Chris Beardsley returns to the club where he started his career

Mansfield Town have signed Chris Beardsley.

The striker left Stevenage at the end of the season as part of a clear out of 13 players by the club.

Beardsley, who is 31, began his career with the Stags more than a decade ago and also enjoyed a two-year stint with the club in the mid-2000s.

He has also counts Preston North End and Kidderminster Harriers among his former clubs.

Speaking to the Mansfield Town website, Beardsley said: “It was sort of completely out of the blue. I spoke to the gaffer [Adam Murray] this summer and we had a good chat. He told me his plans, what he thinks of the whole club, the structure of the squad...he impressed me hugely with his plans.”