Wing-back Mal Benning has praised our ‘Under-18s Go Free’ offer for the home match against Macclesfield Town on Saturday 02 February, adding that the extra support generated will spur the Stags on in the hotly-awaited clash.
The special offer - put in place by chairman John Radford and chief executive Carolyn Radford – was announced earlier this week, with tickets available to collect now from the Mansfield Town ticket office.
The 25-year-old praised the support of the Mansfield faithful this season, and says that the extra numbers brought in by the ‘great offer’ could make the ‘difference’ in the game.
Find out how you can claim FREE tickets for the game here.
“I think it [under-18s go free] is a really good offer to be fair,” explained the defender. “Credit to the chairman and the CEO, to bring in under-18s for free is a great offer for them to come and watch us play.
“At home, if it’s a tight game, the crowd makes all the difference and gives you that extra push as players to go and get the win.
“It [support] has been very good [this season]. They’ve stuck with us through the period of drawing we had at the start of the season and now we’re rewarding them with the style of football we’re playing and results.
“They’ve [fans] been very good to us this season and to come all that way to Colchester, it was superb to share the victory with them.”
"I think it [under-18s go free] is a really good offer to be fair. Credit to the chairman and the CEO, to bring in under-18s for free is a great offer for them to come and watch us play."
Benning added that there is a ‘genuine’ feeling of togetherness in Stags’ ‘tight-knit’ squad, and believes that the success on the pitch this season has been born from the relationship shared between the Mansfield players.
The 25-year-old – who is currently Stags’ longest serving current player - reflected on seasons gone by in north Nottinghamshire, explaining that there is a ‘different feeling’ to this term compared to recent campaigns.
“The first season [that I was at Mansfield] we were in and around the play-offs, and even last season we were in and around the play-offs quite a bit,” he said in a news conference this morning.
“Now we’re in the top three, so there’s a different feeling. In the game on Saturday [against Colchester] in seasons gone by, you’d think at 2-0 down we wouldn’t come back.
“But there’s a different feeling and a different bit of quality this year. You can really see that, so hopefully it will be a good season.
“Everyone talks about the togetherness of the squad, but this year you can actually feel it. The way the gaffer’s brought in the new signings, he’s thought about it and they’ve gelled well.
“As a squad, we’re very tight-knit. Everyone says that, but it’s genuine this year. Hopefully that adds to it [season] and hopefully we can push on.
“I like to be consistent whenever I play and hopefully I can continue that for the rest of the season. Hopefully that can help the team get promoted.”
Once again reflecting on the remarkable comeback victory against Colchester, Benning added that the ‘class’ from Stags’ January additions made a huge impact in the match.
“The gaffer and Futch [assistant manager Ben Futcher] weren’t very impressed so we had a few stern words at half-time.
“We just knew if we could get the first goal in the second-half, we could get the momentum to go and win it.
“We saw the class from the new signings, with Granty [Jorge Grant] and Nicky [Ajose], with the part they played. It was good all round.
“We had two losses on the bounce, which we didn’t want. The way we’ve reacted from them has been superb.
“You saw what they [new signings] could do when we turned it around at Colchester after half-time, so it’s been good.
“We’re a very welcoming squad. They’ve been welcomed openly by everyone here.”
iFollow Stags subscribers can watch Mal Benning’s interview in full by logging into mansfieldtown.net/ifollow later today.
