Toughest division for some years ahead - Mansfield Town boss Nigel Clough

“It is going to be a very tough league because of the teams who are still in it,” he said.

“Stockport were very unlucky not to go up. And Wrexham and Notts County will be possibly the two strongest Conference sides coming into the league for quite some years.

“And the sides coming down from League One know what it's all about.

“Accrington will be as difficult as anyone next season. Morecambe know what it's all about and Forest Green went up 12 months ago.

“It could be anything up to 15/16 teams that will fancy their chances of getting into the top seven.

“But I think we can compete if we stay fit. I think we've proved that over the last couple of seasons. The only time we haven't won games is when we've had seven or eight important players missing.”

He added: “To be within one goal of the top seven last season will stick with us for quite a while.

“It takes some time to lose that feeling, being so close. But we move on and will use it as fuel and an incentive for next season.”

Season tickets are flying out and Clough said: “We didn't think they would reach the heights of last year with the economic situation at the moment, but we might get close.

“To get over 3,500 at this point in the first week in June is absolutely brilliant.

“All we can say is we're going to keep playing as we have done the last couple of seasons, keep trying to score goals and concede a few less.

“I would like to be up there among the top goalscorers again. That is our aim with the attacking players that we've got.

“Our away record was good last season as I think we developed a bit more of an identity on the road, taking the game to teams home or away.”

Clough also believes the longer summer break will help his side come back fresher than last year after their Wembley heartbreak, saying: “Five week is more than enough. Already you can see the difference.

“A year ago we'd only been finished the season a week and already now we've got most of the players in that we want, pre-season in place and everybody looking forward to it.

“That is going to be the difference. Having come back after such a short break last year, having lost the play-off final, everybody was on a downer, which was absolutely inevitable. It takes some getting over that.

“I think this season there will be a completely different atmosphere when everyone comes back and can't wait to get started.

“Fixtures come out in two and a half weeks which starts the ball rolling.

“We will know where we're going and who we're playing.

“As management we do get a break but it's more a change of scenery than a break. That's the nicest thing. The phone is still going and emails still come. You still talk to players and so on. That continues 12 months a year.”

Stags' final pre-season friendly was confirmed on Monday with beaten League One play-off finalists Barnsley the visitors on Tuesday, 25th July (7pm).