Keith Alexander was an interested observer in the stands at Field Mill last night to watch Mansfield take on Wrexham in what many described as a 'must win' affair. With his side due to meet both sides in the coming weeks it was the Stags who secured a much needed three points, a result that saw them close the gap on the Silkmen to seven points.

"It would have been nice if the game had ended in a draw," explained Keith. "We don't really want anyone around us winning games at the moment. But on the night Mansfield were worthy winners. After a fairly even first half they came out of the blocks quicker, got two goals in front and never really looked like letting it slip despite Wrexham pulling one back."

"That will have given the Stags a lot of confidence as it was their first home win in ages. And it also puts a lot of pressure on Wrexham as they now really have to be thinking about winning most of their games if they are to save themselves. That could either work in our favour or against us. Either way we need to make sure we are up for the challenge."

"And that is really the crux of the matter. We can look at other results and start speculating as to who might win this and who might win that. But in the end it comes down to what we do. If we continue to do well at home and pick up odd points on our travels then it is going to be hard for sides to overtake us."

"And we will do that by sticking to our game plan. I don't necessarily believe in changing to suit the opposition we are up against or whether we are at home or away. Yes I picked up things last night that I will make the players aware of but we go to the Racecourse Ground on Saturday with a clear game plan, the same one that has seen us pick up some valuable points in recent weeks."

"Clearly there are going to be times when we have to change during games. I suppose it is in those situations where the manager really has to earn his money. But I am confident we have the flexibility in the squad to do that when required. We are working hard to improve in areas where we need to improve and I remain confident that the challenge I was set when I first arrived, namely to keep the club in the Football League, is something we will achieve."

But anyone who thought the gaffer would be sitting back to watch the big Champions League game between Arsenal and Liverpool this evening would be wrong.

"As a manager you need to get out there and see as many games as possible. That's especially the case at League Two level. We aren't blessed with a team of scouts. So the only way to find out what talent is out there and weigh up the opposition is to get to games yourself. I dread to think how many games I have been to watch throughout my career and there'll be another one tonight as I am heading off down the road to watch a non-league game."

"It's all part of the job but one I enjoy. You have to if you are going to achieve any success. I think we have surprised a few people in the last few weeks, those who thought we were going to struggle to stay out of the bottom two. But we've made a good start in the seven games since my arrival and as I have already said, our destiny is now very much in our own hands. More of the same commitment, application and support from the fans over the coming weeks and we can start looking forward to next season with a lot more optimism."