Archived News from April 2006
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STAGSNET`S STATISTICAL PREVIEW
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Lincoln and Mansfield are not geographically far apart, yet the Stags have faced the Imps in only 25 league seasons before this one. This was mainly due to Lincoln playing most part of the fifties in the old 2nd division and their slide coincided then with the Stags first-ever promotion in 1962-63. Therefore, between 1952-53 and 1971-72 they only played once in the league! And when the Stags were promoted again in 1985-86, Lincoln were relegated to the old fourth, then became the first side to be relegated from the league and to bounce straight back!
Yet a number of Stags v Imps derbies in the past league history have been crowd-pullers, the stats dating back to 1934-35 when the Imps won both derbies early on. And in three of the Imps' promotion seasons, 1951-52 with their club record scoring haul of 121 goals, 1980-81 with only 25 goals conceded and the latest in 1997-98, they failed to beat the Stags at home as well as away. In the 2003-04 season, Lincoln won 2-1 at Field Mill thanks to two screamers of goals (Butcher and Gain early on in both halves) while Liam Lawrence equalized through a penalty just after the half-hour mark and also won the home game 4-1 due to an appalling second-half Stags showing after leading 1-0 at half-time thanks to yet another Liam Lawrence spot-kick. Incidentally, Lincoln's winning margins at Sincil Bank and Field Mill were exactly the same ones as the Stags achieved in the 2001-02 promotion season (see below). Last season, the sides shared four goals at Field Mill. First, goals from McAuley and Yeo put the Imps 2-0 up, but Adam Murray reduced the arrears just before half-time, shortley after Yeo's scoring for Lincoln. And early in the second half, Baptiste equalized in front of 5349. And at Lincoln, the Stags were hard done by. No wonder with the ref Eddie Ilderton from Tyne & Wear (enough written). A harsh red card on Maltese international Luke Dimech (who played in both Malta's WC qualifiers against Sweden) midway through the second half contributed in some way to the 2-0 defeat in front of 1264 Stags supporters out of a total gate of 5511. But now, the Stags come afresh from a somewhat lucky 1-0 win at home to Oxford thanks to a late Danny Reet strike in a fixture that was sadly marred by crowd trouble caused by some so-called Oxford fans, while the Imps lost 4-2 at Darlington, thus losing their third consecutive away league game. But in Lincoln's latest home game, they routed local rivals Grimsby 5-0, while the Stags lost their latest away game 2-0 at a rainsoaked Bristol Rovers pitch. But that was the Stags' only defeat in their last ten league fixtures, catapulting the side into 12th position, just a handful of points below the playoff positions, where Lincoln now sit on slightly inferior goal difference to Peterborough. The latest Stags v Imps clash was played just inside the New Year at Field Mill, ending in only the second goal-less draw of all time at Stagsland. Compare that to just three at Sincil Bank! But Lincoln haven't lost their eleven last home league games, their latest home reverse was a 1-2 against Wycombe on October 22, 2005 – and the Stags' latest away win was watched by the previewer himself, a 2-0 at Torquay on February 25, 2006. And the Stags' first of total eight away victories at Sincil Bank was achieved as early as on November 2, 1935 when goals from Hunter and Harston secured a 2-1 win in front of 6623 – and only a fortnight earlier, Harston scored a hat-trick on his Stags debut in a 3-3 draw at Southport. Harston scored again in the home fixture against the Imps in front of 5007 on March 7, 1936, Anderson hitting the other Stags goal. Yet the Stags could only finish 19th in the 1935-36 Division 3 (N) campaign, while the Imps finished fourth that season, seven points below winners Chesterfield. Oddly enough, the Stags' 2-1 win at Lincoln was their ONLY away victory that season, while Lincoln only lost three more home points that season, an early draw against Chester and a more crucial 0-1 defeat against Chesterfield on April 10, 1936, oddly enough one day before a Spireites v Stags derby! (Match date details from 1935-36 courtesy of the centenary book and Rothman's Book of Football League records 1888-89 to 1978-79). Here are my picks of the cream concerning Stags v Imps fixtures: * In 1951-52 the Stags did the double over Lincoln by winning 2-1 away on October 27, 1951 thanks to goals from Coole and Steele in front of 16364 fans, an attendance figure that was to be even bettered in the return fixture at Field Mill on March 15, 1952, when 19043 witnesses saw Reeve secure the Stags winner. * In March 1963, Tommy Cummings had just been appointed Stags player-manager. On March 27, 1963, the Stags won the first of three consecutive away victories by mauling the Imps 6-2 thanks to an own-goal and one goal apiece from Morris, Hollett, Roy Chapman, Wagstaff and Coates. And one of the Lincoln scorers, Albert Scanlon (Linnecor was the other Imp to score without stopping the rout), was later to play for the Stags. Two Stags players in that fixture, ever-present goalie Colin Treharne as well as Roy Chapman, goal-poacher along with Ken Wagstaff, were later to represent Lincoln, Treharne ending his league career for the Imps in 1966-67. Even the one Imp with most league appearances up to 2001-02, Tony Emery with 402 league outings – finished his league career in Stagsland, his last league game being a 0-1 reverse at Stockport on December 31, 1960. * On Easter Saturday, April 18, 1981, the Stags had faded out of the promotion picture while Lincoln were already promoted. But that didn't stop the Stags from winning 2-0 due to goals from Caldwell and Thomson. * A 6-2 has also been secured at home. This happened on March 11, 1995, when Iffy Onoura scored a hat-trick within only a few minutes * The teams also met in the Stags latest promotion season with the double achieved. At home, Corden scored a late winner to seal the 2-1 victory, and at Sincil Bank, the Stags stuffed the Imps 4-1 in a game that might be billed as the Lee Williamson show as he netted twice, Corden and Pemberton once in a derby that was like a home game with 1729 Stags fans out of 4072. Oddly, the 2001-02 Lincoln away game was the last Stags game before the start of the Stagsnet statistical previews. On three occasions, all in December 2nd round ties at Field Mill spanning over 50 years, the clubs have faced each other in the FA Cup with the Stags going through on two occasions and Lincoln on one. As one might expect, loads of players have appeared in Stags amber as well as for the Red Imps. The writer of these lines has found over 50 players having appeared for both sides, about twenty being checked with the help of the history CD. And some of them have also figured in the Lincoln hot-seat as well – with the current Lincoln one, Keith Alexander, as assistant manager/coach for the Stags in 1995-96. Played for both sides: Keith Alexander, Nicholas Andersen, Geoffrey Anderson, Derek Asamoah, Arthur Atkinson, Danny Bacon, Ian Baraclough, William Bell (for Stags pre-league), Ian Bowling, Shayne Bradley, John Bryan (for Stags pre-league), Walter Buckley, Roy Chapman, John Cottam (for both sides on loan in 1972!), Syd Dickinson, Sam Ellis, Tony Emery (the one with Lincoln's most league appearances up to 2001-02, then beaten by Grant Brown), Scott Eustace, Jackie Fisher, Arthur Fitzsimons, Bernard Foster (for Stags pre-league), Alfred Freeman (for Stags pre-league), Bert Garner, Martin Garratt, Arthur Green (for Stags pre-league), John Gregson, Ray Harford, James Heathcote (for Stags pre-league), Amos Hill (one Stags league game, 0-0 at Halifax on February 13, 1937),Simeon Hodson, George Hogg, Maxwell Holmes, Alfred Horne, John Hunt (for Stags pre-league), Walter Hunt, Arthur Jepson, Robert Littledyke, Tony Lormor, Ernie Moss, Stuart Naylor, George Pass, William Paterson, Chris Perkins, Nicky Platnauer, Bill Poynton, Charley Reed, Barry Richardson, John Riley (one pre-league FA-Cup game preliminary round, one goal against Mapperley on September 13, 1913!), John Saunders, Mick Saxby, Albert Scanlon, Jon Schofield, Ben Sedgemore, Wally Smith, Phil Stant, Colin Treharne, Daniel Tremelling. Played for Stags, later managers for Lincoln: Keith Alexander, Roy Chapman, Sam Ellis, Phil Stant. Home stats: P 26, W 12, D 8, L 6, GF 51, GA 37 Away stats: P 25, W 8, D 6, L 11, GF 30, GA 38 Season Home Date Away Date 1934-35 3-4 1934-08-29 0-4 1934-09-03 Div 3 (N) 1935-36 2-2 1936-07-03 2-1 1935-11-02 Div 3 (N) 1936-37 2-2 1936-10-31 0-2 1937-03-06 Div 3 (N) 1947-48 0-2 1948-03-27 0-0 1947-11-08 Div 3 (N) 1949-50 2-1 1949-09-10 0-1 1950-01-14 Div 3 (N) 1950-51 1-1 1950-09-02 0-3 1950-12-30 Div 3 (N) 1951-52 1-0 1952-03-15 2-1 1951-10-27 Div 3 (N) 1962-63 2-0 1962-10-13 6-2 1963-03-27 Div 4 (old) 1972-73 0-2 1973-03-31 1-1 1972-11-25 Div 4 (old) 1973-74 4-3 1973-12-26 1-1 1974-03-03 Div 4 (old) 1974-75 3-1 1975-04-14 0-0 1975-02-25 Div 4 (old) 1976-77 3-1 1976-11-06 2-3 1977-02-15 Div 3 (old) 1978-79 2-0 1979-05-11 1-0 1978-11-04 Div 3 (old) 1980-81 2-0 1981-04-18 1-1 1980-12-27 Div 3 (old) 1991-92 0-0 1992-03-24 0-2 1992-03-07 Div 4 (old) 1993-94 1-0 1993-09-11 2-1 1994-03-05 Div 3 1994-95 6-2 1995-03-11 2-3 1994-09-10 Div 3 1995-96 1-2 1995-11-01 1-2 1996-04-13 Div 3 1996-97 2-2 1997-02-15 0-0 1996-11-23 Div 3 1997-98 2-2 1997-12-28 2-0 1997-09-02 Div 3 1999-2000 5-2 1999-11-06 0-3 2000-03-07 Div 3 2000-01 2-3 2001-03-03 2-0 2000-09-30 Div 3 2001-02 2-1 2001-09-08 4-1 2002-02-12 Div 3 2003-04 1-2 2003-12-13 1-4 2004-03-13 Div 3 2004-05 2-2 2004-10-02 0-2 2005-01-29 League Two 2005-06 0-0 2006-01-02 (at Field Mill) League Two FA Cup 1937-38 2-1 1937-12-15 2nd round at Field Mill 1975-76 1-2 1975-12-13 2nd round at Field Mill 1987-88 4-3 1987-12-05 2nd round at Field Mill Details courtesy of the Stags centenary book, various editions of Rothmans Football Yearbook and a vast played for both sides update courtesy of the Players Who's who on the history CD. For even more sources, see above. And some details – concerning some players in the 1962-63 games – are courtesy of Lincoln's – in my opinion – excellent official site when it comes to player stats! Svante Bernhard aka Sweden Stag (pictured, above right) |
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