If a week is a long time in politics, then two months is an age in football. Because of the Burn’s Night Scottish special in January, that’s how long it’s been since we had a proper check in on Mansfield Town’s progress...
In that time we’ve seen Stags transform from a team struggling for form, kids on the bench and apathy towards the FA Cup, to a run of five wins, four draws and finally one defeat, some exciting new signings, widespread positivity and a cup run that sees us face off against Premier League opposition.
Seasons are often described as a ‘rollercoaster ride’ and this one has lived up to the phrase so far. Stags ended their poor form in dramatic fashion on Boxing Day, away to Barnsley, recovering from a 2-0 deficit to overcome their Yorkshire hosts 3-2. That win, and the manor of it, proved a springboard for further success.
A battling win away at Bolton, the best home side in the league, and a comprehensive defeat of high-flying Bradford on New Year’s Day, made it the perfect festive run. The Stags then had ten days to recover, compose themselves and attempt to take on an altogether different proposition with the FA Cup Third Round tie at Sheffield United.
The apathy that I bemoaned at the Second Round home tie against Accrington Stanley was soon forgotten, as 4,797 away fans crammed into the away stand at Brammall Lane, the world’s second oldest professional football ground. I’m sure I don’t need to tell you the oldest! I travelled to the game by train, with friends, taking time to have a few pints in Sheffield and a lovely bowl of Chinese hand-pulled noodles, before heading into the ground.
What followed was one of those matches that fans will forever recall with words like “I was there that day”. If you don’t already know, or haven’t already guessed from my set-up, Stags won, but they didn’t just win. They battered ‘em! Louis Reed, the one-time Blades youngster, fired not one, but two volleyed goals from outside the box, giving Stags a 2-1 lead at half-time. The second-half began as it had left off – Stags on top. Rhys Oates, fit and back to his brilliant best, ran the ball all the way from his half on the right, to set up Lucas Aikins for a third, before doing the same on the left-wing and scoring himself. 4-1 away at Sheffield United! Stags were in dreamland. Two scrappy goals made for a tense finish and a flattering scoreline for United, but this was our day. A famous victory in front of a huge and noisy away crowd, and we’re through to the Fourth Round for the first time in nearly two decades. The prize? Another away trip… to Premier League Burnley! While the draw hasn’t been kind to us, we know that our boys will be bang up for it.
Back in the league, the good form continued. Port Vale were dispatched 3-0 and two excellent away draws at Stevenage and Plymouth saw Stags high up in the league and flirting with the possibility of a run at the playoffs. Mansfield have also been active in the January window. A backup keeper, Harry Lewis, joins from Carlisle. Target man forward, Victor Adeboyejo is in to give us a different option up top and looks to be an excellent addition. Classy midfielder John Russell signs from Barnsley, where despite scoring eleven goals last season, he has found it hard to maintain a place in their team. Tyler Roberts has signed permanently following his loan spell from Birmingham, a very exciting move for the club, as when fit, he is too good for League One. And perhaps most excitingly, the relationship the club has with Tottenham Hotspur seems to be flourishing. Following Mathew Craig’s loan to us last season, Spurs have given us Oliver Irow and George Abbott (well-known to Notts fans for his brilliant spell there last season). Both youngsters began their Stags careers in perfect style, Irow netting twice on his senior debut as a footballer, in the win over Port Vale, while Abbott scored off the bench in our latest game, a 2-1 home loss to in-form Peterborough, which saw an end to the nine-game unbeaten run, stretching all the way back to my last article. After the defeat, Nigel Clough was fuming at the wastefulness of his team in front of goal, but I’m optimistic. We’ve come on leaps and bounds this season. Another interesting development in the transfer window saw former Stags star, Davis Keillor-Dunn, move from Barnsley to Wrexham. It’s a move that, if rumours are to be believed, has netted Mansfield a tidy add-on fee, agreed when he left the club for Barnsley. How much DKD went for or how much of a percentage Stags were due is not publicly known, but it should be several hundred thousand pounds at least – great business for the club. On a more personal note, he joins my cousin Zak, who also signed for Wrexham in the window, so I’ll be keeping a close eye on their results.
I’m now more confident than ever that Mansfield will finish mid-table this season. We have tied down key players to new contracts, signed some real quality, shown we can beat the best teams in this division (and one from above), and clearly have a great dressing-room atmosphere at the moment. Results won’t always go the way we want them to, but over the course of a season, we will win more than we lose with a manager and a squad like this. I’m very much looking forward to the games coming up – Burnley in the cup, Blackpool away, Lincoln and Wimbledon at home, and then a rearranged game away at Rotherham, that will see another 3,000 plus away crowd from our superb fans. I know I’m biased, but I can’t think of another club our size who is so well-backed at home and away and in such good voice. With the way we have dispatched other Yorkshire teams recently (Barnsley, Bradford, Sheff Utd), the Millers must not be relishing our imminent arrival.
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