Keanu Baccus savours his screamer as Mansfield Town share six goals at Blackpool

A summer signing from St Mirren, Baccus only had one goal to his name in a Stags shirt before today's superb finish to make it 2-1 after Stags had trailed to the Seasiders, Will Evans having just levelled.

Lucas Akins made it 3-1 after the break and Stags were sitting pretty.

But, after George Maris wasted a great chance for a fourth, the home side grabbed two goals in six minutes to level, though Mansfield at least held out to draw and halt a run of seven defeats in a row.

“That goal has been a long time coming in a Stags shirt,” smiled Baccus.

“My first goal for the club was decent, but that one felt a bit better off the foot.

“It was a great ball from Bails (Baily Cargill) to see me.

“I took a touch forward and the pitch opened up a bit. There was a bit of space at the side of the goal and I just hit it.

“It was an amazing feeling and we now need more – goals are hard to come by.

“Midfielders want to score goals all the time and ultimately when I get myself in the right positions, even though those goals like today are sweet, you just want to score any goals you can.

“I love it when there's a bit of space in there playing as a number eight, driving forward or picking a pass when I can.”

Stags' 2-1 defeat at Leyton Orient on Tuesday was a sixth league loss in a row – and defeat today would have equalled the club's worst ever league losing run from 1947.

“The boys all dug in deep today. It's been a tough week away from home this week and we've had a hard spell,” said Baccus.

“But we've stopped that today, got a point on the road, and now we have two home games this week in which we can hopefully get the points.

“I think we deserved more than a point today – but that's football.

“Hopefully we can now move forward and go on an unbeaten run.

“Around the camp you lose a little bit of confidence on a run like we've had but you have to stay positive and we have been training very well.

“You've just got to take that onto the pitch, stay fit and healthy, feel stronger and smarter in each game we play and the results will come.”

On his season so far, he said: “It's been a tough league and a bit of a transition for me since St Mirren.

“It is a bit different and a bit more relentless than Scottish football with games coming thick and fast.

“But it's been a good seven or eight months now and I am slowly growing into it and definitely have more to give.” Stags now prepare for home clashes with Lincoln on Tuesday and Wrexham next Sunday and Baccus added: “It will be a tough game on Tuesday – they are a good side and it was a hard result to take at their place.

“So we want to get revenge at our place and go out all guns blazing like we did at the start today.

“I think first half we were great today and if we could have built on that a bit more in the second half we'd have come away with a result today.

“If we can do that and more on Tuesday I think we can come away with a result.”