OPINION: Why Mansfield Town could very well be League One's surprise package next season

It’s a phrase few, if any, Stags fans would have dared to mutter as they sat around the table having their Christmas Day turkey.

Back then struggling Mansfield sat in the relegation zone after a somewhat unlucky defeat to Stockport the previous weekend.

But the fans who pulled their Christmas crackers and wished for a better time of it in 2026 on the pitch have certainly got what they asked for.

There’s been a brilliant turn around in results in recent months with that brilliant comeback win at Barnsley proving to be a real catalyst.

Since that 3-2 win improving Stags have lost just four times in 24 matches in a run that has seen them ship just 20 goals in the process.

It’s also a run of results that sees Nigel Clough’s side occupy a play-off place in the table, from matchday 22 to matchday 44, following the resounding victory at Huddersfield. If that doesn’t give real cause for encouragement going into the new season then nothing will.

Around the league fans will no doubt have sat up and taken notice of the eye-catching scoreline up at the Accu Stadium.

But what the mere statistics won’t tell them is that this result was no flash in the pan as Stags became the first side to beat the Terriers at home since October 16. It’s a victory that came just days after Mansfield also became the first side to beat Stockport at home in 2026. Earlier in the season they also snapped Bolton’s 17 game unbeaten home run and beat Luton on their own turf. They are victories that certainly suggest there is something about this group of players.

For me the most striking thing about the victory in West Yorkshire was not the scoreline but the way in which the three points were won. Stags looked so comfortable and in control from the off. They looked as rock-solid as ever at the back and with a real threat on the break. It was a classic away day performance and a win which simply never looked in doubt once Mansfield hit the front.

Stags have been pretty impressive in their 19 matches against 10 ten teams so far this season with those fixtures returning a handy 28 points.

It’s been a slightly different story against the bottom eight sides with 21 points returned 15 games going into Tuesday’s trip to Posh. It’s an awful lot of very winnable points thrown away and a big reason why Stags trail the top six by so much.

Defeats to Northampton, Port Vale and Peterborough and only a solitary point from the fixtures with Burton and AFC Wimbledon have proved very costly. It’s three points from a possible 21 and that says a lot.

As does the six game winless run through November and part of December and the nine game winless streak before the victory over Reading on March 10.

But that is then and this is now and now it’s a very different ball game.

The stats tell you Stags won just 23 points from their first 20 games compared to an impressive 38 points from their last 24 fixtures.

To be successful as a team you need to have quality, but first and foremost you need to have desire, work-rate and unity as a collective. These are all qualities that the Stags squad more than possess. Of course we would all like to see more ‘quality’ added to the squad for next season but, right now, whichever 18 players make up the matchday squad are good enough to challenge for a top six spot. I’m not saying they will get it but they are certainly capable of top ten and upwards.

The foundations and momentum has been laid and it’s now time to build further. One thing for sure is, if next season starts as this one is finishing, we are in for a cracker or a 26/27 campaign.