Scouts at Field Mill

But the fear for Peter Shirtliff is that Everton will not only rob Mansfield of the services of the winger when his loan spell expires at the end of the season - but also relieve the Stags of one or two of their other starlets.

If not the Premiership side, then possibly one of the other host of clubs present on a day when Mansfield turned on the style.

Wilson was the pick of their young bucks and was unfortunate not to add his name to the score sheet as Shirtliff's side collected their biggest victory of the season.

But he was not the only one to shine on a day when, as Shirtliff said, you would be hard pressed to single out a Mansfield player who was anything short of outstanding.

He said: "I thought there were some excellent performances from our lads."

The Stags manager has become something of a Pied Piper at Field Mill with a collection of exciting young men playing to his tune. They certainly led Boston a merry dance - tearing holes in the visitors' defence before a second-half ambush left Steve Evans' side shell-shocked and the 3,000-strong crowd breathless.

The 5-0 score line in no way flattered Mansfield. Indeed, if not for some profligate finishing from Ritchie Barker, in particular, they could have been as many as 3-0 up inside the opening ten minutes.

The Stags skipper looked like the mantle of being named League Two player of the month was weighing heavily on his shoulders when firing over with only goalkeeper Michel Kuipers to beat in the first minute.

But Barker's controlled volley two minutes before half-time put them into a lead they were never in danger of relinquishing.

While the finish was exquisite, it was the provider of the cross that had Boston chasing shadows.

Wilson's pace, control and crossing ability from the left terrified the visitors. He followed up his first-half assist with an even better ball for Gus Uhlenbeek to get on the score sheet after the break - and had Boston tied in knots before driving against the post from 20-plus yards. Shirtliff aims to make a concerted challenge at the other end of League Two next year after taking Mansfield from rock bottom to safety in his short spell in charge.

But if he is to mount a serious promotion challenge, he will need to convince Everton to let him keep hold of Wilson, whose runs down the left perfectly balanced the probes of Uhlenbeek on the right. While the Goodison youngster was the best of the starlets on the day, it was the veteran Dutchman who had the greatest impact, orchestrating the second-half onslaught, having a hand in two of the goals, scoring another.

His cross-shot just after the break was turned into his own net by Mark Greaves and he followed that up by setting Reet free to add Mansfield's third. When Uhlenbeek got on the end of Wilson's drilled cross just after the hour, it was the least he deserved.

It was evidence of the burgeoning squad being built by Shirtliff that he could bring Simon Brown off the bench to further terrorise Boston.

Brown won and converted a penalty to complete an incredible day for Mansfield.

"I want the players to trust in me because I believe I can build a squad that can compete next season at the other end of the league," said Shirtliff. "I've not come here to be a manager at the bottom, I want to be at the top."

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