LEAGUE TWO
ELATED veteran Lucas Akins hailed a real ‘team effort’ after Mansfield Town clinched promotion to League One in midweek.
After their thumping 4-1 win at fourth-placed MK Dons last Saturday, the Stags knew that victory against Accrington on Tuesday night would ensure their return to the third tier for the first time in just over two decades. And they didn’t disappoint a crowd of almost 8,000 as goals from George Maris and Stephen Quinn proved enough for a 2-1 victory.
It provided another memorable moment for the versatile Akins, who achieved back-to-back promotions in his Burton days to go from League Two to the Championship.
“It’s been a team effort, there have been a lot of people before I even joined the club who’ve been working towards this,” said Akins, who joined the Stags in January 2022, reuniting with his former Brewers boss Nigel Clough in the process.
“I’m delighted for the chairman (John Radford), chief executive (Carolyn Radford), all the directors and everyone involved. They’ve really hoped for a day like today and I’m so glad that collectively we could make it happen.
“It’s been a great effort, it’s been a long time in the making and everyone’s got what they deserve. It’s important that we enjoy the moment -It’s just a great feeling.”
Akins is more used to playing an attacking role, but showed his versatility once agai
