Manager Graham Coughlan has emphasised the importance of ‘consistency’ as his side look for their second win in three days tomorrow night away at Oldham Athletic.
The boss’ comments follow Saturday’s resounding 3-0 victory over promotion-chasing Bradford City, in which strikers Danny Rose, Nicky Maynard and Andy Cook scored a goal apiece.
Speaking in Monday afternoon’s news conference at One Call Stadium, the manager says that the key to producing consistent performances is to ‘maintain standards.’
“I don’t know whether it [Bradford win] was the best performance [under me], but it was certainly the best result,” he told iFollow Stags. “Performance-wise we have been good, but the results haven’t been coming.
“I thought Saturday was very pleasing all-round. Naturally, Monday [today] has been a light [training session] because they covered a lot of mileage on Saturday.
“There is a good mood in the camp – the place is buzzing. But it’s now a case of consistency. The football club has been inconsistent over the last 12 months so it’s about finding consistency.
“We’ve set those standards so we have to maintain them now. I’ve said to the changing room: ‘don’t come off it.’ If anyone comes off it, they’ll pay a price.
“Stay on top of your own game, your own professionalism, your own standards. A lot of the onus is on the players to show why they’re professional footballers.
“We’re trying to create an honest, hard-working environment. Our first line of defence will always be our strikers and that epitomised our performance on Saturday.
“Saturday was a high point. Let’s continue that and carry that on. Let’s not get into a habit where we have one day on, one day off. I’m looking for more of the same on Tuesday night [away at Oldham].”
Looking ahead to Tuesday evening’s Sky Bet League Two match away at Oldham, the 45-year-old added: “They [Oldham] are a really tough opponent. They’re in the same region of the league as ourselves, so naturally we’ll be feeling the same about our seasons.
“They’ll be looking for improvements. They’ve had some okay results previously, whereas we’ve had some bad results, so they might be feeling confident.
“But given the weekend, we should be okay. But Oldham, traditionally, is a really tough one. They’re a physical team and we’ll leave no stone unturned in our preparation.”
There was also an update on potential incomings and outgoings from the boss, as the January transfer window nears its conclusion.
“We’re actively looking and actively seeking, but it will always have to be the right player for us,” he added. “They will have to fit into our ethos of being honest and hard-working. If we could get something done by the weekend, that would be great.
“I’ve said from the time I’ve come in, I’m more than happy to work with the players I have here.
“The owners [John and Carolyn Radford] have been supportive and allowed us to get two players through the door.
“The owners are very supportive so I’m sure, if I felt I needed one or two more, that the owners would back us.
“But the group here have bought into what we wanted and they are working hard. They are improving all the time.
“If players are not in the squad, by all means, come and have a chat with me and we can help the players out.
“But as professional players, if you’re not playing regularly, you would want to play football week-in, week-out [elsewhere]. There’s no one banging on my door asking to leave, but there are one or two available.”
The Stags’ manager also spoke of currently injured players Hayden White, Kellan Gordon and Jordan Graham.
“All three [White, Gordon and Graham] are still on the treatment table, but Hayden is coming along well.
“All three will be absent tomorrow evening [against Oldham]. Hayden’s on the grass with the sports scientists so fingers crossed, that won’t be longer term.
“He should be back maybe later this week, if not early next week, so that’s a plus point as well.”
iFollow Stags subscribers can watch the boss’ interview in full by logging into mansfieldtown.net/ifollow later today.
