"I think Peter has conducted himself in an excellent manner as caretaker.
"I had a lot of applications for the job and I looked at them carefully. But, obviously, Peter came out on top.
"It was a difficult time for him to come in when Carlton went. But he has been very calm with the situation. He has not rushed into anything and shown a lot of calmness which I like.
"Everyone has a smile round the club at the moment so I felt Peter was the obvious way to go.
"I filtered through all the applications in the first week or so and narrowed it down to about five.
"Peter just continued to get on with the job and since then has just got stronger.
"Every caretaker manager wants to prove he can do the job and Peter has grasped his opportunity. He brings some coaching excellence to the club and it was a good judgement by Carlton Palmer to bring Peter to the club in the summer."
"I have been waiting for the right time to make an appointment and I think this is the right time.
"It was an important decision for Mansfield Town and has not been taken lightly which is another reason I have taken six weeks.
"We had to let the dust settle. But now we can move forward.
"You don't appoint a manager when you are doing well so it is always an important decision.
"It has been a good six weeks. We have grouped ourselves together and the players are playing with a bit of confidence now.
"Everyone has got to have the opportunity and Peter came here in the summer to assist Carlton but, obviously, with the intention that, if the manager's job came along, he would be applying for it.
"His ambition was to get into management and it has probably arrived earlier than he thought.
"But Peter has experience and knows the game and the type of player he is looking for. He has much respect in the game."
Meanwhile Peter Shirtliff says he will take time out before making any staff changes at field mill "I am not rushing into any staff appointments," he said. "Paul Holland has been helping me and will continue to do so."
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Full reaction to the appoitment will be in this weeks edition of the Mansfield CHAD. (Extracts taken from Chad Website)