A win is a win and we won’t sit on it on Wednesday vows Mansfield Town defender Oli Hawkins.

The tie is in the balance after Ali Koiki pulled one back for the Cobblers tonight but Hawkins said: “We held out well in the last 20 minutes when they put it on us.

“We knew today was going to be tough and we wanted to come out of it with a win.

“We knew it was going to be a battle and I thought the back four did well today.

STAGS v NORTHAMPTON FULL MATCH REPORT

“It was a bit annoying to concede when we were 2-0 up, but it's still a win. Having the advantage for the second leg is the most important thing. We know we are capable of going there and getting a result.

“We will still play like we always do, we won't be going there trying to get men behind the ball and defend for 90 minutes. We will try to get a goal.”

A big home crowd made a huge noise and Hawkins said that was a massive help to the players.

“That was the best atmosphere of the season today from minute one to 90 – they were incredible and it helped us get through the game,” he said.

“They had scored and we were struggling a bit but you could still hear them and we knew we needed to get a win for them.

“We have to rest up now, relax and get ready for Wednesday. We will be very confident going into it.

“I feel very very proud of the team, the fans and the club and we all deserve it. We are quite harsh on ourselves and we think we should have been promoted automatically.

“But we are going to do the job in the play-offs.”