AFC Mansfield close in on a century of goals
AFC Mansfield banged in eight goals as they romped to victory at Kiveton – and are now just six off reaching a century with only half the season gone.
On paper it looked like it could be a difficult away game for 'The Bulls', but with several players missing the home side looked a shadow of the side who visited Forest Town in September.
AFC were still missing keeper Dale Sheppard and captain Steve McGurk through injury and influential midfielder Ricky Chambers was unavailable. Danny Tighe and Mark Carter came back onto the bench after missing last week.
'The Bulls' got off to the perfect start when Dean Rick latched onto a Jason Edwards through ball before firing past the advancing Jonathon Parker to open the scoring.
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Parker nearly embarrassed himself three minutes later when a back pass bobbled over his foot and looked to be going in.
But the keeper kept his composure and stopped the ball on the line much to the relief of the home dugout.
Rick then beat Parker on ten minutes but James Cregan managed to turn the ball around the post.
The same pairing of Rick and Parker were involved again on 25 minutes with Parker saving with his feet from Rick's effort.
Carl Haslam was the next to test Parker with a curling effort that the keeper did well to get to.
The visitors doubled their lead on 40 minutes with Danny Naylor finding Edwards who picked out Rick. Rick's effort came back off the post but Haslam was on hand to finish from three yards.
Kieren Watson then saw his goalbound effort well saved by Parker after good link play from Rick and Haslam just before the break.
The goal of the game came five minutes into the restart, Rick receiving the ball 25 yards out and firing past Parker into the roof of the net.
The chances were coming thick and fast and both Edwards and Watson had efforts saved by Parker as AFC turned up the pressure.
Matt Draper found Haslam with a long pass and the striker raced down the left flank before delivering an inviting cross to the far post. Watson accepted the invitation to fire home from close range on 56 minutes for his first goal for AFC Mansfield.
Jason Edwards made it 5-0 on 66 minutes from a neat move down the right involving Mark Carter and Watson with the latter pulling the ball back in the box for Edwards to finish from 12 yards.
Watson got his second and AFC's sixth on 76 minutes after he rounded keeper Parker to fire home from ten yards.
Watson was involved in the next goal, delivering a superb cross which Haslam nodded down to the waiting Mark Carter to fire home from the edge of the six-yard box.
Liam Pride then made a great run down the right flank minutes later and his cross found Haslam on the far post, but his effort was turned around the post by Parker.
Watson was again the provider for the eighth and final goal, his cross met by the head of Carter giving Parker no chance.
This was Kiveton's heaviest defeat of the season and brought to an end a three-match winning run by the South Yorkshire side.
AFC Mansfield are back in action tomorrow when they host local rivals Ollerton Town in the Phoenix Trophies Floodlit Cup second round at the Forest Town Stadium, kick off is 7.45pm.
AFC Mansfield: Eley, Buxton (McLane 76), Meehan, Draper (c) (Tighe 66), Pride, Naylor, Edwards, Armstrong (Carter 60), Rick, Haslam, Watson. Subs not used: Staniforth, Rodger.
Man of the Match: Dean Rick.
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