Glaswegian ‘keeper thriving to succeed in Stags’ colours.
A promotion winner for the past five seasons in succession, new shot-stopper Scott Shearer admits he has ‘positive vibes’ and is thriving about the chance to play regularly following his move to One Call Stadium.
The 34-year-old put pen-to-paper on a contract with us earlier today, thus becoming our 11th summer recruit.
Speaking exclusively to www.mansfieldtown.net, Shearer said: “I’m absolutely delighted. It’s been a long summer and I knew there was interest and it’s dragged on, so I’m happy that it’s finally done now.
“For myself, personally, [this move is about] ambition. I’m not somebody who’ll go to a club to just stagnate and be there for no reason. We’ve only got a short career in a short space of time and I want to be as successful as I can be. I get that vibe from this club.
“I’ve been here a few times and I’ve always been impressed by the set-up, the stadium, the support the team gets and the manager [Adam Murray] is a massive factor as well. I like the fact that he’s a young manager and very ambitious. I buy into everything that he says and that’s a massive thing for me when I come to a club.”
In total, the Scotsman has achieved an incredible seven promotions during his career to date – five of which have been from this level, with the most recent being during a loan spell at Burton Albion in 2014/15.
When asked what it takes to be successful, Shearer, who has 15 seasons of experience in the game, replied: “You’ve got to have the right dressing room to have a successful team. That’s key.
“The manager spoke to me about that and he said that I’ve been known to be a bit of a character, so he wants me to keep everything fun in the dressing room and keep everyone on board. I think the manager and coaching staff will take care of the rest of it.”
Discussing his individual strengths, he added: “I’d like to think that I’ve got strong qualities in every department, but there are always things you need to work on especially. I think I’m a good distributor, which I feel is massive for a ‘keeper for these days, I’m commanding and I’d say every ‘keeper at this level is a relatively good shot-stopper.”
Shearer is also determined to make the number one jersey his own during the upcoming season.
“I’ve had a period of about 18 months now where I’ve not really featured,” said the 6ft 4in Scotsman. “It’s the most frustrating time in a player’s career because you go through training every day and you go through little knocks and niggles just to try and get that chance.
“The chance that I’ve got here is to come and make this spot my own. It’s down to me now, so I can’t want and I thrive off [the opportunity.”
