Stags’ top scorer Matt Green says the belief in the changing room is still strong following a slight blip in form in Sky Bet League 2.
Adam Murray’s men remain in contention for a play-off position, sitting in 11th place and five points behind seventh position going into Saturday afternoon’s intriguing encounter with fellow promotion hopefuls Portsmouth at One Call Stadium (3pm kick-off).And Green, who has 11 goals to his name so far this season, has stated that the atmosphere remains positive in the squad as they head into the final ten games of the campaign.
“It comes around in swings and roundabouts. We’ve come away with last-minute winners this season so if this is part of the process and we’re going to have some success at the end of it, then perfect.
“There’s still 30 points to play for. It’s hard to keep faith sometimes when you’ve lost a couple of games but the changing room still has a lot of belief and everyone around the club hopefully does as well.”
Stags’ attacking arsenal has been bolstered by the loan signing of Chesterfield forward Emmanuel Dieseruvwe until the end of the season, and Green is encouraged to see the squad strengthened.
“I think he’ll be a big boost to the team and he’ll be a real handful and an outlet, something which we could do with right now.
“I always give my all for the team and do my best but sometimes you’ve got to realise you need a bit of a helping hand. I think ‘Manny’ could be a good asset for us.
“I’m excited to get going and build a partnership just like I have done with the other strikers here. He (Dieseruvwe) will obviously have to get his way into the team and prove himself and prove he can be effective.”
Ex-Birmingham City man Green has also called on the One Call Stadium crowd to remain supportive, and knows it can be a key ingredient towards the progression of the football club.
“When you look at the statistics throughout Mansfield Town’s history, we’re in a very good place. If we can keep building as a team and with the fans staying behind us and growing with us, there’s no reason why everyone won’t be happy at the end of it all.
“You’ve got men there (in the changing room), big characters and we bounce off each other. It’s only us that are going to get the results. They (the fans) pay their money to come in and watch us so their expectations have got to be high.”
After having trouble with injuries in the past couple of years, Green is pleased to be playing consistently for the Stags.
“It’ll do me a world of good getting this season under my belt because, psychologically, you are going to question yourself when you’ve been out for so long but there’s nothing to question anymore.”
On his potent scoring average of one goal in three games over the course of his career he added: “It’s a hard thing to do because from the start I’ve played on the wing, I’ve played in various positions and there’s been times when I haven’t been playing.
"So to do that from the age of 18-19 when I broke on to the game and maintain one in three; it’s not bad at all!”
You can view Green’s news conference, in full, on Stags Player.
