Ando joins ambitious stags

The Melton professional footballer joined the ambitious League Two side after a successful season with Northampton Town.

With business done so early in the transfer window, the 28-year-old winger can now focus on his upcoming wedding to fiancee Aelish Cavanagh later this month.

But the honeymoon in Ibiza won’t be all cocktails on the beach and lounging by the pool.

“We have been given a training schedule which starts the day after the wedding.

“It’s fortunate that I’m a fit lad, but I will try to stick to the schedule as much as possible then look forward to heading back in for pre-season training on June 28.”

Northampton agreed to allow the former Liverpool and Nottingham Forest winger to leave the Sixfields Stadium on a free having only joined last August on a deadline day switch from League One rivals Bradford.

But despite his request to leave, Anderson remains grateful to the Cobblers for helping him rediscover his footballing mojo.

“I had the disappointment of going from the Championship to League One and then breaking my leg so it was a really difficult year,” he said. “Football wasn’t as fun as it used to be.

“But going to Northampton gave me a new lease of life, getting to play every week. Football become fun again.”

But the Anderson family, which also includes a 13-month-old baby boy, found it difficult to put down roots.

He added: “It was a good season for me. The whole idea was to get my fitness after breaking my leg, which I did, and I scored a fair few goals.

“I helped keep them in the division so I achieved everything I wanted to do there, but location-wise we hadn’t really settled.”

Despite dropping into league Two for the first time, Anderson insists he is still a Championship player at heart.

He has figured in three play-off campaigns at the second tier with Forest, twice, and Ipswich Town.

But while a couple of Championship clubs did show interest, it was the Stags ambition and firm, attractive offer which won over the former England junior international.

“I was hoping to be back in the Championship, but I knew it would have been more as a squad player,” he said.

“There were a couple of options in League One, too, but they didn’t have the amount of ambition that Mansfield had.

“Where they are trying to get to is unbelievable and they aren’t hanging around.

“I’m only 28 and have got a good few years left and the Championship is where I know I can play.

“After speaking to Mansfield they have shown their ambitions of where they want to be.

“They have signed five players over the last few days, all from the league above so as a player hopefully I can be part of their journey that gets me back to where I want to be.”