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Archived News from October 2003

STAGSNET`S STATISTICAL PREVIEW
31st October 2003 0:06


Boston United were promoted to the Nationwide FL div 3 last season and despite having four points deducted they managed to stay up in their first-ever Football League campaign. In the recent games, the Boston Pilgrims – not to be confused with the ones from Plymouth!!!!! – they have fared well. After gaining a creditable 1-1 home draw against Oxford, they beat Southend away 2-0 and last Saturday clipped the Torquay Gulls' wings by stuffing the team that last beat the Stags, by a 4-0 scoreline, incidentally the same one as the Stags did Cheltenham in front of i.e. the writer of these lines.
Saturday's game at Field Mill will therefore be the first-ever league encounter between the two teams. But the teams have faced each other frequently before – and that was in the 20's, prior to the Stags election to the old div 3 (South) way back in 1931-32, the last ones being in the 1930-31 season of the Midland Counties League.
And the Stags did score at least once in their 10 home fixtures compared to a measly five away goals, one win and one defeat away at Boston.
In the 20's, the biggest Stags win was a 7-2 on October 22, 1927 and the scorers were Morfitt 2, Keetley 3, Fisher and Roe. When the Stags notched their so far only win at Boston on September 8, 1923, Death and Donovan hit the back of the net once each.
The teams last met at Field Mill on September 27, 1930 when the Stags won 3-0 courtesy of strikes from Murphy (2) and Hargreaves. When the teams drew on January 17, 1931, Goddard was credited as Stags scorers.
And during that period of time, they also crossed their FA Cup swords on one occasion. This happened on November 28, 1925 when goals from Heathcote and Hart weren't enough to see the Stags progress as Boston ran out 5-2 winners at their place. The worst Stags reverse in the Midland Counties League days was a 0-5 on May 3, 1930.
(NOTE: all results details below and the Stags scorers in previous outings are courtesy of the centenary Mansfield Town – the First 100 years book by Jack Retter and Paul Taylor).
There have also been some players figuring for both sides. Among them are Andy White, who earlier this season spent a month on loan to Boston playing a couple of games.

Played for both sides: Russell Allen, Brian Bates, Bernard Chambers, Stephen Chambers, Oliver Copestake, Charles Croft, Paul Evans, Greg Fee, Barry Foster, Jim Lumby, Brendon Phillips, David Smith, Imre Varadi, Ernest Wright, (while in FL), Andy White.
(Reginald Simms, 1 game for the Stags in 1933 – not FL – left for Boston).

Above mentioned players are those whose, courtesy of the centenary book, previous or next club was Boston.

Home: P 10, W 6, D 2, L 2, GF 27, GA 15
Away: P 10, W 1, D 1, L 8, GF 5, GA 24

1921-22 2-1 1921-10-29 1-4 1922-04-06 Midland Counties League
1922-23 2-2 1922-09-30 0-1 1923-04-14 Midland Counties League
1923-24 2-1 1923-09-15 2-0 1923-09-08 Midland Counties League
1924-25 3-2 1925-03-01 1-2 1924-09-13 Midland Counties League
1924-25 3-0 1925-04-25 0-3 1925-04-18 Midland Counties League, secondary competition
1925-26 2-3 1925-10-17 0-2 1925-10-03 Midland Counties League
1927-28 7-2 1927-10-22 0-2 1927-09-10 Midland Counties League
1928-29 2-2 1928-10-03 0-4 1929-05-02 Midland Counties League
1929-30 1-2 1930-02-08 0-5 1930-05-03 Midland Counties League
1930-31 3-0 1930-09-27 1-1 1931-01-17 Midland Counties League

FA Cup

1925-26 2-5 1925-11-28 (1st round at Boston)

Svante Bernhard aka Sweden Stag (pictured, above right)

 

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