Archived News from October 2014
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STAGSNET STATISTICAL PREVIEW
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After the disappointing 3-0 defeat at Stevenage last Saturday, the Stags start October with a home fixture against Accrington Stanley, now the side that has stayed longest continuously in League Two, this being their ninth consecutive season following promotion as BSP champions in 2006.
Now, the Stags seek revenge for the bitter home defeat on December 21, 2013, due to two Accrington goals in stoppage-time to the tune of a 2-3 scoreline. Also the game at Accrington on Good Friday April 18, 2014, had stoppage-time strike against the Stags as a dogdy Accrington penalty five minutes into that prevented the Stags from gaining their then fifth straight League Two victory as the converted Accrington penalty "secured" a 1-1 scoreline. Since then, the Stags have not drawn in 13 League Two fixtures spread over two seasons. Fact is that the Stags so far have won five, lost five out of their so far ten league fixtures. Starting a season with ten games without drawing is VERY rare in Stags league history dating back to election way back in 1931. Only on two previous occasions have the Stags started with ten games without drawing or more. In our second FL season of all time, the 1932-33 one in the old division 3 (N) the Stags did not draw any of their first eleven games, winning six, losing five. And in the 1987-88 division 3 campaign, the Stags were draw-less in their first ten fixtures, winning four, losing six. Now, Accrington are in their ninth consecutive League Two season, longer than any other current League Two outfit, finishing fifth in 2011, and have more than managed to stay in the League considering the fact that their home gates are one of the lowest at all in the FL. Proof of making the very best out of limited resources. Stability off the field have worked wonders and spoken volumes inasmuch as John Coleman was Accrington boss for more than a decade and steered the club from way below the current BSP into League Two. Coleman was before last Christmas appointed manager at Southport with the job to make the Sandgrounders stay up, which they did. Coleman then left Southport and embarked a few weeks ago on his second Accrington spell following the resignation of James Beattie. Coleman's second Accy spell did start with a high-scoring 5-4 away victory at Northampton, followed by a home win by the only goal of the game against Plymouth. Last season, Accrington endured their worst-ever start for a long time, even worse than in the 1961-62 season that ended up in heartbreak , speak resignation from FL in March 1962. That season, Accrington did not win their first twelve games, but had six points after six games in September 1961 following a later expunged goal-less home draw against the Stags. In Accrington's comeback season, goals flew in left, right and centre at both ends. Scoring 70, more than any of the promoted sides, only surpassed by Milton Keynes Dons, equalled by Peterborough and Rochdale, Stanley let in 81, more than any League Two side, closest to that were relegated (and later demoted to Blue Square North) Boston on 80 goals conceded. Do some current Stags fans remember the Stags' last visit that counted to Accrington's old ground, Peel Park, or even the expunged goal-less draw in 1961-62 (see below)??? Fact is also that the Stags once have played an expunged fixture against an Accrington side. Early on in the 1961-62 campaign, the sides played out a goal-less draw at Peel Park on September 4, 1961 where 4161 (attendance figure courtesy to an excellent Accrington statistical site http://www.accringtonstanley.has.it made surely by one person in Sweden as the e-mail address was greger.lindberg@bredband.net linked from the official Accrington site http://www.accringtonstanley.co.uk ) saw the Stags line up as follows (courtesy of the centenary book): Wyllie, Toon, Bradley, Williams, Phillips, Morris, Wagstaff, Coates, Straw, Chapman R, Stringfellow. And one player from the then Accrington side in 1961-62, goalkeeper Alex Smith, ever-present that fateful season, later kept goal for Halifax and played in both games against the Stags in 1970-71, for instance. And in the Stags' second championship season, 1976-77, Smith was Preston goalie and played for them in the opening game at Field Mill on August 21, 1976, when the Stags won 3-1. After that game, Smith did not keep the Preston goal before April 2, 1977, then playing seven consecutive games, the last league game for Preston being a 1-0 home win against Gillingham on April 26, 1977. Smith played 33 games for Accrington, 19 for Bolton, 341 for Halifax and eight for Preston. In the middle fifties, the old Accrington Stanley side had their best moments under the management of Walter Galbraith. In the seasons of only one club being promoted from the now defunct Division 3 (S) and Division 3 (N), Accrington finished runners-up twice, in 1954-55 behind Barnsley, and in 1957-58, behind Scunthorpe and in 1955-56 and 1956-57, Stanley finished third. Therefore, Accrington, which were the ONLY side to deny the Stags a Field Mill league goal in 1957-58, a 2-0 victory in Stagsland on January 25, 1958 in front of 7154, were along with the Stags founder members of the inaugural Division 3 way back in 1958-59. On January 3, 1959, Accrington were in fifth position when they travelled to Field Mill. There, the Stags won 3-2 after two goals from Barrie Thomas (later Scunthorpe season record scorer) and one from Griffiths in front of 6815. After that game, Stanley plummeted down the table and finished 18th, just two rangs above the Stags, and in the following season, the teams were relegated together with Accrington conceding a third level record 123 goals. That season, the Stags won 4-1 at home on April 2, 1960 thanks to three goals from Ivan Hollett and one from Fitzsimons in front of 5283. The Stags faced Accrington in all seasons they played together in the old Division 3 (N), the first encounters taking place in 1932-33. On the other hand, the old Accrington club won at Field Mill three times only, the first a 3-1 on April 17, 1933 when Prior netted the consolation goal witnessed by 3869. Twice, the Stags have won 5-0. Firstly on February 10, 1934, when 4441 saw Harry Johnson net twice, Munnings, Kilcar and Bytheway once. Secondly, a few seasons after the end of World War II. In the 1950-51 season, when the Stags had their then best FA Cup run, reaching the fifth round, the Stags routed Accrington 5-0 again. On March 23, 1951, 4504 saw Coole strike twice, Fox, Reeve and Barks once apiece. That was the fourth out of five consecutive Field Mill wins over Accrington without even conceding a goal. That season, Accrington successfully applied for re-election and an oddity in that case was that the later successful manager Galbraith then managed New Brighton, who were voted out at Workington's expense that season. The old Accrington Stanley side were founder members of the old Division 3 (N) in 1921. Before that, another Accrington club had figured in the league. Accrington FC, nicknamed The Owd Reds, founded in 1878, were in fact founder members of the Football League in 1888, playing at the highest level for five seasons, then being relegated after test matches and then even failed to get election to the then new second level. The current Accrington club was formed in 1968, then called Accrington Stanley 1968, and entered the Lancashire Combination in 1970-71, finishing fifth on 35 points after 30 games, the record courtesy of the 1971-72 Rothman's Football Yearbook being Played 30, Won 15, Drawn 5, Lost 10, GF 65, GA 52, Points 35. And after three seasons in the Conf, Accrington were crowned Champions in the 2005-06 season. Oddly enough, Oxford United, who were elected upon Accrington's resignation in 1962, were relegated to the Conf aka Blue Square Premier upon the Accrington league return, but returned in 2010. But the Stags have yet to win an FL fixture against the current Accrington club, but have done so in the FA Cup. Will they do it now? Come on Mansfield! Played for both sides (until 1961-62): Harry Broome, Jimmy Heathcote, Wally Hunt, John Jepson, Tom Lockie, George Mee, Stanley Mercer, Jacob Parsons, Jazz Rattray, William White. Current Accrington club: James Alabi, Rory Boulding, Louis Moult, Andy Todd, Laurence Wilson. Home games: P 22, W 12, D 5, L 5, GF 45, GA 26 Away games: P 22, W 4, D 7, L 11, GF 28, GA 43 (games until 1961-62 as the old Accrington club) Season Home Date Away Date 1932-33 1-3 1933-04-17 0-6 1933-01-02 Div 3 (N) 1933-34 5-0 1934-02-10 1-1 1933-09-30 Div 3 (N) 1934-35 2-1 1934-12-15 0-2 1934-09-19 Div 3 (N) 1935-36 3-1 1936-04-10 1-1 1936-04-13 Div 3 (N) 1936-37 2-1 1937-03-13 3-0 1936-11-07 Div 3 (N) 1947-48 1-0 1947-11-15 0-1 1948-04-03 Div 3 (N) 1948-49 2-0 1949-01-22 1-1 1948-09-11 Div 3 (N) 1949-50 2-0 1949-08-29 2-2 1949-08-24 Div 3 (N) 1950-51 5-0 1951-03-23 2-0 1951-03-26 Div 3 (N) 1951-52 3-0 1951-08-27 0-1 1951-08-22 Div 3 (N) 1952-53 0-0 1953-04-13 2-2 1953-01-31 Div 3 (N) 1953-54 1-1 1953-09-12 1-5 1954-01-23 Div 3 (N) 1954-55 2-2 1954-09-11 2-3 1955-01-22 Div 3 (N) 1955-56 3-2 1956-03-30 1-3 1956-04-02 Div 3 (N) 1956-57 1-3 1956-12-29 3-3 1956-09-01 Div 3 (N) 1957-58 0-2 1958-01-25 1-4 1958-03-29 Div 3 (N) 1958-59 3-2 1959-01-03 0-2 1958-08-30 Div 3 (old) 1959-60 4-1 1960-04-02 1-0 1960-03-21 Div 3 (old) 1960-61 0-0 1961-03-22 4-1 1961-03-25 Div 4 (old) As the current Accrington club: 2006-07 2-2 2006-09-23 2-3 2007-01-16 League Two 2007-08 1-2 2007-12-29 0-1 2007-09-22 League Two 2013-14 2-3 2013-12-21 1-1 2014-04-17 League Two FA Cup: 1934-35 6-1 1934-11-24 (1st round at Field Mill) 1952-53 2-0 1952-12-06 (2nd round at Peel Park) 1959-60 2-1 1959-11-14 (1st round at Peel Park) 1960-61 0-3 1960-11-30 (2nd round at Peel Park) As the current Accrington club: 2006-07 1-0 2006-11-11 (1st round at Field Mill) |
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