Mansfield 9-2 Harrogate: Stags move towards the top of League Two with club record win.

Mansfield defeated in-form Harrogate on an astonishing 9-2 scoreline, equaling their first league win since 1932 and moving them close to the top of League Two.

It was also the first time a team had scored nine goals in a Football League game since 1998, when Peterborough defeated Barnet 9-1 in Division Three.

Stags manager Nigel Clough said his side “deserved to score nine goals” and said the feat was “very special”.

Clough told BBC Radio Nottingham: “I think it was a great performance, hurting opponents when they got the ball and finishing calmly.''

“Scoring nine points is very special. It's happened a few times this season, but tonight it all clicked.

“We've done the same thing a few times against teams here and we haven't finished the move yet, but we did it tonight and had some really good goals as well.

“It came from the training ground and we haven’t really put it on the pitch all season, but we certainly showed it tonight.

“Hyram got a hat-trick and man of the match, I don't know how you pick them, but they all played very well.”

The Stags never looked back from a one-sided first half from the 13th minute on, when Lucas Akins sank a home penalty after Derrick Abu brought down Bailey Cargill.

In the 20th minute Boateng won a tackle 25 yards out, ran to the edge of the box and finished powerfully home to make it 2-0.

Boateng scored his second goal in the 30th minute with a square pass 18 yards in front of Davis Keilor-Dunn, and four minutes later Stephen Quinn set up Tom Nicholls to score four from Jordan Bowery's cross. He brought the score home.

Shaken, Harrogate conceded their fifth goal in the 39th minute when Nicholls played the ball into space for Keilor-Dunn to comfortably score his 16th goal of the season.

Boateng then completed his hat-trick five minutes later after a six-yard break from Will Swann's pass.

But George Thomson clinically finished the half-time in the 54th minute when Josh March hit the post and the rebound was converted by Abraham Odoh, giving the visitors a huge cheer as he scored twice in just over a minute.

But in the 61st minute, Akins deflected a shot from a through ball from George Maris to the number seven.

Substitute Swann scored in the 75th minute with a fine finish past the keeper from 25 yards and then again two minutes later, slotting home Aaron Lewis' ball for his ninth goal.

Mansfield's previous 9-2 win came in their second season in the Football League in December 1932, when they defeated Rotherham United in Division Three (North).

Match details provided by PA Media.