Flint: This is what we're in football for

Stags’ defender Aden Flint says games like tonight are ‘what you play football for’, as Mansfield aim to clinch promotion to Sky Bet League One.

In a news conference at RH Academy yesterday, the experienced centre-back said ‘there’s nothing better in football than winning promotion and winning medals’ as the amber and blue know that victory against Accrington Stanley at One Call Stadium would guarantee their return to the third tier.

Stags have put themselves in the driving seat for a return to the third tier of English football for the first time in 22 years after a 4-1 victory over MK Dons last Saturday at Stadium MK.

The 34-year-old spoke about the crucial win in Buckinghamshire and said: “The goal before half-time really helped. I’m delighted for El [Elliot Hewitt] getting a goal, his just reward really after being out for so long.”

“Once we got the second goal, I think we really controlled the game and MK Dons had to throw everything at us, it played into our hands really when we were pressing.

“I’ve seen the videos of the fans falling down the sheets and over the seats. What a performance and what a win.

“A massive weight had gone because it was a huge game and a huge result was needed to put us where we want to be.”

Flint was then named in the Sky Bet League Two Team of the Season on Sunday at the EFL Award ceremony and was delighted to be included: “It was great to be recognised in the Team of the Season, It’s a nice achievement and [I’m] also delighted for the gaffer, Davo [Davis Keillor-Dunn] and Reidy [Louis Reed] as well.”

The defender then went on to look ahead to Tuesday night’s potential promotion-winning game at One Call Stadium: “It’s a big game tomorrow night, we all know that.

“It’s the old cliché, we’re not going to treat it any differently to any other game.

“Obviously it gives you massive incentive after the weekend's result, knowing that if we get a result on Tuesday it could see us promoted, which is what we want.

“It’s what you play football for, games like Saturday [and] games like tomorrow night because there’s nothing better in football than winning promotion and winning medals.

“We want to play our football and stick to what we’ve been doing all season which has got us at the right end of the table and on the cusp of where we want to be at the end of the season.

“We’ve got a team coming in Accrington, who with missing out on the play-offs are going to be up for it.

“It’s going to be a tough game, we can’t underestimate anyone.

“We’ve got three games left and we want to win them all."