Manager Nigel Clough hailed a ‘wonderful three points’ as Stags edged past a plucky Swindon Town at One Call Stadium.
Forward Lucas Akins put Mansfield Town ahead after four minutes and Stags should have extended their lead heading into the break.
A frenetic 25 minutes in the second-half saw Swindon twice peg Mansfield back before substitute Will Swan nodded home the match winner on 68 minutes.
Assessing an all-action contest, Nigel said: “It’s a wonderful three points.
“It was very tiring watching it because I thought we made hard work of it. Swindon have some good players who can hurt you as you saw in the game.
“When they’re in that position, probably not going up or down, they can play with that sense of freedom that we can’t enjoy at the moment.
“I thought it was a very good game, especially for the neutral. We just edged it with three very good goals.
“It was brilliant entertainment for everybody and the most important thing is that we’ve come out on top and got those three points because it was one of those days where you look at the fixtures and think everybody is going to win (the teams around Mansfield in the table) just about and they did, so we’ve kept the gap [in the league table] the same.”
Akins scored early on for Mansfield and the manager said his side could have made better decision-making in the final third thereafter in the first-half: “Having got the goal after four minutes, we really have to do more then to go and get another one. The longer it goes the more they (Swindon) grow in confidence because they’re still in the game. The players have to sense that the game is there for the taking within the first 15 minutes.”
On the frantic 25-minute spell in the second-half which yielded four goals, he said: “It was quite open but we don’t mind that because we think we’re going to create more chances and situations. It’s just whether you’re going to put them away or not.”
With ten matches now to play, he added: “We always like to play well and earlier in the season you’re looking for something to hang your hat on and build on.
“Performances don’t matter now, honestly. All that matters are the points, none more so than at Tranmere and Bradford this week.
“I’ve said to the players that after these two this week you’re down to just eight games. They have to realise that every ounce of what they got now, like all season, has to go into these eight games.”