ADAM Murray is happy to relinquish his role as Mansfield Town's chief play-maker, if it means helping the club earn promotion.

The Stags are hoping to mount a bid for a play-off place in the final third of the season on the back of a six-game unbeaten run.

Their upturn in form has coincided with the arrival of Gary Roberts from Port Vale, who has been an impressive figure alongside skipper Murray.

With their partnership now beginning to take shape, the former Oxford man has quickly become an admirer of his colleague's creative talents and ability to score goals – highlighted by his double in the 3-0 win at Ebbsfleet last time out.

And Murray says he is prepared to sacrifice his own attacking instincts, if it means bringing Roberts' flair to the fore.

"Robbo has been a breath of fresh air. He's a lively character on and off the pitch. He's definitely added something and he is passionate about his football," said Murray. "He wants to be on the ball all the time – it's almost like he is in the playground at school!

"Now we have got to know each other's games it seems like I am going to have to take more of a sitting role. I'm learning to balance with him.

"But if we are winning games, as we have been doing, then I'm happy to do that. The team comes first.

"I have played that role more and more over the past three years, just in front of the back four, and I know how to go about it. That's particularly going to be the case if we play a midfield three.

"It's about how to best fit players into the team and get them playing at their best."

Mansfield's recent good form contrasts to their form in January of previous campaigns in the Blue Square Bet Premier, when the trend has been to drop off.

It gives Murray a firm belief that the team could emulate his former Oxford team-mates and win a place back in the Football League.

He said: "If you look at the start of the season we started off really well, were scoring goals and then it petered out.

"We had a spell when both our results and performances were average, but we have come out after Christmas and started to pick both up. We have wanted to come out for the second half of the season raring to go.

"Last year we had Wembley to go for but apart from that we probably lost focus.

"This year, though, we have our targets, everything is to play for.

"We have only lost five league games all season and that is the mark of a good side."

One of Mansfield's biggest problems has been too many drawn games when they have been in winning positions.

On no less than eight of their 13 stalemates, they have gone in front only to be pegged back.

Murray hopes that the way the Stags coped with second half pressure at Ebbsfleet shows they are finally learning how to close out matches.

Ideally, Mansfield would like to test themselves against league leaders Fleetwood tomorrow to see if they can build on their unbeaten January.

But with more bad weather anticipated last night, the match could be called off as early as today.

"I think we have learned a bit now with the amount of times we have dropped points when we should have won," said Murray. "We had to sit down and ask what was going wrong and when you analyse it, it was a lack of concentration and individual mistakes.

"We are aware now that when we go ahead in games that we have to be wary in the next 15 minutes."

Popular defender Rhys Day suffered a devastating rupture of his patella tendon in a friendly against Rainworth almost two weeks ago.

The former Manchester City trainee underwent an operation in a bid to repair the damage at King's Mill Hospital at the end of last week.

That surgery was deemed a success but the hard work will now start for Day as he starts his rehabilitation.

Murray said: "I'm gutted for Rhys. He had worked really hard to get through his previous injury, so to pick up something like that which just happens in a moment is hard to take. He is going to have to sit down and think about where he goes next."