlight as a result.

But the bigger picture is that Mansfield Town battled against predictions of a low season finish with the older figures in the team shining. Clough has kept the foundations of this side with few senior departures. We can only expect this team, now with extra added firepower, to kick on and continue their movement in League One.

Keep up to date with the latest Mansfield Town news via the Chad’s sport page and find every Stags Talk episode uploaded weekly on YouTube.