Why Mansfield Town must cast off the shackles and play without fear to achieve their play-off dream next season

It’s the calm before the storm as football fans up and down the land count down to the release of the 2026/27 fixtures and the enticing prospect of the brand new season ahead.

I’m of the generation where this time of the year used to see fans aimlessly, and somewhat hopelessly, flicking through teletext in the hope of gleaning information about a possible new signing and anything else football related.

Thankfully the modern world of the internet and smartphones has put an end to that futile practice with a wealth of info, gossip and rumours now out there to keep us ticking over..

And, no matter how last season finished, fans of all clubs will spend these summer weeks dreaming, visualing better times ahead for teams who struggled, of promotion, title glory and trophies for the big hitters and continued progress for those clubs who ended the 2025/26 campaign in fine fettle.

That’s very much the case for Mansfield Town who ended last season with just 1 defeat in their final 15 games and sitting fifth in the League One form table over the last 24 games.

The tally of 39 points during that time may have surprised many looking into the One Call Stadium from the outside, but maybe not so much to the Stags fans who saw Mansfield impress and grow nicely as the season went on.

That climb from the relegation zone on Boxing Day to becoming one of the league’s form teams at season end highlighted the quality, depth and versatility of the current Stags squad.

No matter who played where, each and every one played a key part in helping Mansfield claim their highest league finish in 39 seasons and also did Nigel Clough and the fans proud in the process..

Making that next step up from being a top ten side to a play-off side is going to be a huge challenge though in what is going to be another highly competitive league.

Stags have made a positive start so far after enticing Jon Russell and Tyler Roberts back to NG18 for another bash at it.

That positive news was followed by the confirmation that Lucas Akins, Jordan Bowery, Elliott Hewitt, George Maris and Stephen McLaughlin have all agreed new deals in what is a ringing endorsement from them that Stags are heading in the right direction.

The foundations are now there with a squad far better than outsiders will give them credit for and a group of players with another year’s experience and team unity nicely under their belts.

The key aspect for me now is what approach will Stags employ over the course of the season and whether it is going to be a more expansive one?

Stags banged in 18 goals in their last eight fixtures, a total bettered only by Stockport. They didn’t just find the back of the net, they did it playing with style, with confidence, swagger and the intention of taking the game to the opposition. The performance at Huddersfield was one of best away displays by any team in the entire League One season, while the home games against Luton and Cardiff will last long in the memory.

That match-winning prowess only came though after Stags had secured survival and Clough and the players had the shackles of pressure released. Those performances were chalk and cheese from the drab 0-0 draws against Burton and Leyton Orient with those two points, though valuable at the time, in reality a golden chance for four more points wasted.

In the end Stags finished 10 points off Stevenage in sixth with their 17 draws proving to be costly.

It’s all about converting those points into three now to bridge that gap. We all saw what Stags are capable of when they go at the opposition and undoubtedly we need to see more of that fearless football next time around if Mansfield are to extend their season. This group of players have shown they don’t need to be afraid of anyone, so let’s go for it.

As well as some daunting opponents who are all looking to outgun Stags for a top six spot, the players will also face a different sort of expectation.

Avoiding the drop and entertaining, with signs of some improvement added into the mixer, isn’t going to cut the mustard for a lot of fans up in the Ian Greaves stand. The bar has now been raised after last year’s wonderful season and expectation, or certainly the desire levels of many, is to see Stags finish in the top six.

Mansfield will be reunited with old promotion rivals MK Dons next season. I was listening to their manager Paul Warne’s post-match interview at Fleetwood after the Dons missed out on the League Two title following a final day draw. In that chat, Warne pointed out how difficult it is to win fixtures at times when you simply have to win and how much the pressure is ramped up.

Karl Robinson will no doubt have said the same after seeing Salford miss out on automatic promotion by one point courtesy of a failure to beat a Crawley Town side staring into the brink of relegation.

Pressure and the weight of expectation can do very funny things in sport. The big question now is, can Stags rise to the challenge ahead?