The Greatest Stag Do : Part Seven : The story of Mansfield Town's glory days : 1977-78

 

 

This is the story of Mansfield Town’s glory years of the mid-to-late 1970’s. So far we have seen them win Division’s Four and Three in three seasons. They were then into the Second Division for the first time in their history. But they were finding the going tough. At the end of 1977 they were in the relegation zone, two points from safety with 19 matches to play.

1978

January

They began the year with a trip to Stoke City, who provided them with their first ever win in Second Division football. A 1-1 draw saw two unlikely scorers in Jim McGroarty and David Goodwin getting their firsts of the season for their new clubs. The biggest shock of the day came at Burnden Park, where leaders Bolton were beaten by bottom club, Burnley.

Mansfield now had experienced one of the perks of being a Second Division club. They didn’t enter the FA Cup until the Third Round in January. They were drawn at home to Third Division Plymouth Argyle, then managed by Malcolm Allison.

Johnny Miller’s first half strike proved to be the only goal of the game and Stags’ fans had a glimmer of hope for another cup run.

Southampton then visited and were in great form, picking up nine points from a possible 10 in their previous five matches. They were in the promotion places too. Alan Ball scored from the spot to give them the lead. Syrett ended a four game streak without a goal to level things up. But then Ted MacDougall put the visitors back in front and the Stags were never able to get back level.

Four defeats in their last five home matches wasn’t the form of survival. Burnley followed their win at Bolton with a home win over Stoke and were now level on points with Mansfield.

They then travelled down to the south coast to take on Brighton. The Goldstone Ground was a place Mansfield hadn’t even got so much as a point at for nearly eight years. The Seagulls were fifth in the table and pushing for a second successive promotion. But they had only won one of their last five so the Stags had reason to be positive. That was until the action got underway.

Goals from Peter Ward (2) and Teddy Maybank gave the home side a comfortable 3-0 lead at the break. Ward then completed his hat-trick in the second half, with skipper Brian Horton also finding the net. Mansfield did get a goal but it was courtesy of Peter O’Sullivan putting through his own net and they suffered the ignominy of losing 1-5 with the home team scoring all the goals.

This was a bad defeat, they were well beaten and looked short of confidence. Burnley drew 3-3 with Southampton and then moved above the Stags who were then second from bottom.

February

If the fans hoped the FA Cup could provide some relief from their league woes. But a first half goal from Frank Worthington gave Bolton the win in the Fourth Round and now their cup run dreams were gone.

But they had already finished their fixtures against three of the top seven so hopefully there were easier games to come.

Cardiff arrived in 19th, but off the back of a 5-2 drubbing of Sunderland. Perhaps it was little surprise when Bishop and Buchanan scored for the visitors in the first half. Ian Wood finally ended his 39-game search for his first league goal of his career and the home side went in just a goal down. It was the sort of game where the next goal would be crucial. Fortunately for the home side Hodgson got it, his first for five months. A 2-2 draw gave them a crucial point, especially as Millwall beat Southampton. Mansfield were now rock bottom, with Millwall above them on goal difference and with a game in hand.

Peter Morris selected himself in the starting line-up for the first time since the Blackpool home match in early December. After the match the fans discovered it was more to say goodbye than to offer anything on the playing side. Morris was off to take over the Assistant Manager job at Newcastle United.

What were they going to do now?

The board searched around for his successor and came up with former Everton and Northern Ireland manager, Billy Bingham. There were hopes his stature in the game could attract some top quality names to the club which would go on to cement their Second Division status.

The latest winless run was at six. More alarmingly they’d won just one of their last 12. Mind you, their next visitors, Hull City had a similar record. They were fourth from bottom and three points ahead of the Stags. 7,121 watched nervously as Colin Foster put the home side in front. The home side clung on too and Mansfield moved up two places. Could they build on this?

 

 

March

The short answer was no. They lost their next five. Defeat at Sheffield United was followed by another home loss to Bolton. Neither match had seen them score. For Syrett the goals had dried up after his promising start to the season. He’d found the net six times in his first 15 games. His next 13 had yielded just two goals.

Bingham dipped into the transfer market and brought in Dennis Martin from Newcastle. He’d played nine times that season for the Magpies in Division One. He was thrown straight into the first team in the defeat to Bolton.

Mid-March saw them travel to Burnley for a crucial relegation battle. The phrase didn’t exist back then but if it had this would definitely have been a ‘relegation four pointer’.

Burnley were two places and three points above Mansfield, who were bottom of the table. The Clarets had really turned their form around. When they lost to Oldham the day after Boxing Day, they were rock bottom with just 12 points. They’d only suffered one defeat in the nine matches since then, picking up 11 points. In comparison Mansfield had picked up just four points over the same period. They were also coming off the back of a 4-1 win over Sheffield United, a week after Mansfield had been beaten by them, 0-2.

Paul Fletcher gave the home side a first half lead. Aston, who had missed the Bolton defeat, came on as a sub for Syrett but he couldn’t find the net. Steve Kindon confirmed the victory for Burnley, who moved up to 18th. This was three games now where Mansfield had failed to find the net, and the gap to safety was four points. More worrying there were only 11 games left.

Back-to-back 0-1 defeats to Sunderland and Notts County followed, taking their losing streak to five. They hadn’t scored in any of those, either.

It was against this backdrop the leaders arrived on Easter Saturday. In happier times this may have meant a big crowd. But it was a measure of the inertia around the town that Tottenham Hotspur only attracted a crowd of 12,106, fewer than the opening day game against Stoke City. In fact, more people turned up to see Notts County in late October than a club who were still labelled as one of ‘the big five’.

Spurs had won three on the bounce and were unbeaten in their last 17. It was a daunting task, and the ultimate David v Goliath with first taking on last.

Despite the slightly disappointing attendance the atmosphere was of ‘cup tie’ standards. Mansfield seemed to lift themselves and certainly took the game to their more illustrious opponents. It was during a period of pressure they took the lead on 28 minutes.

Bird’s cross from the right down near the bye-line was floated to the far post where Martin got up above two defenders. He headed it back across the six-yard area and Syrett was there to turn it past Daines. It was a great moment for the Mansfield number nine. It was his 10th of the season and it ended an eight-game run since his last goal.

In pouring rain and on a muddy pitch, Spurs levelled. Hoddle produced a lovely cross from a tight angle on the right. Arnold went up with Lee to try and catch it, and although he got his hands to it he was unable to hold onto it. It rolled clear for Pratt to strike it, but Arnold saved it but once again couldn’t get a decent grip on the ball. Lee rolled it to Pratt, who had another go and again the keeper was equal to it. But unfortunately for him the nearest player to him was Chris Jones and he gleefully accepted the opportunity to put it in the net.

The home side weren’t deterred and some decent passing in awful conditions, saw Martin head on Miller’s ball into the area. He found Hodgson on the right of the box and as he beat Perryman, the Spurs skipper tripped him. The referee had no hesitation in pointing to the spot. Dennis Martin was given the opportunity to score his first goal for the club. But his kick was what is normally described as a ‘good height for the keeper’ and Daines saved it.

With three minutes of the first half to go, Mansfield had a corner on the right. Hodgson took it left-footed and Colin Foster got up above everyone to head it goalwards. Syrett was then able to nod it on past Daines and Neil McNab cleared it off the line. The home side and their fans called it over the line, the visitors had other ideas. But the officials ruled it in and Mansfield went into the break 2-1 up.

That’s how things remained until the final 10 minutes as Spurs had appeals for a penalty. Jimmy Holmes corner on the left was headed towards goal by Lee and found Taylor with his back to goal on the far post. He turned and hit a shot across the goal which appeared to strike Wood on the hand. The Spurs players protested and the referee gave the penalty. Mansfield players were incensed as they felt Taylor controlled the ball with his arm before turning to hit his shot. Replays suggested he did.

 

Hoddle took the kick and easily beat Arnold to level the scores.

Within minutes the home side struck back. Perryman gave the ball away to Hodgson in midfield. He immediately launched it forward for Syrett to run onto. But he overhit the pass and Daines came out of his area to clear. Inexplicably, the hapless keeper missed his kick and Syrett couldn’t believe his luck as he ran on and passed the ball into the empty net. There was a brief moment when it almost looked like the mud would hold the ball up, but it just rolled over the line. It was Syrett’s hat-trick and they were on the verge of a famous win.

They then should’ve put the game beyond reach. Another in-swinging corner from Hodgson was headed on at the near post by Syrett. All of a sudden Colin Foster had made a run to the far post and was unmarked. But with the goal at his mercy, he lunged at the ball and it went agonisingly wide.

Spurs were then awarded a free-kick right on the edge of Mansfield’s area as the clock ticked towards 90 minutes. It was very likely to be the final chance of the match. Hoddle took it and chipped it over the wall and into the top corner. It was a brilliant moment from a player still in the ‘promising’ category, who would go on to do that sort of thing for fun.

The game ended 3-3. Mansfield could have reason to feel they should’ve won, as Spurs shouldn’t really have had a penalty for 2-2. But the point was an important one and well earned. Above them both Millwall and Hull drew, so this was vital to stay in touch.

It had been a really entertaining game and was one of five games that day which saw five goals or more.

On Easter Monday Syrett was again on target and so was Colin Foster as they went to Fulham and won 2-0. Their first win for six matches and after five matches without a goal they’d scored five in two.

Seven games to go they were still bottom, and five points adrift of Cardiff who were just outside the relegation zone, with two games in hand. One of those came two days later as they shocked third placed Southampton with a 1-0 win. The gap to safety remained at five points but now Orient were the target and they too had two games in hand.

April

The joy of an uptick in form through the Easter period was short lived as Charlton came to Field Mill and walked away with a convincing 3-0 win. At least Millwall and Orient both lost.

Midweek saw Orient pick up a point so when Mansfield went to Oldham and won thanks to a Johnny Miller goal, this gave some relief. It was only Oldham’s second home defeat of the season. But the four clubs above them all picked up points too.

Blackburn were the visitors next, lying in fifth with their promotion hopes hanging by a thread with one win in their last seven. Syrett put the home side in front. Tony Parkes levelled in the second half, but then Mansfield had another penalty. This time Syrett took it and made no mistake. But they couldn’t hold onto the lead and Dave Wagstaffe equalised to share the points.

Hull and Orient both lost but Millwall won. Mansfield were now three points from safety but games were running out.

In the week Millwall and Orient both won and Mansfield were now five points from safety with just four games to go.

Mansfield were then at Blackpool. The Tangerines’ form was worse than Mansfield’s. In mid-March they were seventh. But no win in their last eight saw them slide dangerously down the table. Bob Hatton scored his 21st of the season to give the home side the lead but this was cancelled out by Miller. In the second half Mansfield had yet another penalty and again Syrett was successful. Another vital away win for the Stags, their third in succession.

With Orient beating Hull City, Mansfield knew they had to win all of their final three matches to stay up. Even then Orient still had a game in hand.

Mansfield were in action next. Bristol Rovers arrived in 17th and not completely safe. As if to sense their opportunity, Miller and Aston gave them breathing space at the break. Aston added his second and Mansfield’s third to round off a wonderful 3-0 win. Their first time they’d registered back-to-back wins since the beginning of October. It also took them off the bottom of the table since the end of January.

24 hours later all eyes were on Brisbane Road where Orient took on Southampton. The Saints arrived top of the table. Tony Funnell gave them the lead but Joe Mayo equalised and earned the O’s a crucial point.

Mansfield now needed snookers.

Even winning their final two matches might not be enough, unless a swing in goal difference could see them overcome the eight goals they were behind Millwall.

Remarkably for all concerned the fixture schedule had thrown up a huge game as Mansfield entertained Orient at Field Mill. This was probably a blessing for the visitors as they could at least influence their own chances of staying up, rather than rely on others. Mansfield could afford nothing but a win, and really needed a convincing one.

16 minutes in and the home fans got their wish. A free-kick move was finished off by Sandy Pate. It was a great moment for the, then, club’s record appearance holder. It was only his second ever league goal for the club he first turned out for in September 1968. His first was in April 1976. Now two years later could he help keep the club up?

Pate was only making his ninth appearance of the season. The days of him being a regular were past him. Incredibly between September 1968 and August 1975 he played 366 consecutive matches, and was ever-present in six consecutive seasons.

Try as they might they just couldn’t add to this. A win was vital but a 1-0 win was hardly of much use, as they needed more goals. Their first half performance was such the home fans gave them a standing ovation at the break. In the second half Arnold pulled off a fine save from Kitchen’s fierce striker but the rebound fell to Joe Mayo and he equalised.

At the end Orient’s keeper, John Jackson pulled off a terrific save from Miller which could’ve won it for the home side and threatened the visitors’ survival. But it wasn’t to be.

It ended 1-1, and with it went Mansfield’s Second Division soirée. It had lasted just nine months. Relegation had seemed inevitable for the last few weeks as they desperately tried to stave it off.

It was somewhat fitting Pate scored the last Second Division goal at Field Mill for Mansfield. The CHAD was fairly definite at where the problems lay for the club;

“Injudicious transfer deals, a spate of injuries, and the inability to attract the type of experienced player, so necessary in the higher division, have all played their part in their demise.”

The Stags final Second Division match was a trip to Millwall. A few weeks before it was thought the final two matches of the season could be a suspense-filled relegation battle, against Orient and Millwall. But Millwall’s form towards the end of the season had taken them clear of the drop. They had won their last five matches. John Seasman’s first half goal made it six in a row.

Mansfield limped out of the second tier lacking the fight many had hoped they could muster. However, they had shown some glimpses of being able to compete at that level. They weren’t outclassed in too many matches, they beat the eventual champions, Bolton, as well as the team which ended in second place, Southampton. Plus, of course they were just minutes from beating Tottenham, who also went up.

They were the only plus points at home. Field Mill had become a fortress over the previous couple of seasons, but at the higher level they only won six home games, losing nine.

Bingham had not had the effect on the players or the club many had hoped for. The team’s record under him was P 15, W 5, D 3 L 7.

Dave Syrett had proved a good acquisition with 16 goals. But he missed his strike partner from the previous season, Ernie Moss, who was only able to make 15 appearances before a knee injury kept him out. You can’t blame many a fan who wondered how the likes of Ray Clarke or Kevin Randall may have got on.

It had been a remarkable climb from fourth tier to second in three seasons. But that’s as good as it ever got for the club. They have never reached such heights again.

They finished three places above the drop in Division Three the following season, but a year later couldn’t stave off another relegation. Bingham left the club in summer 1979. Mick Jones took over but couldn’t stop the rot.

August 1980 they were back where this whole story started in August 1975, playing Fourth Division football.

There were several things which struck me about this story when I was researching it. If you were looking into a story about a club which went from Fourth Division to Second in three years you would expect to see a sudden injection of cash, or a big name manager with a new philosophy. Dave Smith was a gamble, it was his first managerial appointment. He won the Fourth Division in only his second season, then had a really impressive second half of the following season in the third, then left.

A new guy took over, also his first managerial appointment, and they won the Third Division. They beat their transfer record by selling two of their best players, hardly spent any of the money, yet it didn’t seem to affect their progress. That was until they reached the Second Division and found their team was still largely the same as had been in the Fourth Division, and the lack of experience and ability just showed them up during a long season.

The fall was as quick as the rise had been. Two promotions in three years was followed by two relegations in three years and they were back where they started. They’ve never reached the heights of the second tier of English football again, and in 2008 they fell out of the league altogether.

For a short period in their long history they were at least mixing it with the big boys. Seems a shame they couldn’t keep it going.

All pics courtesy of Stagsnet & the Chad

The Greatest Stag Do : Part Six : The story of Mansfield Town's glory days : 1977-78

 

This is the story of Mansfield Town’s glory years of the mid-to-late 1970’s. So far in this story they won Division Four and then two years later, Division Three. They were about to embark on their first ever season in the second tier.

1977-78

Mansfield Town were formed in 1897. 80 years they had never been higher than the third tier of English football. 20 August 1977 they were embarking on their first ever match in the second tier. During the summer manager Peter Morris made two important acquisitions to bolster his squad for the tougher challenges ahead.

Dave Syrett was a 21-year old striker who’d been at Swindon playing under former Stags boss, Danny Williams. 30 goals in 122 appearances convinced Morris he was the man who could increase the firepower and take some of the pressure off Randall and Moss. If Stags’ fans were excited about the possibility of a Randall/Syrett partnership they were disappointed when Morris went with a Moss/Syrett combination.

The other signing was Pat Sharkey. Born in Omagh, Northern Ireland, he was bought from Ipswich Town. In four years he only made 18 appearances and probably welcomed the chance of first-team football and the challenge of Mansfield’s first ever second tier season.

When the fixtures came out Stags’ fans were overjoyed to find out they were at home for the first game. If they didn’t quite realise they were going to be up against some big names throughout the season they did as soon as they saw who their first opponents were. Stoke City were a First Division club the season before, suffering the drop by one point. In their side were England’s goalkeeper, Peter Shilton, Alec Lindsay, who’d won the league, UEFA and FA Cup with Liverpool, Howard Kendall, who’d won the league with Everton, Terry Conroy, capped 27 times for Republic of Ireland, as well as the experience of Denis Smith and Alan Dodd. They were managed by George Eastham, who was in England’s ’66 World Cup winning squad.

Before the league got under way they were in action in the League Cup. Lincoln City, then in the Third Division, came to Field Mill and walked off with a 1-0 win. John Ward scored the only goal of the game and four days later they defended it with a goalless draw. Mansfield’s League Cup run didn’t even yield a goal. Perhaps their minds were on bigger things?

Now for the league season. Stoke were one of the ‘big’ clubs Mansfield would come up against that season. A crowd of 14,077 packed into Field Mill to see the stars on show.

In the build-up to the game Morris had made the point he felt former First Division sides would find more problems at a lower level than those promoted from the Third Division.

Syrett and Sharkey were both in the side, with Randall on the bench. The first half was goalless but then five minutes into the second half Syrett pounced on a loose back-pass from Alan Dodd. He took his chance superbly, and even impressed the England goalkeeper.

Shilton said afterwards;

“How he got it past me I don’t know. I was perfectly placed to deny him any sight of the goal”.

Six minutes later Stags were in dreamland. Denis Smith handled in the area and Mansfield were awarded a penalty. The other new boy, Sharkey was given the responsibility of taking it. He had to wait up to four minutes before he could, though as Stoke fans invaded the pitch. But he kept his calm and beat Shilton to put the home side two goals up. Kevin Bird then thought he’d settled the game when he headed in from a corner, but it was ruled out for a foul on Shilton. But then in the closing minutes Ian Wood fouled Garth Crooks and the visitors had a penalty. Lindsay took it and scored but Stoke were unable to capitalise. Mansfield’s first game in Division Two ended with a 2-1 win.

Three days later they were up against a familiar opponent. Terry Venables’ Crystal Palace had taken on Mansfield four times in the last two seasons, and only been beaten once. But at Selhurst Park the Eagles had won both meetings. 45 minutes into this one and it was clear this wasn’t going to change. Palace were three-up by half-time. Syrett scored his second for his new club in the second half but it was no more than a consolation goal, as Stags went down 1-3.

They stayed down south to visit The Dell. The Saints were FA Cup winners just 15 months before, but were still a Second Division side. Lawrie McMenemy had added Alan Ball to his side, and with Chris Nicholl and Ted MacDougall also in the team they represented a tough task. David Peach scored from the spot in the first half and it remained the only goal of the game. The euphoria of an opening day win had now dissipated within a week with two defeats.

There was at least the home record, unbeaten in 38 league games. Brighton were the visitors at the beginning of September. Morris named an unchanged side for the fourth successive match, with Randall again on the bench. Alan Mullery had signed John Ruggiero from Stoke and after a couple of substitute appearances, he was in the starting line-up for the first time. He duly rewarded his boss with the opening goal. Steve Piper added a second and once again Syrett was on target and once again it was in defeat. This was proving to be a tough season already, they’d met the other two promoted sides who finished below them last season and lost.

Gone too was the unbeaten home run, stretching back to December 1975.

Changes were needed. One was forced as Ian MacKenzie picked up a knee injury. It was so bad fans would only see him pull on the yellow shirt once more in his career, and in the following summer he made the incredible decision to retire.

The other was a bit of a surprise. John Aston was a youth player at Matt Busby’s Manchester United. He was 10 at the time of the Munich Air Crash and was one of those Busby placed trust in to resurrect the club. At Wembley in 1968, on a pitch alongside players of the stature of Bobby Charlton, George Best, Nobby Stiles, Eusebio and José Torres, Aston was voted Man of the Match in United’s 4-1 win over Benfica in the European Cup Final. Four years later he moved to Luton Town and now Morris saw him as adding valuable experience to his team. Aston made his debut in the home meeting with Millwall. Another of Morris’ signings, John Miller, made way. The game ended goalless with Randall replacing Syrett but to no avail.

This was the end as far as Randall was concerned. He would later reflect he was at an age where he wanted to be playing, and four appearances as a sub just wasn’t doing it for him. He dropped down two divisions to York City. Randall has always been synonymous with Stags’ Third Division title season and remained a club favourite. Typically, he scored twice on his debut at Bootham Crescent.

Ian Matthews came in for his first appearance of the season for the trip to Cardiff City, in a game where Ernie Moss finally got off the mark in a 1-1 draw.

Burnley then rocked up at Field Mill still searching for their first win of the season. They’d been relegated from the First Division two years earlier. Despite having two talented wingers in Terry Cochrane and Tony Morley, Harry Potts’ side was struggling in front of goal. Of their two goals thus far one was an own goal. Ian Brennan’s first half goal was therefore a bit of a surprise, but Syrett was also on target as the two sides went into the break level.

In the second half Mansfield tore their opponents apart, which caused Morris to reflect how they had played in a way that Second Division football should be played. Aston was especially impressive and it was his good work down the left which created the space for a cross Hodgson gleefully converted. Three minutes later they were further ahead. Syrett, always a menace, was pushed over in the penalty area and Sharkey converted the penalty. It looked for minute as if Stevenson had saved it, but he lost his grip and it rolled over the line. Moss lobbed the Burnley keeper to round off the scoring for a 4-1 win. The only black mark was the sending off of the home side’s Colin Foster and the visitors’ Paul Fletcher as the two exchanged punches in the centre-circle.

Seven games in and they were lying 12th.

October

A week later they had back-to-back wins for the first time when they went to Hull City and walked away with a 2-0 win. Moss scored both against a side containing Billy Bremner, to register their first win on the road in the new division. Now they looked like they belonged.

But that was as good as it would get for October.

Defeats at Bristol Rovers and Bolton Wanderers were sandwiched either side of a draw at home to Sheffield United. Bolton were the early leaders, so this was no embarrassment but it was followed with successive defeats at home to Sunderland and Notts County. County had only picked up their first win of the season a week earlier, so this was a bad loss. The Sunderland result went largely under the radar as Tottenham thumped Bristol Rovers 9-0 on the same day.

Sharkey missed both home defeats which saw Morris don his kit for the first time in the season, but he couldn’t galvanise his team. October ended with the side in 18th, one of four clubs on nine points with only Burnley on fewer.

November

Syrett and Moss had five goals each so far, and both added to this tally in a 2-2 draw at Charlton. Six games without a win finally came to end at home to Luton Town. Aston missed the game against his former teammates as Sharkey and Syrett gave the home side a half-time lead. Miller, who was back in for Aston, made it three with his first of the season. Morris made his 600th league appearance and was especially influential.

Sharkey scored his fourth of the season but it came in defeat at fifth placed, Blackburn. Next up was the visit of Oldham Athletic. The Latics arrived at Field Mill fourth from bottom. After winning two of their first three games, they’d won just one of their next 13. Striker Steve Taylor scored twice to give him seven in as many matches and Oldham came away with a convincing win.

They were back down into the bottom three. This would be a long winter.

December

The Stags travelled down to London to take on Orient at Brisbane Road. The O’s hadn’t won any of their last five matches, although only one of those was a defeat. John Chiedozie and Peter Kitchen put them ahead in the first half, with Kevin Bird getting one back for the visitors. This saw the first appearance of the season for Barry Foster. It was also the first appearance for John Goodwin, who’d just moved from Stoke City where he was struggling to find a first team place. He was the fifth new player in Morris’s side but he could do nothing to stop a third successive loss. Kitchen completed a hat-trick in the second half. He would go on to hit 21 goals that season.

Mansfield were now second from bottom.

Blackpool were next to visit together with their free-scoring strike partnership of Bob Hatton and Mickey Walsh. The two were both on target at Field Mill in a 3-1 win taking the losing run to four for the home side. That long unbeaten run seemed a distant memory, having lost four of their last five at home.

They travelled to Luton Town to try and reverse the trend. Morris dropped himself and would be seen only once more in the starting line-up for the remainder of the campaign. Syrett’s last goal had come against the same opponents five games earlier, and he took the opportunity to punish them again to take his tally to eight.

The club celebrated Christmas just a point above Burnley who were bottom. Yet they were still only a point from the two clubs immediately above them, so they were still in a battle for safety.

Fulham arrived on Boxing Day. Sadly for Stags’ fans had this fixture been played a year before they might’ve been witnessing Bobby Moore, Rodney Marsh and George Best. Moore had retired, Marsh moved to the States, and Best had called time on his term at Craven Cottage six weeks before this game.

John Mitchell, who’d been a key part of Fulham’s road to the FA Cup Final two years earlier, gave the visitors the lead at the break. But just as the home fans feared a sixth home defeat of the season, goals from defenders, Colin Foster and Kevin Bird turned things around. They’d endured five games since their last victory, and at last they could celebrate.

But the Christmas period was always a busy one in those days, and 24 hours later they made their way to London to take on Spurs. Tottenham’s 26-year residency in the First Division had come to an end in the previous season. They were second in the table, two points behind Bolton and two points ahead of Blackburn, in third.

Manager Keith Burkinshaw had largely stuck with the same team which went down, just adding strikers Colin Lee (Torquay) and Ian Moores (Stoke), though both were absent from this game. But they did contain future England managers, Glenn Hoddle and Peter Taylor.

It would be the biggest crowd many of these Mansfield players ever played in front of, 36,288.

John Duncan gave the home side the lead in the first half, with his 11th of the season. Bird scored his fourth of the season and Mansfield bravely earned a point.

After four defeats three games unbeaten was a great tonic and hopes were high of finishing off the year in good spirits. Crystal Palace visited on New Year’s Eve. They were a much changed side from the one which beat Mansfield in their first away trip of the season. Only five players remained. They were also coping with the rigours of Second Division football much better than their hosts. Terry Venables was compiling an exciting young team and one of those tipped for higher things was left-back Kenny Sansom. He opened the scoring in the first half inside the opening 10 minutes. Barry Silkman played him in and he was given far too much time to shoot.

More defensive errors were to follow, and for manager Morris it must’ve been particularly galling to come so soon after his half-time team talk. The defence froze waiting for an offside flag which never materialised, allowing Dave Swindlehurst the simplest task of beating Arnold. Three minutes later they decided to leave him unmarked and consequently Sansom’s header across the area found him and he made it 3-0.

John Aston got a consolation goal, but it was a sorry end to a promising run, causing Morris to comment after the match;

“We made mistakes at the back which you don’t expect from a schoolboy playing on a local recreation ground. That’s the third time this season we have been on the makings of a good run and failed to keep it going.”

Palace were up to eighth, seven points off promotion. But the evenness of the points distribution that season was such they were only eight points better off than the Stags. They were lying 20th, two points from safety.

The euphoria and celebrations of Third Division title success back in May seemed a little distant now. It was going to be a long 1978.

All pics courtesy of Stagsnet & The Chad

One Day - Two Remarkable Games - Part One

On the final day of 1982-83 season there were two remarkable games which created headlines in their own contrasting way.  They concerned promotion and relegation and held implications for each losing side, which affected them for several years.

Saturday 14^th May 1983

Derby County v Fulham

Fulham had not been seen in England’s top division since 1968.  Between 1971-80 they had been in the Second Division, until relegation at the end of 1979-80 season saw them lose patience with manager Bobby Campbell, after 4 years.  His replacement was Malcolm MacDonald.  

MacDonald was one of the most explosive centre-forwards in English football during the 70’s.  He started his career at Fulham when Bobby Robson signed him, but he later went onto enjoy successful careers with Newcastle and Arsenal.  He still holds the record for scoring 5 goals in an international match for England (v Cyprus, 1975), and these performances earned him the nickname ‘Supermac’.  Fulham was his first managerial appointment having recently finished his playing career.

Within two years MacDonald had returned them to Second Division football.  The following season saw Fulham blaze a trail in their bid for promotion back to the First Division.  Fulham were in financial difficulty and MacDonald made no secret of the fact he had assembled a competitive side without buying a player and had relied on youth players and free transfers.

Players such as Ray Houghton and Paul Parker began to make their mark under MacDonald.  They played alongside players such as Gerry Peyton (Republic of Ireland), Gordon Davies, Jeff Hopkins (both Wales), Kevin Lock and Tony Gale.

 
Tony Gale                                    Gordon Davies
 

 Paul Parker

By the beginning of February Fulham were 3^rd, 3pts behind leaders, Wolves.  They were also 11pts ahead of Leicester City in 4^th place.  But Fulham then started to wobble.  They won just 5 of next 15 games and lost 3 in a row, including losing at home to Leicester, 0-1. 

When they were beaten by Leicester, 0-1 through an Ian Wilson goal, the lead was down to just 2pts.  Leicester’s 15 game run from February was 8 wins, 6 draws 1 defeat and unbeaten in 14.  Their strike-force was two young players who went onto win many honours in the game, Gary Lineker and Alan Smith.

  Alan Smith                     Gary Lineker

Fulham would lose their next two matches, but Leicester could only draw theirs, which was enough to take them above The Cottagers on goal difference.

For Fulham’s final home match against Carlisle, MacDonald took the unusual step of addressing the crowd before the game through the public address system.  It seemed the pressure beginning to tell on Fulham as MacDonald called the game ‘the most important match in post-war history of Fulham Football Club’.  Fulham won 2-0.  Leicester also won at Oldham which set up a dramatic final day.

Leicester were at home to bottom club Burnley, and Fulham had to travel to Derby.  Derby County were under the guidance of Peter Taylor, who as assistant to Brian Clough, had guided the club to their first ever League Championship in 1972.  He was back at the club on his own, and trying to return them to their glory days.  He’d bought ex-Forest players, Kenny Burns and Archie Gemmill, along with installing Roy McFarland as his assistant.  McFarland was Derby’s captain in their title-winning season a decade before.

Mid January Derby were 9pts from safety at the bottom of the table, then 15 games unbeaten helped them climb away from the relegation zone before 2 defeats had them worrying about who was below them.  They approached the final game of the season needing a win to guarantee their safety.  A draw, and they may stay up on goal difference, but were they prepared to take the chance?

For Burnley, they too needed a win.  They had managed to put a mini-revival together with 1 defeat in their previous 7 matches, but they were staring down the barrel.  They had to travel to Filbert Street and try and come away with a win, not easy given Leicester were on a run of losing just 1 in their last 12 home games.

The drama was centred purely at The Baseball Ground.

The atmosphere at ground could be considered ‘poisonous’.  Clough used to use this to his advantage when he was manager of Derby, the fact that the proximity of the crowd could intimidate opponents.  Early on, Fulham striker Gordon Davies was bundled over in area but no penalty.  Davies didn’t really protest.  At the other end, Mike Brolly headed Emson’s cross and it looped onto crossbar and fell under Peyton’s legs.  He could easily have gone in but it didn’t.

During the first half, Fulham full-back Jeff Hopkins was booked for kicking Derby’s Bobby Davison in the ribs as he goes up for a header.  This immediately incensed the home crowd.  Fulham went close again when Davies seemed to be pushed in the area but his header was deflected for a corner.  The only other chance of note was when Derby winger Paul Emson took on Hopkins down the left and his cross just went over the bar onto the roof of the net.

No goals in either game by half-time and at this stage it was Leicester who were going up.  Leicester had been relegated from the First Division back in 1978 when Frank McLintock was in charge of a team who scored just 26 goals and only won 5 games all season.  They bounced back up as Second Division Champions in 1980, only to go straight back down again.  Players such as former Man Utd midfielder, Gerry Daly, former Partick striker, Jim Melrose, Kevin MacDonald (future double winner with Liverpool), Steve Lynex and Mark Wallington were combining with Smith and Lineker to put them on the brink of promotion once again.

Early in second half, Derby midfielder, Paul Hooks has a swing at Hopkins and Kenny Burns also steps in.  It starts to get a bit nasty and the crowd is whipped up further.  Neither side is able to make the breakthrough until 15 minutes to go, Emson’s right footed cross from the left found Mike Brolly on the far side of the area.  Brolly headed it back where he found Davison on penalty spot and he volleyed into roof of net.  Cue invasion of the pitch by the vociferous crowd.

The home fans started sing ‘staying up’.  As the game was moving into the final 10 minutes police horses were seen on the touchline, which appeared to be a bid to stem any trouble.  Gradually fans climb over advertising boards & stand on touchline.  Right behind Steve Cherry in the Derby goal fans are several rows deep around the net, almost encroaching over the line onto the pitch.  Davies has a chance when he heads straight into Cherry’s hands and fan walks on to pat the keeper on back.

In last couple of minutes, Houghton has a shot from outside the area and it is just tipped over by Cherry.  Again a pat on back from a fan.  Lewington went to take the corner and had to move fans out of way just so he could take the kick.  By now fans fill the touchline all the way round the pitch.  Terracing at one end of the ground is completely empty as fans are all around pitch.  It seemed that the police were helpless to be able to do anything about it, despite being in evidence in the ground.

In the final minutes the ball is out on the Fulham left wing. Robert Wilson runs down the wing, twists and turns Derby defender and then it suddenly kicked by one of the supporters.  Wilson stops, linesman flags but nothing is done about the fans.  Fulham players complain to the ref  who just decides to solve it all with a drop-ball.  The public address system is now calling for fans to retreat, but they’re not listening.

Fulham keeper, Gerry Peyton then kicks ball down field and the ref blows for a free-kick, but the crowd are convinced it’s the final whistle.  There is another invasion and the whole pitch is covered, but there is still time left to play.  Apparently, there were still another 78 seconds left.  The players struggle to get off pitch, as Derby fans are ecstatic their team has avoided relegation.  For the Fulham fans, news came through of the result in the other game and their hopes were dashed.

Leicester drew 0-0 with Burnley and had looked as if they’d confirmed promotion.  It also looked like relegation for a Burnley team who included a young Lee Dixon, just making his way in the game.

Lee Dixon


The controversy soon began.  Fulham made an official complaint and appealed for the game to be replayed.  Manager MacDonald was particularly angry.  After the game, he said the Derby chairman ‘intimated he would be prepared to play a replay’.  He went onto say the referee had ‘stated 90 minutes hadn’t been completed’.  When asked why they didn’t try and get the ref to play the extra minutes, he replied ‘we couldn’t field 11 players if we’d come back out, Jeff Hopkins was badly assaulted, his shirt ripped off his back and he had been punched.  The lad was in total shock’.

So by that evening it was unclear who was going up.  The FA announced they would have an enquiry to look into the events at The Baseball Ground.  Ironically, the result had been irrelevant after Leicester’s draw and some even scoffed at the idea of them scoring 2 goals at the end of the game, but this was pre-1999 with Sheringham, Solskjaer etc.  What was certainly true is the impossible atmosphere the Fulham side had to endure in the final moments of the game and that some of the players were attacked as they left the pitch.

The following week the FA decided to uphold the Derby result and deny a replay, and so Leicester were promoted.  Fulham were unhappy about it and it’s not certain whether MacDonald ever got over it.  The following season they finished mid-table and MacDonald resigned, the team was broken up and finished bottom of the table in 1986 and by 1994 they were in the 4^th tier of English football.  It wouldn’t be until 2001 when Fulham finally returned to England’s top division.

Leicester remained in the First Division until yet another relegation in 1987, but by then Smith had left for Arsenal and Lineker for Everton and then Barcelona, before returning to English football with Tottenham.

Looking back it seems inconceivable as to why the game wasn’t stopped until the crowd returned to the stands.  Also with such a visible police presence it seems odd why they were completely powerless to stop the invading fans.  But these were days when football authorities were scared of groups of supporters intent on causing trouble.  There was still plenty more pain for English football grounds to endure before the collective strength would force that kind of behaviour outside