John-Baptiste has been at the club for nine years (Getty)

Mansfield defender Alex John-Baptiste believes injury prevented him from being at his best during the club's unsuccessful fight against relegation.

The 22-year-old, who has had a transfer request accepted, missed three months of the season with a back injury.

He told BBC Radio Nottingham: "I haven't really played to my full potential and was only fully fit for the last 12 games.

"I'm really disappointed in myself and it's gutting that we've gone down."

John-Baptiste has been at Mansfield since he was just 13 and has played almost 200 times for the Stags.

The club say they "reluctantly accepted" his transfer request last week.