Goalscorers Otis Khan and Tyler Walker dedicated their side’s resounding victory to the fans after overcoming Newport County 3-0 at One Call Stadium.
Walker netted the Stags’ opening goal of the 2018-19 season in just the 12th minute after profiting from some pinball football in the Exiles’ penalty area.
His team-mate, Khan, used this as a building block as the midfielder went on to bag a superb second-half brace that put the result beyond any doubt whatsoever.
“We wanted to come out here and get a win for all fans as we knew there was a lot of them that came here to watch us,” he said.
“We also wanted to make a statement and I feel like that’s what we did.”
Khan commented on the nature of the game, in particular with regards to how much better the second-half panned out in relation to the first.
“I don’t think we could have planned that to have gone any better. I think we showed a real statement as to what we’re about, too.
“The first-half wasn’t that good but in the second-half we got going and our quality shone through.”
Khan then gave credit to Walker as the latter’s fine cross allowed the former to head home in emphatic fashion, giving the Stags a two-goal cushion at the time.
“I know he [Walker] has got the quality to provide that kind of ball and I knew that if I got myself in the box he’d find me,” said Khan.
“It’s a surprise [to score a headed goal] as I’m not the tallest but to be fair, the other day in training, we were doing a lot of heading drills that have clearly paid off today.
“The second goal though was all about getting into the pockets and getting a shot away” he added.
The duo wrapped up proceedings by praising the fans for their tremendous support throughout the whole game.
“As players you can’t really tell the fans how much they mean to be a 12th man but you could really hear that today,” said Walker.
“Hopefully we can put on more performances like that for them throughout the season.”
“The fans didn’t stop supporting the team for 90 minutes and I can’t wait to be in front of them again” Khan said proudly.
And he won’t have to wait long as David Flitcroft’s side are back in action next Saturday when they take on Yeovil Town at Huish Park in their second outing of the Sky Bet League Two campaign.
