FORGET A HOLIDAY, SHEARER WANTS WEMBLEY
MANSFIELD goalkeeper Scott Shearer says the thought of being forced to watch the League Two play-offs unfold on TV is driving on him and his team-mates.
Since putting on the gloves after Jake Kean picked up an injury during the Newport match on February 25, veteran stopper Shearer has shone.
He was yet to concede a goal in 230 minutes ahead of yesterday’s clash with Plymouth.
Mansfield, too, have been flying. They took on the Pilgrims having lost just once in 13 matches to propel themselves into the play-off picture.
They headed into the weekend one place and two points outside the top seven, and 36-year-old Shearer – who was part of Stags manager Steve Evans’ Rotherham squad that earned back-to-back promotions in 2013 and 2014 – is dreaming big once again.
“As a player you want to be in this position,” said Shearer. “The management staff have put that carrot in front of us, saying you don’t want to be on your holiday in the middle of May, watching teams in the play-offs and at Wembley in the final.
“You just don’t want to be in that position when you could have been there.
“You want to give yourself every chance and, when you’re a professional footballer, you want to play on the biggest stages. To appear in the play-offs is a great experience.
“When I was with the gaffer at Rotherham in League Two, we were in a similar scenario and we just went on an incredible run to get there.
“I know what it takes to get there. A lot of the lads in our team know what it takes to get there and I just hope we can perform.
“From the first day the gaffer came in, I honestly believed that we would be in this position.”