Archived News from April 2004
|
STAGSNET`S STATISTICAL PREVIEW
|
 |
|
The most recent Stags v Carlisle league game at Field Mill was a special occasion for the writer of these lines as it was my first-ever visit to Field Mill – and a memorable one as well, too. The Stags were challenging with Cheltenham and Rochdale for the final auto promo spot on April 20, 2002, and had to win – and Cheltenham, who a few days earlier were held 0-0 at Carlisle – had to lose at Plymouth. Early strikes from Wayne Corden and Andy White clinched it for the Stags – as well as two early Plymouth nettings at Home Park – and assured auto promo in front of 8638 at a packed Field Mill.
And it was a sweet revenge on Carlisle, who – on the day 37 years earlier, had beaten the Stags to their first-ever promotion to the old 2nd division by winning 3-0 in front of 18764 – and finishing as old 3rd division Champions in 1964-65, one point ahead of Bristol City and the Stags. The day before, April 19, 1965, had seen the Stags beating the Cumbrians 2-0 thanks to goals from MacReady and Curry (was the goal taste too strong for the Cumbrians at Field Mill then?) attended by 13832, the Stags' 3rd highest home gate that season. But the Stags and the Cumbrians had faced each other several times before the 2001-02 season – when Greenacre netted the only goal of the game at Brunton Park on November 10, 2001. And here are some memorable – and maybe not so memorable – picks from earlier fixtures. * First league game was played on September, 1932, when the Stags won 3-1 (scorers Johnson 2, Bowater) in the old division 3 (N), attendance 7573. * Biggest Stags home win was a 6-0 on March 31, 1934 when 3301 saw Methven grab a hat-trick, the other scorers being Hill, Kilcar and Munnings, attendance 3301 * First win at Brunton Park was a 2-1 on January 9, 1937 when 6162 saw Wood and Atkinson seal the points * In 1950-51, both teams were riding high in the old 3rd division (N) gaining enough points to challenge promotion against normal opposition, Mansfield 64, Carlisle 62, but Rotherham then ran away with the championship on 71 points – a brace from Freddie Steele gave the Stags a 2-1 home win on September 30, 1950 * Highest scoreline is seven goals. This has occurred on four occasions, among them are three consecutive away ties: the worst-ever defeat at Carlisle, a 1-6 on December 22, 1956 – stags scorer Darwin, a 2-5 the season before on April 12, 1956 (goals Jepson, Mitten) and a 4-3 victory early on in the 1957-58 which was the first win that last-ever division 3 (N) campaign being achieved thanks to two goals apiece from Sammy Chapman and Dennis Uphill on August 27, 1957. * One home game has produced seven goals as well. On March 17, 1962, the Stags won a 4th division encounter 5-2 thanks to two Peter Morris penalties, two goals from Roy Chapman and one from Ken Wagstaff in front of 5557. The games in the 1964-65 season are mentioned above. And only three out of 64 League and FA Cup encounters have been goal-less, one being a home game on April 11, 1997 in front of the biggest Field Mill crowd that season, 4375, when the Stags manager of the 2001-02 home game, Stuart Watkiss, had a good goal disallowed – the only all-time goal-less draw at Field Mill. And apart from that, the Stags have only failed to score twice at home against the Cumbrians, and on both occasions, a solitary goal was enough to seal a Carlisle victory. On November 15, 2003, the Stags created an unwanted Carlisle record – thus being the number of consecutive Cumbrians league defeats – when strikes from Corden and Mendes early on in the second half condemned Carlisle to a record 9th straight league defeat – beating a previous record of eight during the 1986-87 season. Carlisle eventually succumbed to twelve straight league reverses – several of them by the odd goal, though – before beating Torquay 2-0 at Brunton Park on December 20, 2003. If Carlisle go down to the Conf, they may rue the twelve consecutive league defeats, for from December 20, 2003 onwards, they have taken 35 league points (including good home wins against Huddersfield and Oxford and a draw against Hull) compared to a measly five in the first 21 games – and also create another chapter in league history – this being the first side that have played in the top flight – Carlisle enjoyed a solitary season in the old division One in 1974-75 – that gets relegated to the Conf. But it isn't over yet........... The teams have also faced each other in the FA Cup twice. The Cumbrians went through on both occasions – the first being a 5th round tie in 1974-75, the second in a 3rd round replay in 1980-81. Played for both sides: Danny Black, Ray Blackhall (correct name of his Swedish club prior to joining the Stags is IK Tord from Jönköping, where he played 10 games scoring three times in the Third Division Nordöstra Götaland during the 1982 season), John Clayton (1930's), Michael Graham, Kevin Gray, Matthew Hill (one Stags game, at home to Gateshead on May 1, 1937, won 3-2), John Lathan, Tony Lowery, Jim Lumby, John Pearson, Lee Peacock, Gordon Presgrave (one Stags goal, in a 2-3 home defeat against Tranmere on February 6, 1937), Don O'Riordan, George Rudkin (one Stags game, a 2-2 home draw to Southend on October 2, 1937), Jamie Squires (one Stags game on loan from Preston early on in 1997-98). Home games: P 30, W 17, D 6, L 7, GF 58, GA 31 Away games: P 31, W 8, D 7, L 16, GF 33, GA 58 Season Home Date Away Date 1932-33 3-1 1932-09-10 1-3 1933-01-21 Div 3 (N) 1933-34 6-0 1934-03-31 2-3 1933-11-18 Div 3 (N) 1934-35 3-0 1934-10-06 1-1 1935-04-25 Div 3 (N) 1935-36 1-1 1935-10-12 0-3 1936-02-15 Div 3 (N) 1936-37 1-4 1936-09-12 2-1 1937-01-09 Div 3 (N) 1947-48 2-3 1947-09-08 1-3 1948-01-01 Div 3 (N) 1948-49 2-0 1949-04-02 1-3 1948-11-06 Div 3 (N) 1949-50 4-1 1949-08-27 1-1 1949-12-24 Div 3 (N) 1950-51 2-1 1950-09-30 0-2 1950-02-17 Div 3 (N) 1951-52 1-2 1952-01-12 0-0 1952-02-02 Div 3 (N) 1952-53 2-1 1952-10-18 0-1 1953-03-07 Div 3 (N) 1953-54 2-1 1954-01-16 0-5 1953-09-05 Div 3 (N) 1954-55 1-1 1955-02-26 2-1 1954-10-09 Div 3 (N) 1955-56 0-1 1955-12-03 2-5 1956-04-12 Div 3 (N) 1956-57 5-1 1956-08-25 1-6 1956-12-22 Div 3 (N) 1957-58 2-0 1957-09-02 4-3 1957-08-27 Div 3 (N) 1960-61 1-3 1960-09-19 1-3 1960-09-27 Div 4 (old) 1961-62 5-2 1962-03-17 0-1 1961-10-28 Div 4 (old) 1964-65 2-0 1965-04-19 0-3 1965-04-20 Div 3 (old) 1978-79 1-0 1978-09-30 0-1 1979-02-10 Div 3 (old) 1979-80 2-1 1979-11-06 1-1 1979-10-23 Div 3 (old) 1986-87 2-0 1987-02-21 2-1 1986-09-27 Div 3 (old) 1991-92 2-1 1992-04-11 2-1 1991-09-17 Div 4 (old) 1993-94 0-1 1994-01-15 1-1 1993-10-16 Div 3 1994-95 1-2 1995-04-01 1-2 1994-09-13 Div 3 1996-97 0-0 1997-04-11 1-1 1996-10-05 Div 3 1998-99 1-1 1998-09-12 0-0 1999-02-20 Div 3 1999-2000 1-1 1999-08-28 2-0 2000-01-29 Div 3 2000-01 1-1 2000-12-22 1-2 2001-01-27 Div 3 2001-02 2-0 2002-04-20 1-0 2001-11-10 Div 3 2003-04 (at Brunton Park) 2-0 2003-11-15 Div 3 FA Cup 1974-75 1-2 1975-02-15 (at Field Mill) 5th round 1980-81 2-2 1981-01-03 (at Field Mill) 3rd round 1980-81 1-2 1981-01-06 (at Brunton Park) 3rd round replay Details courtesy of “Mansfield Town the first 100 years”, the publication update, Rothmans Book of Football League records, various editions of Rothmans Football Yearbook and a Swedish Football Yearbook from 1983 (dates on Ray Blackhall when playing in Sweden). Svante Bernhard aka Sweden Stag (pictured, above right) |
Latest | April 2004