Archived News from September 2003
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STAGSNET`S STATISTICAL PREVIEW
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When Cambridge United had their first-ever taste of league football in 1970-71 after being elected at the expense of Bradford Park Avenue, they fielded two ex-Stags but none of them figured in Cambridge's first-ever league game, a 1-1 home draw against Lincoln on August 15, 1970.
The ex-Stags were two forwards: John Gregson (74+2 sub games for the Stags, five goals), who figured in Cambridge's first-ever league win, a 3-1 at home to Oldham on August 29, 1970, and Ivan Hollett, who started his league career at the Stags with 99 games and 40 goals to his credit before going to the arch-rivals Chesterfield (65 goals in 157 games for the Spireites). During the 1970-71 season, Hollett came to Cambridge from Crewe and was to be their top league scorer with 11 goals in 29 games. But those two players were no more on United's books when the teams faced each other for the first time in the 1972-73 season. The Stags won their home game early on in the season 3-1 (Stags: Fairbrother, Longhorn, Walker; Cambridge: Lill, Attendance: 5,216) – and the return game at Cambridge was to be a promotion decider at Abbey Stadium. No wonder then that the game on April 28, 1973, attracted Cambridgeäs highest home crowd that season, 10,542! At the end of that day, Cambridge won 3-2 (Cambridge scorers Walton 2, Ross pen, Stags scorers McCaffrey, Dudley Roberts) and gained promotion instead of the Stags. But 12 months later, Cambridge were back in the basement and that 1974-75 championship season also saw the only FA-Cup tie so far between the sides. A 3rd round tie at Field Mill saw the Stags through with the only goal of the game. A brief view of the stats show that the sides have won six home games each out of eight – and a draw and an away win each – and the up-to-date last meeting produced the most goals scored as Cambridge won their home game on March 20, 1999 with 7-2. After the 2-4 defeat on October 5, 1985, the Stags won four games on the trot to go top of the old fourth division and the 2-2 draw at Field Mill on September 18, 1990, was the Stags solitary home point in the first seven games of the 1990-91 season .... and the Stags have scored in every league game bar one – the away game on February 28, 1998, against the 1989-90 and 1990-91 FA cup giant killers, reaching the quarter-finals on both occasions. ... and the teams have yet to play a goal-less league and cup game. Played for both sides: Scott Eustace, David Lyon, Neil MacKenzie, John Gregson, Ivan Hollett. Stats facts with the Stags figures first Home: P 8, W 6, D 1, L 1, GF 16, GA 10 Away: P 8, W 1, D 1, L 6, GF 12, GA 22 Season Home Date Away Date 1972-73 3-1 1972-08-30 2-3 1973-04-28 Div 4 (old) 1974-75 2-1 1975-03-07 2-2 1974-09-24 Div 4 (old) 1985-86 2-0 1986-03-08 2-4 1985-10-05 Div 4 (old) 1990-91 2-2 1990-09-18 1-2 1991-02-01 Div 3 (old) 1995-96 2-1 1996-01-23 2-0 1996-03-23 Div 3 1996-97 1-0 1997-03-01 1-2 1996-03-12 Div 3 1997-98 3-2 1997-11-10 0-2 1998-02-28 Div 3 1998-99 1-3 1998-10-31 2-7 1999-03-20 Div 3 Svante Bernhard aka Sweden Stag (pictured, above right) |
Latest | September 2003