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Crewe away preview for Saturday

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Crewe away preview for Saturday

Postby Sweden Stag » Thu Sep 22, 2022 3:20 pm

Following the impressive 2-0 victory in our first League fixture against Gillingham for 26 years at their place last Saturday, the Stags now take on the final one of last season’s relegated sides from League One, namely Crewe at their place on Saturday. This also means that the Stags have played all relegated sides from League One within the first ten games of a season. All previous ones so far, against AFC Wimbledon at home, Doncaster away and Gillingham away, have been won convincingly by the Stags.

And our game at Crewe on Saturday will be the first one against the Railwaymen in the 2020’s as the home fixture against them during the 2019-20, due to be played on March 14, 2020, was the first one out of then which were cancelled due to well-known reasons after a very good and deserved 2-1 victory at Northampton the previous 2020 March Saturday.

Last time out at Crewe, the Stags drew 1-1 at Gresty Road in which was to be the final game for John Dempster as Stags boss.

The latest Stags home victory against Crewe, a clearcut 3-0 at One Call Stadium aka Field Mill on January 7 2017, proved costly for Steve Davis inasmuch as it was to be his final game as Crewe boss. The following day, he was sacked by the Railwaymen (later in 2017, Davis also had to leave the Leyton Orient hot seat). At Crewe; Davis was replaced by Dave Artell, a former Stags and Crewe player whose career spanned 45 games for the Stags a little more than a decade ago, later on a member of the Crewe squad which beat Cheltenham to a 2-0 scoreline in the League Two playoff final in 2012. One year later, he was red-carded as a Wrexham player during the Stags’ final Conference fixture on April 20, 2013 which sealed the Stags’ FL return. But Artell, who was to be in the Crewe hot seat for five years before leaving in April did not lose at Mansfield as boss of the Railwaymen as Crewe won the last two League games at One Call. Meanwhile, the Stags haven’t lost at Crewe since January 2003.

When the 2019-20 season was curtailed, Crewe gained promotion to current League One and topped the table. In 2020-21, Crewe earned a respectable 12th place in League One. But last season was a disaster, one spell with seven straight defeats and another of eight. But three of their victories were against fellow relegation sides Gillingham, Doncaster and AFC Wimbledon respectively. The latter victory all but sealed the AFC Wimbledon downfall.

Currently, it looks like that Crewe and Doncaster have best adapted to life in the lower grade. The Crewe relegation last season was confirmed weeks prior to the final whistle of that season in which was to be their worst campaign in four decades, also becoming the first team to be relegated within the EFL. In 1981-82, Crewe managed just 29 goals and finished rock-bottom with just six wins all season. Better things were to come for Crewe.

When the Stags gained their first-ever promotion in 1962-63, Crewe were promoted together in third position. In the 1990-91 campaign, the clubs were relegated together to the basement as well. And the Stags’ first home fixture in the Division Three 1963-64 campaign in which they were unbeaten at home and scored in every game was a 2-1 victory against Crewe on August 24, 1963, the opening day of that season. And the final game of the 1990-91 season was a Stags 3-0 defeat at Crewe.

When it comes to managers, the Crewe hot seat has been stable during the last three decades. Enter Dario Gradi after succeeding ex-Stags boss Peter Morris during the 1983 close-season, in which Crewe had had to seek re-election for the seventh time in twelve seasons. Gradi steadily built up the Crewe foundations, building up a reputation for nurturing home-grown players, of those several did reach even higher without naming one. Gradi managed over 1000 consecutive Crewe games in all competions, from the bottom half of current League Two to five seasons in current Championship during the first of two Crewe spells there from 1997-98 to 2005-06 interrupted by a League One season in which Crewe beat the Stags on four occasions, two of those in cup competitions, one being an FA Cup game which was the first one for Keith Curle as Stags boss. Steve Davis was in charge for five years, succeeding Dario Gradi after a total of over 1300 fixtures managed by Gradi.

A proof of Crewe’s home-grown reputation was shown in a League One home fixture against Walsall on April 27, 2013, when the entire Crewe starting eleven were home-grown players. On the other hand, the Walsall line-up including subs then featured three players later to feature for the Stags: James Baxendale, Malvind Benning and Ashley Hemmings while former Stag Craig Westcarr came on as sub for the Saddlers.

Player to watch out for on Saturday: Courtney Baker-Richardson, five goals for Crewe so far.

After a 4-0 victory at Crewe on December 16, 1972, the Stags did not win an away League game until August 24, 1974, when Scunthorpe were beaten by the only goal of the game. And between 1972 and 1984, the Stags won six out of seven games at Crewe. The other one was drawn during the 1973-74 season in which the Stags failed to win away and lost their unbeaten home record due to a 1-2 home reverse against Crewe on February 10, 1974. A few weeks later, Danny Williams left the Stags hot seat for Swindon and was replaced by Dave Smith. And after the 1973-74 season, the Stags won five consecutive away games at Crewe, a record which was checked before the Morecambe away preview in early 2020, a record which had been equalled if the Stags had won at Globe Arena, a venue from which also Crewe managed a 1-1 drew recently. Had the Stags won at Morecambe, it had been for the fifth consecutive season, a record. The Crewe record started on Boxing Day 1974 and ended a decade later, on May 7, 1984 with a 3-1 victory.

At home, following the first-ever Crewe victory on Christmas Day 1936, the Stags won their first eight post-WW II home fixtures against the Railwaymen to a scoreline of 30 goals for, 6 against, including the Stags’ highest-ever home win, a 6-0 Division 3 (N) rout to the tune of 6-0 on Christmas Day 1953. Responsible for that rout were Reeve and Darwin with two goals apiece, while Plummer och Daley completed the mauling with one strike apiece. Incredibly enough, the sides played out a goal-less draw at Crewe the following Boxing Day in which was to be the second goal-less draw of all time between the sides. The third one (and the so far latest in the EFL) was the so far only one at Mansfield, being played in September 1974.

Quite a few players have represented both sides. Full list is below, but Nicky Maynard was Crewe top-scorer in their 2007-08 League One campaign with 15 strikes. He actually scored on his Crewe debut as sub in their so far final Championship fixture, a 4-2 home victory against Millwall in April 2006. Others include Darren Rowbotham, who scored for Crewe against the Stags in 1994 while Gary Roberts (who played for the Stags a few years ago) was one of TWO Gary Roberts playing for Crewe in the 2007-08 season. The other Gary Roberts was red-carded when playing for the Spireites against the Stags six years ago. During the 2019-20 campaign, Nicky Hunt played 25 games for Crewe, three as sub, and scoring once.

Played for both sides: Nicky Ajose, Dave Artell, Andrew Barrowman, Lee Bell, Eric Betts, Keith Briggs, Harry Broome, Junior Brown, Andy Carr, Peter Clark (1960’s). Chris Clements (one FA Cup game for Crewe), Digger Daley, Colin Daniel, Len Featherby, David Goodwin, Ivan Hollett, Nicky Hunt, Harold Kay, Stanley Keery, Adam King, Phil Kite, Colin Little, Nicky Maynard, John Meehan, John Moore, Frederick Morris, Adie Moses, Stuart Naylor, Vadaine Oliver, Gary Roberts, Darren Rowbotham, Scott Shearer, Alan Sheehan, Aman Verma, Stuart Watkiss, Frank Watson, Andy White, Steve Wilkinson, Billy Yates.

Managed both sides: Peter Morris

Home stats: P 38, W 21, D 8, L 9, GF 88, GA 54
Away stats: P 39, W 9, D 10, L 20, GF 48, GA 65

Season Home Date Away Date

1932-33 4-0 1932-09-24 0-7 1933-02-04 Div 3 (N)
1933-34 4-1 1933-12-09 1-2 1934-04-21 Div 3 (N)
1934-35 4-1 1934-10-20 1-1 1935-03-02 Div 3 (N)
1935-36 1-1 1935-12-21 1-1 1936-04-25 Div 3 (N)
1936-37 1-4 1936-12-25 1-2 1936-12-28 Div 3 (N)
1947-48 3-1 1947-09-01 0-0 1947-08-27 Div 3 (N)
1948-49 5-1 1948-10-16 1-3 1949-03-12 Div 3 (N)
1949-50 3-0 1949-09-24 1-1 1950-02-04 Div 3 (N)
1950-51 4-1 1951-02-24 0-2 1950-10-07 Div 3 (N)
1951-52 2-1 1952-04-12 0-1 1952-04-23 Div 3 (N)
1952-53 3-0 1952-11-01 0-1 1953-03-21 Div 3 (N)
1953-54 6-0 1953-12-25 0-0 1953-12-26 Div 3 (N)
1954-55 4-2 1954-08-30 1-2 1954-08-25 Div 3 (N)
1955-56 1-1 1955-08-27 1-2 1955-12-24 Div 3 (N)
1956-57 2-1 1957-04-20 4-6 1957-04-27 Div 3 (N)
1957-58 2-1 1957-12-28 0-1 1957-08-31 Div 3 (N)
1960-61 1-1 1960-10-22 2-1 1961-03-11 Div 4 (old)
1961-62 1-1 1962-04-23 2-3 1962-04-20 Div 4 (old)
1962-63 2-2 1962-09-15 0-3 1963-05-08 Div 4 (old)
1963-64 2-1 1963-08-24 2-3 1963-12-14 Div 3 (old)
1968-69 2-1 1968-12-21 1-2 1968-10-18 Div 3 (old)
1972-73 5-1 1973-02-24 4-0 1972-12-16 Div 4 (old)
1973-74 1-2 1974-02-10 1-1 1973-09-22 Div 4 (old)
1974-75 0-0 1974-09-14 2-0 1974-12-26 Div 4 (old)
1980-81 4-1 1981-01-17 2-1 1980-11-29 Div 4 (old)
1981-82 0-1 1981-10-24 2-0 1982-03-13 Div 4 (old)
1982-83 1-0 1983-03-28 2-1 1982-10-01 Div 4 (old)
1983-84 3-3 1983-12-31 3-1 1984-05-07 Div 4 (old)
1984-85 0-2 1984-09-15 1-1 1985-01-26 Div 4 (old)
1985-86 2-2 1985-09-11 1-2 1986-04-11 Div 4 (old)
1989-90 2-1 1990-04-28 1-2 1989-10-11 Div 3 (old)
1990-91 1-3 1990-11-03 0-3 1991-05-11 Div 3 (old)
1991-92 4-3 1992-03-31 2-1 1991-09-13 Div 4 (old)
1993-94 1-2 1994-02-26 1-2 1993-09-04 Div 3
2002-03 0-5 2002-08-31 0-2 2003-01-01 Div 2
2016-17 3-0 2017-01-07 1-1 2016-10-01 League Two
2017-18 3-4 2018-04-07 2-2 2017-08-05 League Two
2018-19 1-2 2019-03-23 3-0 2018-10-30 League Two
2019-20 (at Crewe) 1-1 2019-12-14 League Two

Home game in 2019-20 not played.

FA Cup

1995-96 0-2 1995-12-02 2nd round at Gresty Road
2002-03 0-3 2002-12-07 2nd round at Gresty Road

Checkatrade Trophy

2002-03 0-4 2002-10-22 at Field Mill
2018-19 1-1 2019-10-08 at One Call Stadium aka Field Mill

Could be a few goals if previous games are something to go by. Come on Mansfield!
Stockholm, July 4, 2008, 15.00 GMT. Good news came, K.H. gone. March 1, 2012. Ground purchased.
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