MANSFIELD Town's players won't be getting the red carpet treatment at Adams Park tomorrow despite the role they played in preserving Wycombe Wanderers' Football League status last season.

Blues needed a favour from someone on a dramatic final day of the last campaign, otherwise their 3-0 win at Torquay would have been immaterial.

They found it from the Stags, with Colin Daniel writing himself into Wanderers folklore as his goal in a 1-0 win against Bristol Rovers saved Blues from dropping through the trapdoor into non league football and sent the Gas down instead.

And although Blues boss Gareth Ainsworth admitted he owes a massive debt of gratitude to his opposite number Paul Cox, he said his side won't be rolling over as a way of saying thank you.

Instead Ainsworth is challenging his players to get back to winning ways and build on their encouraging start to the campaign.

He said: "There will definitely be a sense of thank you from everyone involved with Wycombe, including myself.

"They played a big part in one of our biggest Football League days last year, and of course we're grateful for what they did, but all they did was be professional and take the game seriously. That's what I'd asked them to do and the rest followed.

"I'll definitely have a drink with Paul no matter what afterwards, but I think come three o'clock both managers will be forgetting all about last season. It's all about this year. We've both got big jobs to do - Paul trying to establish Mansfield as a league team after their non league days, and myself after our nearly non league days having to keep all thought of any situation like last year away.

"There will definitely be no favours done for either side on the pitch but off the pitch I'm sure I can afford a thank you to Paul and his team for what they did last year."

The Nottinghamshire side have had an inconsistent start to the season, winning three and losing three of their first six matches.

But Ainsworth said: "It's better to win one and lose one than to draw two, points wise. Drawing too many games is a problem sometimes for teams. If you win one and lose one from now until the end of the season, you get promoted.

"In my opinion that's a decent start. They'll be tough opposition on Saturday."