Mansfield’s dressing room was total mayhem as TV captured the spontaneous joy of securing a dream FA Cup tie with Liverpool this week.

The cameras had also been allowed into Valley Parade’s inner sanctum 24 hours earlier to see City’s reaction to dumping Arsenal out in the Capital One quarter-finals.

The delight of the players was unmistakeable but there were no similar scenes of riotous celebration. It was more a dignity of knowing a great job had been carried out.

Phil Parkinson, naturally one to keep both feet on the ground, was reluctant to let in the Sky scrum in the first place. But the restrained reaction behind the door was further proof – if he needed any – that his team have adopted that same ethos.

It was exactly what the manager wanted to see.

He said: “The lads knew what they’d done but there was nobody bouncing on the ceiling, no champagne corks popping.

“It was a fantastic win for us and of course we’re really proud to get the club in the spotlight.

“But they were calm and just went about the job. We had a chat after the game about what we’d done and what we’d done well – now we have to do it again.

“When I first came here last year, I felt that when we lost there was a massive over-reaction. It was the same when we won a game.

“You can’t have that in football. You can’t get too carried away.

“There’s a process each week about how best to try to win the game. You’ve got to keep cool at all times.”

Parkinson’s phone has gone into overdrive since Tuesday, fielding calls from all over the globe. Long-lost friends, some he didn’t know he had, have been keen to pay tribute to the most sensational result of the season.

City’s place in the headlines has also put a target on their back with League Two rivals – in-form Southend will be the first to have a go tomorrow. But the boss is confident his team will not be shot down.

“There will be added pressures because of that win.

“But where we are at the moment is a tremendous achievement from everyone connected with the club. It’s not just happened.

“The whole ethos and culture of this club has turned round.

“We’re only halfway and we’ve got to go again. By the end of the season, we could have played 60 games which is a tall order but I do believe we have the capabilities to cope.”

City will have a late look at Nahki Wells (knee) and Will Atkinson (hip) before facing a Southend side who also won on penalties in midweek against Bury – setting up a potential FA Cup third round rematch in three weeks’ time.

Parkinson has plenty of respect for their wily boss Paul Sturrock.

He said: “Paul’s a personal friend of Steve (Parkin) and I’ve got to know him well over the years.

“He always produces teams that statistically get a lot of crosses in and have a lot of attempts on goal. That’s been the case from his Plymouth days when I was at Colchester.

“They are always a threat and always well-organised. But we understand how important this game is and will make sure we’re ready for it.”