Stags' boss David Flitcroft says that Mansfield will only achieve success through hard work as his side approach the first game of the 2018-19 Sky Bet League Two season.
Newport County visit One Call Stadium on Saturday 04 August for our first game of the new campaign, and the manager says that the players know what is expected of them when the time comes.
"I was in the building for eight weeks last season," he said. "But now I've had a length of time here and I understand what the hard-working town wants and what the team should represent.
"We'll play in a certain way that's different to last season. Every game there will be a fight and a fight within that unit.
"The Flitcroft way is making sure you have nothing left in the tank after a game. That you give every ounce of what you have during the week and on Saturday to make sure you look after each other and run for each other.
"The league balances itself out after 12 or 16 games. You start seeing a pattern and a trend develop. With the recruitment we've done and the players from last season, and getting them into a cohesive unit, we're expecting to be challenging at the top-end of the table.
"It's a really robust league. It's a dynamic league and an explosive one. We have to work as a team to combat that, and I feel we've got that.
"Everything that anyone has achieved that is successful has been born out of hard work. That's what I'm going to bring to the club. We'll do it with a humility and an authenticity.
"The players were in during the off-season in between their holidays. They've put that base fitness in and I've seen what they've committed to.
"Now we have to carry it into the pre-season. Pre-season is over now and we're working towards the first game this week. We'll be ready for that 3pm start on Saturday."
After an encouraging pre-season, in which the Stags won three games out of four against Championship opposition, the manager is now eager for the league campaign to begin.
"I've enjoyed it [pre-season]," he added. "The main thing during any pre-season is to make sure you spend plenty of time with your players.
"We had a great week in Portugal making sure we were all on the same page in possession and out of possession.
"The biggest thing for me is bringing the signings in just before pre-season. It's had a massive effect. That's allowed me to integrate them into the squad and allowed me to get that fresh impetus into the squad.
"The players of last season have really accepted them well. There's been a cohesion with the squad, and this season I'm seeing a group of players that absolutely want to play for the football club.
"We have a cause this season to make sure we're as good as we can be. Right through the group there's a want to improve.
"Everything that anyone has achieved that is successful has been born out of hard work. That's what I'm going to bring to the club. We'll do it with a humility and an authenticity."
"We've had some good results through pre-season but they count for nothing. The individual performances are what we're looking at.
"I always am [excited for the new season]. I get excited about the games. There's been a lot of work on the training ground. Now we'll see whether it's been applied and whether it's the right programme to get us off to a good start.
"We've got a lot of players at the club now who are assets. I look at improving the individuals within a team format. What I've gone for are explosive, dynamic players."
Stags' boss Flitcroft also gave an update on the club's current stance in the transfer window, and has revealed that is likely to exercise a loan option on any further potential incomings.
"With only four days left [of the transfer window], we've had some interest in our players. We've had bids that we've turned down on our players. We're bracing ourselves for more potetntial bids and we're still looking.
"The balance is good but we don't know what's going to happen in the next four days. You have to continue to look. Once the window is shut, we still have the loan market and the loan opportunity.
"With the top clubs it's hard to get those players at the start of pre-season because they're usually on a tour where young players get the opportunity with the first team.
"When they get back to the clubs they either spend time in the under-21s or get loaned out. It does present some good opportunities and we could take advantage of that."
iFollow Stags subscribers will be able to watch the manager's morning news conference in full by logging into mansfieldtown.net/ifollow later today.
