The Lilywhites produced an excellent away performance on Tuesday evening, securing a valuable 3–1 victory at AFC Mansfield.

Matt Ward came into the starting line-up at right-back in place of the absent Rayner-Mistry, lining up alongside Bailey Forth, Kieran Wressell and Kyle Radford.

For the opening 18 minutes, we were forced to soak up plenty of early Mansfield pressure, with the hosts enjoying the majority of possession and looking to put us on the back foot.

However, we showed real resilience in defence. An assured performance from goalkeeper Jake Sykes, combined with a disciplined display from those in front of him, ensured Mansfield were unable to capitalise on their early dominance.

Having weathered the initial storm, we gradually grew into the contest and began to pose more of a threat of our own. Our persistence was rewarded on 19 minutes when Lucas Dakin found the breakthrough, putting the Lilywhites in front.

We went into the interval with our lead intact, but were forced into a change at half-time. Declan Johnson was replaced by Conor Marshall after Johnson unfortunately suffered an ankle injury.

After the break, we continued to play very well and looked increasingly comfortable. Our pressure was rewarded in spectacular fashion as Dakin struck twice in the space of a minute, completing his first hat-trick of the season, and giving us a valuable cushion to protect.

Mansfield did manage to find a way through and pull a goal back through a Kian Sketchley penalty on 68 minutes, but we remained composed and defended our advantage well.

Mansfield's Ryan Ingram was then dismissed for lashing out at Kyle Radford, an incident which appeared to stem from frustration at the excellent performance Radford had put in. Kyle was outstanding throughout the evening as part of a steadfast Lilywhites defensive unit that stood firm when called upon.

We saw the game out professionally to secure an excellent 3–1 victory and all three points on the road.

It was a thoroughly deserved win and a performance we can be proud of. From the early defensive pressure we had to withstand, to Dakin's clinical finishing and the resilience shown throughout the second half, there were plenty of positives to take from the evening. It lifts us up to 5th in the league on 7 points from an available 12. But it is still very early days, so whilst it is great to have built some early points on the board, manager Gary King will not be getting carried away with lofty play of heights so early in what will be a long and arduous campaign.

The result provides a significant boost going into the game on Saturday, when our visitors are Kimberely Miners Welfare.

Full-time: AFC Mansfield 1–3 Skegness Town

Three points. Three goals. A hat-trick for Dakin. And a fantastic team performance from the Lilywhites.

(Photo courtesy of Happy Snapz Photography)