Mansfield Town aiming to make town and fans proud at Notts County

The Mansfield Town boss loves local derbies and will make sure his players understand the emotions behind them while urging them to concentrate on the football.

“The Rochdale v Bury was a real local one as was Bury v Bolton – really passionate ones,” said Flitcroft.

“You have to make sure the team is prepared for that noise and passion that comes from the fans.

“For us to take over 4,000 fans to Notts is just brilliant. I will be telling the players how important this is to the supporters and the town that we represent.

“We must represent with an honesty and sincerity.

“But on game day I have to make sure the players just concentrate on the task in hand – that’s the key for me.

“Derbies are for the supporters. We must respect that and turn up with an energy and passion.”

Flitcroft said it was always a busy week building to a derby.

He explained: “If you are in sport you’ve got to deal with the press, you’ve got to deal with the social media, you’ve got to deal with the fans, and the verocity of that at times. But all that is background noise.

“When you actually strip it down, we’ve got to go there and what happens on the pitch is the key factor.

“Have they taken the instructions on board? Is there a clarity to what they are doing? That’s what we will focus on this week.

“In games like this you have more pressure to deal with and it’s how we take that pressure from the players and how they perform and commit.”

He added: “We are going up against a very committed manager in Kevin Nolan. We know what he’s about. “The commitment and professionalism he’s always shown has followed him into his management career.

“We certainly don’t underestimate any team. They’re in good form, but so are we. So it’s just about who can handle the pressure, the conditions, and the heat of battle. We’re really looking forward to it.”