Relaxed Mansfield Town celebrate safety with superb display in victory over Peterborough United

An entertaining first half saw a more relaxed Stags carve out a 2-0 lead within the first seven minutes through George Maris and Keanu Baccus.

Debutant keeper Owen Mason then saved from Gustav Lindgren and Malik Mothersille hit a post before Will Evans headed home the third on 34 minutes.

It was the second time this season Stags had netted three against Posh in the first half.

Mason made another good stop before the break to deny Mothersille.

But Posh broke through six minutes into the second half through Ryan de Havilland only to see a superb finish by Evans restore Mansfield's three-goal advantage eight minutes later.

Lindgren pulled another back for Posh near the end of an exciting contest, but it was too little too late as Stags completed the double over their visitors.

With safety assured and players coming back from knocks, boss Nigel Clough made eight changes to the side that lost 4-0 at champions Birmingham at the weekend and Stags' 21-year-old keeper Mason made his debut.

Mason, Stephen McLaughlin, Baily Cargill, Elliott Hewitt, George Maris, Louis Reed, Will Evans and Dom Dwyer replaced Christy Pym, George Williams, Aden Flint, Calum Macdonald, Matthew Craig, Hiram Boateng, Caylan Vickers and Jordan Rhodes.

Stags began positively and good approach play from Reed and Evans saw the ball blocked to Baccus, who saw his low 20-yard shot, destined for the bottom left corner, turned away for a corner by Blackmore.

But Mansfield were ahead on four minutes as Dwyer won the ball on the right of the box from a Stags throw and helped it on towards Maris at the near post and he poked out a foot and turned it in off the inside of the post.

It was 2-0 on seven minutes.

Initially Evans tackled O'Brien-Brady to start the move. He fed Bowery who saw his attempted cross blocked but won a tackle that saw the ball go loose towards Baccus who scooped a superb 16-yard finish into the far top corner.

McLaughlin won a crucial tackle at the other end as Odoh threatened to race clear.

Posh's first shot saw Conn-Clarke shoot from 20 yards and the ball rise well over Mason's goal on 11 minutes.

Two minutes later Lindgren got past Bowery on the left and into the box, Mason making his first save as the Peterborough man tried to beat him on his near post and Oshilaja cleared.

Mansfield then had a big let-off a minute later as Mothersille's low cross from the left somehow passed through a crowd of players and hit the far post.

Reed then cut out a pass from the visitors and squared the ball to Maris who wasn't far wide with his low finish.

Maris then had a shot charged down after some lovely skill from Baccus in lifting the ball over and between two opponents.

On 28 minutes Reed lifted a cheeky pass towards Maris seven yards from goal and Blackmore saved his close range finish before Bowery's follow-up was blocked.

Good approach play by Maris and Dwyer then saw Bowery fire into the sidenetting as the ball ran loose.

Stags were playing their best football for weeks and it was no surprise when they extended their lead on 34 minutes.

After more quickfire passing to get forward, Reed floated a tempting cross to the far post from the right of the box where Evans rose and guided a dipping header over the keeper and under the far angle.

Oshilaja was struggling from an earlier challenge and was brought off on 37 minutes with Quinn sent on, Bowery dropping into the centre of defence and Baccus to right wing back.

A loose pass at the back offered a shooting chance for Dwyer from 18 yards on 38 minutes but he was too high with his finish.

A low cross in from the right by Mothersille almost reached Conn-Clark, bit he was blocked by a combination of Bowery and Mason.

Nevett saw the game's first booking for a foul on Evans on 42 minutes.

Mason then saved well from a low Mothersille shot from a tight angle on the right on 43 minutes.

Bowery got in the way of an Odoh finish in added time as Stags preserved their clean sheet to the interval.

Posh boss Darren Ferguson showed his displeasure at his side's first half display by sending the players back out very early onto the pitch during the half-time break.

Maris sent Dwyer clear early in the second half but instead of shooting he tried a return pass which was blocked and the moment was gone.

But Peterborough broke through on 51 minutes when Cargill lost the ball and Conn-Clarke's low cross was only half-cleared by Bowery towards De Havilland who drilled a fine low finish inside the left post from inside the D.

Flint replaced Hewitt in the home defence on 53 minutes and soon after Reed was too high from 18 yards.

A quickfire move on 58 minutes saw Quinn feed Evans and he slipped a pass to McLaughlin on the left by-line who saw Blackmore block his shot from a tight angle.

But a minute later Quinn passed inside to Evans and he looked up and curled home a magnificent 25 yard finish to make it 4-1.

Posh made a quadruple change on 64 minutes and sub Jade-Jones immediately put in a dangerous low cross from the left that evaded everyone while Mason punched away a Mills cross soon after.

Stags responded with a triple change on 68 minutes as Rhodes, Vickers and Boateng came on for Evans, Maris and Dwyer.

Great skills from Quinn saw him set up Rhodes on 74 minutes but once again the finish was too high as was Flint's header from a McLaughlin free kick with 10 minutes remaining.

Seconds later Lindgren raced goalside of Flint and with only Mason to beat saw his shot crash back off the bar.

Two minutes later Quinn crossed from the left and Vickers somehow put his six yard header wide with the goal at his mercy.

Three minutes from time Posh pulled another goal back as Odoh burst into the box on the right and squared low for Lindgren to send a rising shot into the home net to complete the scoring.

The win also finally got Stags past their pre-season taget of 50 points.

STAGS: Mason, Hewitt (Flint 53), Bowery, Oshilaja (S. Quinn 37), Cargill, McLaughlin, Reed, Baccus, Maris (Vickers 68), Dwyer (Rhodes 68), Evans (Boateng 68). SUBS NOT USE: Flinders, Waine.

POSH: Blackmore, Dornelly (Mills 64), Hughes, Nevett (Wallin 64), Edun, Odoh, O'Brien-Brady, De Havilland, Conn-Clarke ( Johnston 64), Mothersille (Jade-Jones 64), Lindgren. SUBS NOT USED: Smith, Andrews.

REFEREE: Aaron Bannister.

ATTENDANCE: 7,263 (504 away).