Experienced defender, Ryan Sweeney, has returned to the One Call Stadium, after four years away, the former Stag becoming manager Nigel Clough’s fist signing of the summer.

Sweeney, a 6ft 4ins, 28-year-old defender, brings a decade worth of experience to the Stags defence, having previously spent a couple of seasons at the club between 2018 and 2021.

Having initially come through the Youth set-up, and turned professional with AFC Wimbledon, from the age of eight-to-nineteen years, Sweeney would make over a dozen appearances for the Dons first team before moving to Stoke City in 2016 (this included a loan spell at Bristol Rovers).

Following two successful loan spells at the Memorial Stadium, Sweeney’s third loan away from the Potters, in 2018, would see him head to Mansfield, then of League Two; a successful, six-month loan spell, in the first half of the 2018/19 campaign, would see the Londoner join the Stags permanently in the January of 2019.

That first season with the Stags would see him help the side to a fourth-place finish in League Two, before losing in the play-offs to Newport County; over his three seasons with the club Sweeney netted seven times in 127 games.

Moving on in the summer of 2021, Sweeney found himself heading north o’ the border and Scottish side, Dundee, spending the next two seasons at Dens Park; he was awarded both the Players’ Player of the Season and the Andrew De Vries Player of the Season in his first at the club, then the second saw him named captain, named in two Team of the Season’s and lead the club to the Scottish Championship title.

Two seasons in Scotland was followed by the next two back in England, at Burton Albion, where he lifted back-to-back Players’ Player of the Season awards, and the Player of the Season, last time around, before rejecting a new contract and returning to Mansfield.

“Once the opportunity arose to return to the club, it was something that I was really interested in and I’m really looking forward to putting the Mansfield Town shirt back on,” Sweeney told www.mansfieldtown.net following the announcement of his signing.

“It’s a club that I’ve got a huge amount of love and respect for.

“We’ve got some fantastic people here and even going back to the training ground; I almost forgot how good the facilities are.

“I think I’m coming back a more well-rounded player.

“I joined here (originally) in my early 20s and you’re still trying to find your feet in the game.

“I’ve gone away and experienced some incredible things.

“I’m excited to get back here and play because I know what this stadium is like when it’s packed out and rocking so I’m absolutely buzzing.”

Having released a number of defenders already this summer, Sweeney joins a club which has that of Elliott Hewitt, Baily Cargill, Frazer Blake-Tracey, and the multi-player of the year, Deji Oshilaja, as Mansfield boss, Clough, looks to build on their second season in League One.

*Article provided by Peter Mann (Senior Correspondent).

*Main image @mansfieldtownfc Nigel Clough & Ryan Sweeney.