Mansfield Town F.C.
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| Mansfield Town | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Full name | Mansfield Town Football Club | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Nickname(s) | The Stags, The Amber | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Founded | 1897 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Ground | Field Mill Mansfield | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Capacity | 9,990 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Chairman | Keith Haslam | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Manager | Image:Flag of England (bordered).svg Peter Shirtliff | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| League | League Two | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2005-06 | League Two, 16th | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Mansfield Town Football Club is an English football club who currently play in League Two of the Football League.
Based in the small former mining town of Mansfield, Nottinghamshire, the club are nicknamed "The Stags" and play in their traditional colours of amber and blue. The club's current manager is former Sheffield Wednesday defender Peter Shirtliff, who got the job in November 2005 following a six-week spell as caretaker manager.
The club is fierce rivals with neighbouring Chesterfield. The rivalry between the two is considered by some to be amongst the fiercest in the lower leagues. Stags also enjoy rivalries with Notts County, Lincoln City and Doncaster Rovers.
They play at Field Mill, which holds just under 10,000 seated spectators. In 1995 the club considered building a new stadium in the town, but opted to re-develop their existing ground instead. The re-developed ground consists of three new stands, whilst an old, now condemned wooden stand completes the ground on the Bishop Street (East) side of the ground.
The team are currently sponsored by local electrical company Perry Electrical.
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[edit] History
Mansfield Town were founded in 1897 under the name of Mansfield Wesleyans. Like many football clubs, Stags can trace their origins to a local church, in this case the Wesleyan church on Bridge Street.
The present name was adopted by the club in the summer of 1910. This move angered rivals Mansfield Mechanics but the name change went ahead nonetheless.
By this time Stags had moved to their present home, Field Mill. Football has been played there since 1861 and it is widely regarded as one of the oldest football grounds in the world.
After several attempts, Stags finally won election to the Football League in time for the 1931-32 season.
Perhaps the club's most famous moment came in 1969, when they beat West Ham United, a team containing many of England's World Cup heroes, 3-0 in the FA Cup. Stags progressed to the quarter final stage where they eventually lost to Leicester City.
The most successful period in Stags' League history came during the 1970s.
Mansfield claimed the Division Four title in 1974-75 before being promoted to the second tier for the only time in their history in 1976-77. Stags were relegated at the end of the season.
Stags captured the Freight Rover Trophy in 1987. It was Stags' only game at Wembley Stadium to date and was played in front of 58,000 fans. After a 1-1 draw with Bristol City, Stags won the cup 5-4 in the deciding penalty shootout.
1994-95 was a dramatic season for Stags as they made the playoffs. Here they lost out at the home of their greatest enemies Chesterfield to miss out on a place in the final.
Mansfield finished 3rd in the league in the 2001-2002 season and gained promotion to Division 2. However they finished 23rd in Division 2 and so were relegated back to Division 3 after only a season. In Stags' attempt to regain promotion the following year they reached the playoff final (in 2003-2004). The club won another dramatic penalty shootout, this time against Northampton Town. Stags were rewarded with a visit to Cardiff's Millennium Stadium. Here they were involved in another penalty shootout, losing to Huddersfield Town.
During the next season, Mansfield changed their manager. Keith Curle was suspended over allegations of bullying, and Carlton Palmer took charge of first-team affairs. After an internal club inquiry, Keith Curle was sacked on the grounds that he had bullied a youth team member. Caretaker manager Carlton Palmer was appointed manager of the club. Many supporters were upset and angry at this appointment, and would start negative chants about the manager during games. Richie Barker signed for the club mid-way through the season, and quickly became a fan's favourite with his gritty, determined, and never-say-die attitude. After a topsy-turvy season, the Stags finished in a low mid-table position.
The next season (2005-2006) started brightly for the Field Mill side. Strikers Matthew Tipton was signed from Macclesfield Town, and Adam Birchall from Arsenal. Veteran keeper Kevin Pressman joined on a free-transfer after being released from Leicester City. Carlton Palmer appointed Peter Shirtliff as his assistant. Mid-way through the season, Carlton Palmer resigned, giving in to intense pressure from the supporters. With the club propping up the whole of the football league, Peter Shirtliff was appointed manager, after impressing during his spell as caretaker manager. The highlight of the club's season was without doubt the trip up to Newcastle United's St. James' Park, for the FA Cup third round. Newcastle legend Alan Shearer scored the only goal with ten minutes to play. This goal would see him equal the 200-goal record set by Jackie Milburn. However, many fans believe that had captain Richie Barker been 100% fit and striker Simon Brown not been injured, that the Stags would have won this game.
[edit] Current squad
(as of November 23, 2006)
[edit] Players out on loan
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[edit] 2006/2007 transfers
In:
- Image:Flag of England (bordered).svg Michael Boulding, signed from Rotherham United.
- Image:Flag of England (bordered).svg Matt Hamshaw, signed from Stockport County.
- Image:Flag of England (bordered).svg Carl Muggleton, signed from Chesterfield.
- Image:Flag of England (bordered).svg John Mullins, signed from Reading.
- Image:Flag of Ireland (bordered).svg Alan Sheehan, loaned from Leicester City.
- Image:Flag of England (bordered).svg Asa Charlton, signed from Redditch United.
Out:
- Image:Flag of Wales (bordered).svg Rhys Day, signed for Aldershot Town.
- Image:Flag of England (bordered).svg Fraser McLachlan, signed for Morecambe.
- Image:Flag of England (bordered).svg Kyle Jacobs, signed for Macclesfield Town.
- Image:Flag of England (bordered).svg Kevin Pressman, retired.
- Image:Flag of England (bordered).svg Adam Rundle, signed for Rochdale.
- Image:Flag of Scotland.svg Allan Russell, signed for Forest Green.
- Image:Flag of England (bordered).svg Jason Talbot, signed for Port Vale.
- Image:Flag of the Netherlands.svg Gus Uhlenbeek, signed for Halifax Town.
[edit] Player Records
- Most league goals in a season - 55 Ted Harston (1936-37)
- Most league goals in total - 104 Harry Johnson (1931-36)
- Most league appearances - 440 Rod Arnold (1970-83}
[edit] External links
- Mansfield Town F.C. on BBC Sport: Club News - Recent results - Upcoming fixtures - Club stats
- Mansfield Town Official Website
- Official Website of the Stags Supporters Association
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