Football Season Guide

Mansfield Town’s first season in the third tier of English football in over twenty years was a qualified success. There will be mixed feelings for both manager Nigel Clough and the fans alike having put in some impressive performances before Christmas only to endure a long winless run after the turn of the year. It has created a sense of unease and the need for the Stags to consolidate their place in League One again this season. A 17th-place finish is an admirable achievement, not least when factored against the loss of striker Davis Keillor-Dunn to Barnsley shortly before the transfer window closed last summer. Clough mitigated his departure superbly with experienced striker Lee Gregory showing his class in the opening months. Sadly injuries caught up with him and helped contribute to the loss of form of the team in 2025. Clough also had to deal with the shock of striker Lucas Akins being sentenced to 14 months in prison after pleading guilty to causing death by careless or inconsiderate driving. The summer has allowed for a reset with goalkeeper Christy Pym the only notable departure. Academy graduate Owen Mason was handed his debut and will now fight it out with experienced goalkeeper Liam Roberts for the No. 1 jersey. Centre-back Ryan Sweeney has returned to the club after helping Burton Albion avoid relegation whilst right-back Kyle Knoyle arrives having performed consistently for Stockport County in recent season. Wing-back Luke Bolton will be hoping to get his career back on track after a disappointing spell at Wrexham. Retaining the services of centre-back Adedeji Oshilaja and midfielder Louis Reed are equally as important and they will both help form part of the spine of team next season. Striker Will Evans will be hoping to rediscover the form he showed at Newport County and the priority is clearly to strengthen the attack and bring in the goals that will keep the Stags heads above water.