Mansfield Town improvement is down to play-off desire, says Lee Stevenson

Lively Stevenson was again instrumental as rampant Stags went goal crazy to thump Barrow 8-1 at the One Call Stadium and climb to sixth in the table.

The goal blitz follows on from last week’s 5-0 hammering of Dartford and means Stags have now won their last four matches and scored 18 goals in the process.

Man-of-the-match Stevenson bagged his fifth goal in his last three outings after finding the back of the net in the 8th and 68th minutes of the rout.

Said Stevenson: “Barrow are a good team, make no mistake about that, we were just that good today. From the start of the match we were excellent.

“We all want to work hard for each other and we all want to stay in the team.

“We are all full of confidence at the moment. Things are clicking now because we knew we had to improve if we wanted to make the play-offs.”

And the former Eastwood Town midfielder, who has spent the vast majority of the season watching on from the stands, says he is thrilled to have finally been given a chance to show what he can do.

“It was a great win today and getting eight goals is obviously a bonus,” he said. “I really enjoyed it today and it is definately one of my best games for the club.

“No-one like sitting in the stands, I have played six games this season whereas the lads have played 30 plus.

“I knew I would get a chance because I believe in myself. I knew when I got that chance I had to take it, and I would like to think that is what I have done.”

Mansfield travel to fifth-placed Newport County on Tuesday night knowing victory will allow them to leapfrog their Welsh opponents and catapult them back into the play-off places.