Milestone week for Stags keeper Alan Marriott as he returns to old clubs Luton and Lincoln

“I didn’t realise I had reached 150 appearances until I was told the other day,” he said.

“I have really enjoyed my time here, though I have had a few ups and downs which you get wherever you go in football.

“When I left Lincoln I didn’t want to go far as I didn’t want to relocate my family.

“I went to Rushden where I had a few injuries. Then Curtis Woodhouse came here to play for David Holdsworth and I found out they wanted a goalkeeper so they brought me here.”

He added: “The game I have most enjoyed was the Liverpool match as there was no pressure on you and a worldwide audience was watching what you could do.

“It is one of the highlights of my career. It was great to play in a Wembley final, but losing there took the shine off playing at a fantastic venue.”

Marriott’s contact at the One Call Stadium expires at the end of the season and he said: “We have all got families and bills to pay.

“It’s a hard world up there. You never know what’s round the corner. All you can do is keep plugging away, do your best, and hope a new contract is your reward at the end of it.”

Tomorrow, Marriott returns to a club he turned out for as a schoolboy.

“Ever since the FA Trophy semi-finals, Luton have been seen as a rival and I am sure it will be fun and games,” he said.

“It can be quite hostile at times. Luton is local to where I am from and at 15 I was a schooboy there, so I have a lot of friends who support the team.

“Then we go to Lincoln, where I spent so long and I have friends and family who support them and I still talk to people who work there. I always wondered what reaction I would get when we played them, but I’ve played against them twice now so that’s been put to bed.

“If we score against them I don’t celebrate as a mark of respect to the people there who have supported you throughout your career.”