Mansfield Town striker Nicky Maynard delighted to hit hat-trick in front of his family against Oldham Athletic

Mansfield Town v Oldham Athletic, Nicky Maynard scores

“It’s nice to get on the scoresheet and even better to get three goals,” he smiled.

“I enjoyed it today. I think it’s the first time I have played and enjoyed the chances we have created – it’s been frustrating for me at times.

“I am happy to come away with the match ball and three points.

“It will go along with the other three or four match balls I’ve got.

“My boys wanted to kick it around but I wasn’t let them do that. It was nice to see them here at such a young age and see their dad score a hat-trick.

“I don’t think they have seen it since they’ve been born and they are seven and eight now so it’s obviously been a while since my last hat-trick.”

On the three first half goals he netted, two before Oldham’s double sending-off on 37 minutes, he said: “It was great to score a third but the second goal was one of the type I am more used to scoring.

“The gaffer calls me the sniffer dog – always in and around the box looking for a place to get on the end of the ball.

“Headers are very rare in the goals I have scored through my career but it got the lads off to a good start, which was massive.”

He also managed to set up Dapo Afolayan for a goal, despite being fouled as he did so.

“The referee said well done for staying on my feet as he thought I might have tried to get a free kick but I told him I was hungry to score more goals,” he smiled.

“I was falling over before I got connection to the ball but it was nice to see Dapo get his goal.

“I was a bit frustrated the gaffer brought me off with so long left, but everyone went home happy.”

On the overall performance, Maynard said: “The lads were very ruthless and kept doing the right things well. Everyone was a good eight or nine out of 10.

“We got an ugly win last week against Grimsby but we’ve worked hard on final third play and creating chances and we were on the same wavelength today.

“Even when they had 11 men on the field we played something like we can in the final third and we were always looking a threat.

“Obviously when they had two men sent off it made it even easier for us to create more chances and it was good we never let our foot off the gas and scored a few more.”