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Archived News from October 2005

STAGSNET`S STATISTICAL PREVIEW
11th October 2005 22:19


After stuffing Shrewsbury 4-0 in the latest league fixture, the Stags travel up to Cumbria to face Carlisle, a side which were the Stags' opponents on the final day of the 2001-02 season, which also marked the previewer's first-ever visit to Field Mill – and a memorable one as well, too. Then, 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.

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 Stags win during the 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 65 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, and that played a major part in Carlisle's relegation to the Conf, from which they were the second side to bounce straight back via the promotion playoffs (the first one was incidentally Shrewsbury). Carlisle also became the first side having played played in the top flight – Carlisle enjoyed a solitary season in the old division One in 1974-75 – getting relegated to the Conf and bouncing straight back..... And in the latest Field Mill fixture, Carlisle won 3-2 to fight relegation, which was confirmed one week later. But it could have been settled at the Mill, had Liam Lawrence converted a 90th minute penalty with Carlisle leading 3-2 ... but the well-taken penalty was equally brilliantly saved....

So far this season, Carlisle have fared quite ok but have lost their last four league fixture, but have a better away record than at Brunton Park, as the Cumbrians already have lost four home games – out of six, more than any other side in League Two at the time of writing.

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: Thomas Baxter, 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), Dave Caldwell, Peter Clark (at Carlisle around 1998), John Clayton (1930's), Ron Dellow, Michael Graham, Alec Gray, Kevin Gray, Matthew Hill (one Stags game, at home to Gateshead on May 1, 1937, won 3-2), Wally Hunt, Robert Hutchinson, John Jepson, Joe Laidlaw, John Lathan, Tony Lowery, Jim Lumby, Dennis Martin, Junior Mendes, Adam Murray, Neil Moore, Don O'Riordan, Gordon Owen, Lee Peacock, John Pearson, Gordon Presgrave (one Stags goal, in a 2-3 home defeat against Tranmere on February 6, 1937), George Rudkin (one Stags game, a 2-2 home draw to Southend on October 2, 1937), Adam Rundle, Arthur Sharp, Jamie Squires (one Stags game on loan from Preston early on in 1997-98).

Played for Stags, later managed Carlisle: Roddy Collins.

Home games: P 31, W 17, D 6, L 8, GF 60, GA 34
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 2-3 2004-04-24 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”, its publication update, the history CD (updates on players having figured for both sides), Rothmans Book of Football League records, various editions of Rothmans Football Yearbook and a Swedish Football Yearbook from 1983 (details on Ray Blackhall when playing in Sweden).

Svante Bernhard aka Sweden Stag (pictured, above right)

 

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