Exeter away preview

[Sweden Stag]

The Stags’ latest long away trip to Carlisle is now followed by another long one. This time, it will be down to Devon and currently unbeaten League Two leaders Exeter City, who themselves hade a fruitful long away trip to Morecambe by winning 3-2 last Saturday.

Meanwhile, the Stags were unlucky not to beat Stevenage at headquarters last time out in League fixtures.

Last season, the Stags travelled down to Exeter late on and routed the Grecians to a heavy 4-1 scoreline in a display worthy of more than holding their own in a higher sphere. Had the FA reacted earlier this year, i.e. around the time of our latest visit to Exeter, regarding the dismal situation at a club which in the end were promoted on the field but were thrown out of the higher grade due to i.e. off-field issues, the Stags might have played in a higher division this current campaign. My views on the Bury situation sandwiched into this preview.

Incredibly enough, last season’s 4-1 victory at Exeter was the Stags’ fifth out of six at St. James’ Park in Devon since the Stags returned to League Two in 2013, and also the joint-biggest one.

Iincredible as well is the fact that, the Stags haven’t had without a home victory against Exeter for twenty-odd years as the Grecians won by a 2-1 scoreline almost a year ago, which proved to be the Stags’ final League Two defeat in the calendar year of 2018.

The home run without a victory against Exeter is now on ten games, four draws and six odd-goal defeats since a 3-2 victory on March 21, 1998. More incredible is that the Stags have won six out of their last seven games at Exeter’s St. James’ Park. And the first of those, a 1-0 due to an early Liam Lawrence strike, was achieved a few weeks before previewing started in early 2002. Yet, the 1-0 victory in Devon on February 17, 2018, proved to be the final one for Steve Evans as Stags boss.

Exeter are also one of only two teams the Stags (and Newport as well) have played in every season since the FL return in 2013. The other are Morecambe.

Exeter, one of now two Devon FL clubs, were a founder member of the FL third tier way back in 1920, then were ever-present in the old division 3 (S) during its existence up to 1957-58, and were therefore one of the sides that faced the Stags in their first-ever FL season in 1931, and the Grecians' first-ever visit to Mansfield on December 5, 1931 ended in a Stags 3-1 victory, thanks to two goals from Johnson and one from Featherby. This was to be the first out of so far ten Stags home victories against Exeter, the latest being a 3-2 on March 21, 1998. In that fixture, Ford scored twice and Peters once.

The sides had met before previewing started and each won their away game 1-0. Just before Christmas 2001, Exeter won 1-0 at Mansfield, and a month later, an early Liam Lawrence header sealed the Stags win at St James' Park.

A recent classic between the sides was the Stags’ 3-2 victory at the very end of the 2015-16 season with fabulous goals for both sides. Exeter goalie then: Bobby Olejnik. Craig Woodman also played in that game, and from the then Stags line-up, only Mal Benning is still at the Stags as a player.

Exeter's best FL position is second in the old division 3 (S) in 1932-33, four points behind Brentford.

When playing together in the Southern section of the third level, the Stags travelled to Exeter four times and lost all games without even scoring. The Stags had to wait until September 3, 1960, to score their first goals and gain their first-ever points at Exeter. A brace from Wragg was enough to seal a 2-0 victory. Some of our now ten away victories at Exeter's St James' Park have been achieved in promotion seasons, one in January 2002 thanks to an early Liam Lawrence header. In our first-ever promotion season, the Stags' first away game was at Exeter. On August 22, 1962, Ken Wagstaff scored all the Stags goals in the Stags' so far highest away win at Exeter, a convincing 3-0 scoreline.

But the 1-0 win at Exeter in January 2002 was not our first 1-0 win there in a promotion season. On September 7, 1974, Terry Eccles scored the only goal at Exeter, and on February 8, 1986, Kevin Kent did the same. That one was in a spell of nine Stags games of which eight were won. And when the Stags almost gained promotion from the third level in 1964-65, our first away three-pointer came at Exeter. On September 5, 1964, the Stags won at Exeter to a 3-2 scoreline thanks to two goals from James Cooper (anyone remember him?) and one from Brian Hall. This was also the Stags' first away victory that season. And the Stags’ latest victory at Exeter, in April 2016, was to a 3-2 scoreline in a fixture full of fabulous goals for both sides.

In the FA Cup, Exeter have played a few current and recent PL sides over the years. Their best run came in 1931, when Sunderland needed a replay to progress from the quarter-finals. Exactly 50 years later, Exeter reached the quarter-finals again. On the way, Exeter travelled to the St James' Park at Newcastle and managed a 1-1 draw. Exeter then won the replay convincingly 4-0 at their St James’ Park seeing headlines like Newcastle crashing out at St James' Park, but not their own……. In the sixth round, Tottenham won 2-0 at home.

As recently during Exeter's five-year BSP spell in 2005, the Grecians made FA Cup headlines by travelling to Old Trafford in the third round and holding Manchester United to a goal-less draw! A completely different M.U. line-up then won the replay 2-0 at Exeter. More recently, Exeter held Liverpool to a 2-2 home third round draw before going out at Anfield.

In the past, there has also been managerial connections between the Stags and Exeter. The name: Jock Basford. He bossed in Devon during most of the 1965-66 Division Three relegation season, and then almost the whole of the 1966-67 Division Four season before being youth boss at Charlton. From The Valley, Basford travelled north and became Stags boss in July 1970, was so until November 1971 when he was axed following a string of poor results, notably loads of home games without even scoring.

Quite a few players have appeared for both sides. The Exeter goalie in the 2001-02 FL games against the Stags, Arjan van Heusden, played for the Stags in 2002-03. That same season, George Pilkington, who a few seasons ago played two Stags FL games and also in the 8-1 FA Cup mauling of St Albans away, also loaned out to Forest Green (a side the Stags and Exeter met in all their five BSP seasons apiece) before moving on to Macclesfield, played his first league games for Exeter……… while Craig Woodman, eight Stags games in the 2004-05 season, is still playing for Exeter. A few seasons ago, Bobby Olejnik, now with a couple of League games for the Stags, was an unused sub for Exeter in the corresponding 2015-16 home fixture. Another goalie, Lenny Pidgeley, which the Stags had on loan a few seasons ago, played a handful games for Exeter during their 2011-12 League One relegation campaign.

Craig Woodman has in fact played in most of the Stags v Exeter clashes since the Stags’ FL return six years ago and has played twice so far this season.

Played for both sides: Nicky Ajose, Shayne Bradley, Jamie Campbell, Jon Challinor, Gary Chapman, Horace Clifford, Alan Crawford, Alex Fisher, Jonathan Fortune, George Foster, Ray Harford, Alex Jeannin, Martin Ling, John Mitten, Trevor Morgan, Stuart Naylor, Bobby Olejnik, Gordon Owen, Fred Parnell, Jacob Parsons, Ginger Phoenix, Lenny Pidgeley, George Pilkington, Jason Rees, Neil Richardson, Andy Roscoe, Darren Rowbotham, John Rowlands, George Stimpson, Stuart Storer, Arjan van Heusden, Craig Woodman.

Managed both sides: Jock Basford.

Home stats: P 32, W 10, D 11, L 11, GF 44, GA 42
Away stats: P 32, W 12, D 7, L 13, GF 35, GA 41

Season Home Date Away Date

1931-32 3-1 1931-12-05 0-3 1932-04-16 Div 3 (S)
1937-38 2-3 1938-02-26 0-4 1937-10-16 Div 3 (S)
1938-39 4-2 1939-05-06 0-2 1938-09-07 Div 3 (S)
1946-47 1-0 1946-12-21 0-1 1947-04-26 Div 3 (S)
1960-61 2-3 1961-01-14 2-0 1960-09-03 Div 4 (old)
1961-62 3-1 1961-08-19 1-2 1961-12-16 Div 4 (old)
1962-63 1-0 1962-08-27 3-0 1962-08-22 Div 4 (old)
1964-65 2-1 1965-01-02 3-2 1964-09-05 Div 3 (old)
1965-66 0-0 1965-09-25 2-2 1966-03-19 Div 3 (old)
1972-73 3-0 1972-08-26 2-4 1973-01-06 Div 4 (old)
1973-74 3-3 1974-03-18 1-1 1974-03-09 Div 4 (old)
1974-75 3-2 1975-03-21 1-0 1974-09-07 Div 4 (old)
1978-79 1-1 1979-03-26 0-0 1978-08-19 Div 3 (old)
1979-80 0-1 1979-12-29 1-2 1979-08-25 Div 3 (old)
1984-85 2-2 1985-04-03 0-0 1984-10-03 Div 4 (old)
1985-86 2-1 1985-10-19 1-0 1986-02-08 Div 4 (old)
1990-91 0-2 1990-09-15 0-2 1991-01-26 Div 3 (old)
1992-93 0-0 1993-04-24 0-2 1992-10-17 Div 2
1994-95 1-1 1994-09-24 3-2 1995-03-04 Div 3
1995-96 1-1 1996-01-06 2-2 1996-02-13 Div 3
1996-97 0-1 1996-08-17 0-0 1997-03-29 Div 3
1997-98 3-2 1998-03-21 0-1 1997-11-18 Div 3
1998-99 0-1 1999-04-27 1-2 1998-10-03 Div 3
1999-00 1-1 2000-02-04 0-1 1999-08-30 Div 3
2000-01 1-1 2001-02-02 0-0 2000-09-02 Div 3
2001-02 0-1 2001-12-21 1-0 2002-01-22 Div 3
2013-14 0-0 2013-08-10 1-0 2014-01-04 League Two
2014-15 2-3 2015-01-17 2-1 2014-09-06 League Two
2015-16 0-2 2015-11-24 3-2 2016-04-19 League Two
2016-17 1-2 2017-04-01 0-2 2016-12-17 League Two
2017-18 1-1 2017-10-28 1-0 2018-02-17 League Two
2018-19 1-2 2018-09-15 4-1 2019-03-30 League Two

League Cup

1961-62 5-2 1961-09-11 First round at Field Mill aka One Call Stadium

Come on Mansfield!