Stags fan Franks 'hopeful' of promotion

The Stags have been in a poor run of from as of late, failing to win any of their last seven matches, and the former England all-rounder believes the resignations of manager Steve Evans and his assistant Paul Raynor are partly to blame for the bad run of form.

“I was confident six weeks ago,” Franks said, “but I think the loss of the management hasn’t helped. I don’t blame anybody for that, I think Steve Evans did a fantastic job for Mansfield Town and has probably brought the footballing landscape back to life in the town."

New manager David Flitcroft has failed to hit the ground running since taking over from Evans, picking up just three points in his first six games. Franks believes this will change with time and is down to the uncertainty a new manager brings in.

He said: “When a new manager comes in it takes a while for everything to settle. Unfortunately, it leaves the players in limbo and they don’t know where they stand anymore, which they knew under Evans."

Now Franks is more nervous than confident that Mansfield will make the play-offs, a feeling that he also has about their rivals Notts County.

“I’m nervous for both Mansfield and Notts, because both teams have been there for so long this season. Mansfield’s form since Christmas was fantastic, but now they’ve ground to a halt and are struggling to get going again. They’ve really got to finish strong, but I wouldn’t bet my last £5 on it”.