Football Season Guide

Mansfield Town are looking forward to their first season in the third tier of English football in over two decades. It must have felt like promotion from League Two was never going to happen for owner John Radford following several near misses since taking over in 2010. He has pumped millions of pounds into the club and has finally been rewarded after Nigel Clough guided them to a deserved third place finish last season. Radford deserves credit for keeping in Clough despite having missed out on a play-off place in 2022/23, which followed on from the disappointment of losing in the play-off final at Wembley in 2021/22. Many owners would have cut their losses at that point, but Radford’s faith in the experienced Clough was rewarded. Clough deserves praise too after building a strong side that were one of the best in the division on their day. They look well placed to challenge at a higher level too, especially if they can use the momentum from their promotion. The only loss of note this summer is centre-back Lewis Brunt, who impressed on a season-long loan from Leicester City. A permanent deal was in the offing before they were blown out of the water by fellow promoted side Wrexham. There is therefore no need for wholesale changes, just a few shrewd additions and Clough has started with centre-back Frazer Blake-Tracy, midfielders Adedeji Oshilaja and Keanu Baccus and striker Lee Gregory. Keeping hold of attacking midfielder Davis Keillor-Dunn will be crucial to their chances of survival. He excelled in League Two last season and has been attracting the attention of bigger clubs.