A ruthless attacking display saw Matt Chatfield's men launch their pre-season campaign in style against local rivals Clipstone.
AFC hit the Cobras for six in a dominant 6-1 win at the Lido Ground, with Ross Duggan and new signing Ben Algar both grabbing a superb brace before the interval.
NCEL Division One side Clipstone made the opening ten minutes a difficult task, but the Bulls eventually found a breakthrough when Algar cut onto his left foot and curled wonderfully into the far top corner on 20 minutes.
The lead was doubled only moments later, Algar once again causing trouble as he wiggled free of his marker before coolly slotting low beyond the Clipstone stopper from the edge of the penalty area.
Having bagged 34 goals in the curtailed 2019/20 season, Bulls striker Ross Duggan was in no mood for waiting for his first pre-season goal, perhaps bettering Algar's opener with a sublime 25-yard strike.
Duggan then became the second player of the match to grab a brace, as the talisman slammed home Josh Wilde's square ball to round off a sensational string of passes.
Such a substantial lead could have been even more before the interval, but AFC's momentum staggered when a wayward pass allowed former Bulls striker Jack Warwick to tap home a mere consolation.
The second half was considerably more competitive with the Bulls enduring a slow restart, but they rediscovered their scoring form when substitute Owen Clarke sent a looping effort into the top corner for AFC's fifth of the afternoon, minutes after the woodwork denied Duggan a hat-trick.
With the help of composure on the ball in the final third, Clarke was then felled inside the area to tee up a spot-kick for Morgan James, who calmly found the bottom corner to round off an impressive goal-scoring display at the Lido.
Matt Chatfield's men make another brief journey on Tuesday night, hosted by Rainworth Miners Welfare in their second pre-season warm-up tie.
The Bulls were victors of a dramatic FA Vase encounter with Rainworth last season, coming from two goals down to win 3-2 at the Forest Town Arena.
MATCH DETAILS
Final score | Clipstone FC 1-6 AFC Mansfield
Scorers | Warwick - Algar (2), Duggan (2), Clarke, James
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