‘You can see it’: Deji Oshilaja on reality of Mansfield Town squad depth, quality and relationship

Stags earned another point for the bank on Monday when they drew with Burton Albion, taking them to 53 points in the League One table. They are now unbeaten in eight games – the joint-strongest run they have been on throughout the 2025/26 season so far.

Oshilaja has been a mainstay in Nigel Clough’s plans since the end of September. The ever reliable centre-back has started the last 30 league games and played the full 90 minutes each time. Throughout the season, the 33-year-old has played in a number of different defensive set-ups and while changes are often unavoidable during busy schedules, Oshilaja says the players are confident in any combination.

“I think it’s down to training. We train in different teams regularly so we all get a feel of each other. I think we’re all very much aware of all of our strengths, we all complement each other well and in different ways,” Oshilaja said after Stags’ draw with Burton. He played alongside Frazer Blake-Tracy and Elliott Hewitt in defence at the One Call Stadium.

“We’ve got great players like Baily Cargill missing as well but then we’ve got excellent players like Ryan Sweeney – he’s the skipper for a reason, he’s a great leader – and obviously the likes of Frazer have been excellent as well this season.

“I think you’ve got to credit them. But you’ve also got to look at Elliott on the other side, Kyle Knoyle, even Lucas Akins and Stephen McLaughlin as well. So we’ve got a great balance – it’s a team effort.”

Stags have recruited solid players over the last 12 months, including Regan Hendry and Liam Roberts, while captain Sweeney also returned to the club last summer. Clough has a well-stacked squad to choose from each week and Oshilaja believes it’s always a tight competition to make the starting 11, as the level of ability is high across the board.

“You look at our bench and think, everyone could be starting, and I think that’s the difference this year. We’ve got quality and depth and we’ve got players out injured, players who could be starting for us as well. So I think the squad itself is at a really good level,” the defender continued.

Stags players also have a close-knit relationship behind the scenes as well as on the pitch, which has played a huge role in recent positive results. McLaughlin recently admitted this is one of the best dressing rooms he has ever been a part of, and Oshilaja has backed the sentiment behind that.

“When I came in, I heard that the gaffer recruits on good personalities as well as good players and I think you can see that – there’s a real camaraderie around the place. There’s a real ethos in terms of pushing each other. I think if you watch training, you will see the quality and the intensity and everybody knows they could be starting, so I think that’s massive and important and maybe we didn’t have that as much last year. But this year, I think the quality of the squad is of a really good standard and hopefully we continue to improve.”