Mansfield Town

Striker keen to do everything possible to improve his game.

Striker Ollie Palmer insists he’ll be doing everything that he can to impress caretaker manager Adam Murray.

The 22-year-old, who joined us from Havant & Waterlooville last year, scored the all-important winner as we saw off gritty non-leaguers Concord Rangers in the FA Cup in midweek.

“I think [our new formation] suits me a little bit. You’ve got to be mobile and still get in behind and try and be reliable with your back to goal,” said Palmer.

“I’m always working on my game. If ‘Muz’ (Adam Murray, caretaker manager) wants me to get into a certain position, play a certain way, then that’s what I’ve got to do to play.”

He continued: “It’s been a tough week, but credit to ‘Muz’, Micky (Moore, first team coach) and ‘Coops’ (Richard Cooper, first team coach), as they’ve kept us all grounded and kept us focussed.

“To be honest, they’ve managed us really well. You notice that your gaffer, Paul Cox, has left, but they’ve helped us remain focussed on our task ahead.

“In training and on the pitch, it hasn’t felt too much different. You’ve just got to focus on the task, which is to get three points.”

Reflecting on Tuesday’s 1-0 success at the Aspect Arena, he continued: “It was a hard-fought win. The pitch wasn’t the best and obviously it was raining, so conditions weren’t the best, but we ground out a result which I think was acceptable on the night.

Our team will be hoping to make it three wins out of three when they meet Luton Town on Saturday, but to do that they will first have to breach the second-tightest defence in the entire Football League.

“I know they’ve only conceded 12 goals and they’re flying high in the league, so it’ll be a really tough game, but also good to see where we’re at,” added Palmer.

“If we can try and put a run of results together that would be fantastic. Obviously [beating] Plymouth at home then Luton away isn’t going to be easy, and if we can take that into the FA Cup, Cambridge away, then it should be a good few weeks.”

Ollie Palmer’s full interview will be available on Stags Player later today. To subscribe, click here.