Mansfield manager Nigel Clough said no one was getting carried away after his side equalled the club’s all-time biggest win in demolishing Harrogate 9-2.
They had never beaten Harrogate at home and the visitors were six games unbeaten and in the play-off spots.
But Clough’s men were 5-0 up and out of sight by half-time as they equalled their score against Rotherham in 1932 to close in on top spot.
“I think most teams in the league would have struggled to cope with us tonight,” said Clough.
“It might sound silly, but the only thing that stopped us scoring more was the professionalism of the opposition as they kept going.
“For a team to go 6-0 down away from home and score two goals says an awful lot about their character as well.
“We were extremely clinical in our finishing. I don’t think their goalie had a chance with any of them all night.
“But we’re not getting carried away yet. There are 15 games to go and no one has achieved anything yet.
“It was a wonderful performance but it was three points and all we are thinking about is Walsall on Saturday. That one has gone now and it will count for nothing come Saturday.”
Lucas Akins began the rout with an 11th-minute penalty before Hiram Boateng fired home the second on 20 minutes.
Davis Keillor-Dunn set up Boateng for his second and Tom Nichols tucked home a fourth before teeing up Keillor-Dunn to net his 16th goal of the season.
Stephen Quinn laid on Boateng’s hat-trick goal from six yards on 50 minutes before Harrogate hit back with two in just over a minute as George Thomson finished off a fast break and Abraham Odoh scored after Josh March’s effort came back off a post.
But Akins’ 61st-minute shot deflected in and then sub Will Swan smashed in a spectacular eighth on 75 minutes, before turning home an Aaron Lewis cross two minute later.
Harrogate boss Simon Weaver said: “It was an incredible scoreline for Mansfield and, fair play to them, I thought they were brilliant in all aspects. We were well beaten by the better team.
“But in spite of that we still have everything to go for if we have a positive attitude.
“I am not going to batter them as the lads have been absolutely magnificent for the football club for several months.
“We have been hard to beat all season, we’ve been entertaining, we’ve been everything that we want to see from a Harrogate Town team. But tonight we weren’t.
“So we have to treat it as a one-off and move on quickly. But we also have to learn from the harsh lessons that were dealt by a really strong Mansfield team tonight.
“We didn’t lay a glove on them which is not a characteristic of ours over the years. But we mustn’t suddenly rip up the way we’ve been playing.”
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