This is the story of Mansfield Town’s glory days in the mid-to-late 1970’s. So far we’ve seen them win Division Four. We pick the story up in their second season in Division Three. They were lying fifth, just three points behind the leaders, Rotherham United. There were still 26 matches to play.
1977
January
The club dipped into the transfer market. He signed midfielder Billy McEwan, who became another ex-Chesterfield player at the club. But the big news was when they accepted a club record £110,000 from Huddersfield for Terry Eccles. Eccles had played 118 times for the Stags scoring 47 goals. They’d won the Fourth Division thanks to goals from Clarke and Eccles, now it was up to Randall and Moss to try and get them into the Second Division.
After missing the cup week they resumed their league form with a fourth successive victory. Moss scored the only goal to beat Sheffield Wednesday.
The winning run came to an end at Portsmouth, with Moss again on target. He scored in his fourth successive match with they won at Preston.
Their unbeaten run was now at seven matches. They’d lost just once in their last 13. Now they were up to the heady heights of second place, two points behind Brighton. There were five clubs below them just two points worse off.
February
This was always a big month. It was this time last season when they really turned things round at the start of their 19-match unbeaten run. They had six games to look forward to. The first being a tough match with Rotherham. The Millers were level on points with Mansfield.
As if to sense the importance, Morris chose this game to score his first for the club. Moss then added a second, the fifth successive game he’d been on target. Alan Crawford had been prolific for Rotherham in the first half of the season and when he scored he took his tally to 13. But they couldn’t find an equaliser, leaving Randall to score the third for Mansfield to pick up all the points.
Two days later they were again at home as Oxford United were the visitors. Oxford had come down from the Second Division but were showing no signs of going back up. Moss scored another two. What a start to his Stags career. He’d scored in six successive games, hitting seven.
Brighton were still top of the table, but had played more than anyone else. Mansfield had closed the gap to two points and had two games in hand. But behind them were Wrexham, who also had two games in hand on the Stags.
Colin Foster scored the goal which won the game at Grimsby and this was the fourth successive win. This was now 10 unbeaten and they really were in the promotion hunt.
Brighton were held at Rotherham so now Mansfield were just a point behind.
The line-up was now looking quite different from the start of the season. No Pate, Eccles, Matthews, McCaffrey or MacKenzie. Morris was playing regularly and Moss had certainly settled straight in. McEwan had come in towards the end of January, he now scored his first for his new club at Lincoln City.
Lincoln hadn’t beaten Mansfield in the league for four years, but were leading at half-time. Bird scored in the second half but Lincoln held on to win 3-2. It was Mansfield’s first defeat in 10 matches. They were still in second place as Brighton hadn’t played, but now they only had one game in hand.
MacKenzie had returned from injury to take over from Saxby at the back, and the last two matches of the month were both at home and both a success. York City were sent packing after a 4-1 win. Randall scored two to take his total for the season to 13. Morris also scored and he repeated the feat a fortnight later when they beat Walsall 3-0. Bird scored in both matches too.
February ended with Mansfield having won five of their six matches. They were still second, a point behind Brighton but with a game in hand. Peter Ward scored in both Brighton’s wins at the end of the month. Rotherham were two points behind Mansfield with the top three pulling away from the pack, with Wrexham and Crystal Palace the closest chasers.
March
If February had been considered important, there was no let-up in March as another six games lay ahead.
Crystal Palace were the first opponents. Venables’ team were in fifth and had matched Mansfield’s February record, five wins, one defeat. Just short of 11,000 saw Colin Foster’s second half goal win it for the home side.
Brighton were held at home by Tranmere and so the two were locked at the top on 43 points. Mansfield still had a game in hand.
That game in hand came in the week when Northampton Town were the visitors. They were in the bottom three but had won their last three.
A goalless first half saw the deadlock broken in the second by Randall. The Stags hung on to take the points and move to the top of the table. Rotherham beat Lincoln to join Brighton on 43 points. The top three sides were separated by just two points.
It was their fourth successive home match and they’d won all of them. Their home form was nothing short of remarkable. They’d won their last nine at Field Mill. It had been over two years since they last lost a league game at home. A run of 30 matches.
The players may have celebrated a little too much as they then suffered their worst period of the season. They lost at Bury and Tranmere and could only draw at home to Peterborough United and Chester City.
Despite losing at Bury they were still top as Brighton lost at Crystal Palace and Rotherham drew at Grimsby.
At home to Peterborough, Robbie Cooke scored his first goal for the club. Two days later they suffered their biggest league defeat of the season when they were trounced 0-4 at Tranmere.
This was a big shock. Tranmere hadn’t won for 11 matches. Future FA CEO, Mark Palios opened the scoring.
Rotherham then went to Tranmere and won 1-0. On the same night Mansfield were held at home by Chester City. With Brighton losing at Peterborough, Mansfield were back on top. They lead Rotherham on goal difference, one point above Brighton and two above Wrexham.
March had not been the month their February form had promised. Two wins, two defeats and two draws. They now had 11 matches left to see if they could reach the Second Division for the first time in their history.
April
This was the busiest month of the season, with eight games to navigate. First up would be the toughest of them all, a trip to the Goldstone Ground.
Rotherham, in second, also had a tough game as they welcomed Crystal Palace.
Kevin Randall missed the trip to Brighton as Ian McDonald replaced him. Peter Ward scored for the home side with Moss levelling things for the visitors. Gerrie Fell, who was born just 20 miles from Mansfield, put Brighton ahead at the break. It was his first start of the year and an important time to put his team in front. It seemed like the next goal would be crucial, and it fell to Brighton as Ward scored from the spot.
That was now four consecutive away defeats. Dropping to third, there was just one point covering the top three.
Given their away form it was with some relief they now had three matches at Field Mill, all against sides from the bottom half of the table.
Just after their defeat at Lincoln, they hit back with a 4-1 win when Port Vale visited. Bird scored a brace and Colin Foster was on target too. That was six each from the two defenders. Randall also scored to give him 15 for the season.
Brighton also won but Rotherham lost at Gillingham. Wrexham won and were on the same points as Mansfield, in third.
This was the Easter period so the games came thick and fast. Easter Monday saw the visit of Chesterfield. A crowd of just under 12,000 watched as goals from Bird and Moss gave the Stags another win. Brighton didn’t play so Mansfield were now a point behind.
The next night both clubs were in action. Mansfield welcomed their old foes, Shrewsbury. McEwan scored his second goal for the club to give them their third straight victory.
Brighton won as well and now had a slight gap to the rest of the chasing pack, Wrexham and Rotherham.
The run came to an end at Reading. Colin Foster put through his own net for what proved to be the only goal of the game. That was now five away defeats in a row.
Fortunately, Brighton also lost at Walsall. Wrexham won to move to within a point of Mansfield, with a game in hand.
Walsall would now provide Mansfield’s next opponents. Alan Buckley put the home side in front from the spot, but Moss equalised before half-time. It was his 10th of the season. In the second half the game was decided when Walsall defender, Roger Hynd, scored an own goal. At last Mansfield’s losing run away from home was at an end.
The night before, third place Wrexham beat fourth place Rotherham.
Brighton then drew at Lincoln so it was ‘as-you-were’ at the top. There was a four-point gap between third and fourth. Mansfield weren’t far away from securing promotion.
Five games to go, three at home.
The next visitors to Field Mill were Gillingham. Randall put the Stags in front. Damien Richardson levelled things for the visitors. Colin Foster then put the home side back in front, but John Overton gave Gillingham a point.
With Brighton and Wrexham both winning, Mansfield dropped to third. Wrexham and Mansfield were level on points, Brighton were one better. This was going all the way to the wire. There was a five-point gap to Palace in fourth.
The last game of the month saw the Stags travel to Swindon. Colin Foster scored again and it was enough to win the game.
This was a crucial win as Brighton were at Wrexham. That game ended goalless, so now Mansfield joined Brighton on 58 points with Wrexham one behind and still with a game in hand.
May
On the Monday night Portsmouth made the trip up to Field Mill. Colin Foster scored yet again, the third successive game. Randall’s 17th of the season crowned a 2-0 win and Mansfield had secured promotion to the Second Division, for the first time in their history.
Mansfield’s joy was soured with a bad injury to Barry Foster. The left-back suffered a double fracture of his right leg and would play no further part in the season.
The next night Peter Ward scored his 30th of the season to help Brighton to a 3-2 win over Sheffield Wednesday. At Selhurst Park Crystal Palace won a vital match against Wrexham.
Brighton and Mansfield were now on 60 points. Wrexham were three behind with Palace a further two back.
The following weekend saw Brighton and Wrexham sit it out. Mansfield had their final home game of the season. Over 11,000 came to see the visit of Northampton Town.
Bird and McEwan gave the home side a two-goal lead at the break. In the second half Moss scored his 11th of the season and the win was confirmed.
Mansfield were top, two points clear of Brighton who had a game in hand. Wrexham were two points back also with a game in hand. Crystal Palace were fourth, a point behind Wrexham.
Midweek saw Brighton travel to Swindon. Peter Ward scored his 31st of the season for the visitors, but goals from David Moss and Ray McHale gave Swindon a surprise 2-1 win.
It was the Seagulls first defeat in five matches and now handed the advantage to Mansfield. One game to go and Mansfield could even afford to lose it, if Brighton couldn’t beat Chesterfield in their last match.
24 hours later, Crystal Palace travelled to Wrexham and a brilliant second half performance saw them pull off a 4-2 win.
Palace were now in the third promotion spot, but their season had finished. In order for them to confirm promotion they would need Wrexham to win their final match. Palace had a superior goal difference so even a draw wouldn’t be enough for the Welsh side. Wrexham’s final match would be at home to Mansfield.
There was an outside chance Rotherham could overhaul Palace, but they would need to beat Port Vale by seven goals to do it.
The final day of the season saw Mansfield travel to Wrexham. The two clubs had met so many times in the recent years, with Mansfield getting the better of their battles.
The first half was goalless, which suited the visitors. Brighton were a goal down after Steve Cammack gave Chesterfield the lead. Alan Crawford had given Rotherham a half-time lead in their match.
As things stood Mansfield would be champions, with Brighton and Crystal Palace joining them in promotion.
In the second half Peter Ward scored his 32nd league goal of the season to equalise for Brighton. Rotherham knocked the goals in to give them a 4-1 win at Port Vale but that wasn’t enough to make their goal difference greater than Palace.
Then in the final minute at the Racecourse Ground the ‘old firm’ partnership of Randall and Moss combined to give Moss his 13th of the season. It gave the pair 30 goals for the season and the 3,500 Stags’ fans who’d made the trip to North Wales reasons to celebrate as they won the Third Division.
These were glorious times for Mansfield. Two championships in three years and now they were looking forward to Second Division football for the first time ever.
They finished three points ahead of Brighton with Crystal Palace finishing third.
The local newspaper, the CHAD recalled the events;
An afternoon for the 3,500 Mansfield Town fans, and every member of the team and officials at the Wrexham game, to remember for a lifetime - yet one member of the side will have to rely on newspaper cuttings and gossip for his memories of the historic occasion.
Player of the Year Rod Arnold was knocked cold right on the half-time whistle, and he could recall little of the preceding 90 minutes as he changed at the end of the game - except Mansfield had won and were champions, and Ernie Moss scored the winner.
To remind him of his contribution, it was a super save which kept out a Billy Ashcroft header in the 33rd minute. It was left to the old firm of Ernie Moss and Kevin Randall to finally kill-off Wrexham's hopes of promotion. Randall eeled his way past his covering defender right on the bye-line, and chipped the ball in for Ernie Moss to score and send the Mansfield contingent of fans behind the goal, wild with delight.
There were scenes of great emotion after the final whistle as the Mansfield players and fans celebrated their second championship in three seasons.
Mansfield had won the title going the whole season unbeaten at home. They’d gone through 1976 unbeaten at home in the league. In fact their unbeaten home record now stood at 37 matches.
Kevin Randall ended as top scorer. He justified manager Peter Morris’s faith in him as he was chosen to lead the line after Ray Clarke moved abroad. Ernie Moss also proved to be a vital signing as he and Randall shared 30 goals. The club had managed to survive the sale of Clarke and Eccles, two transfers which brought the club £200,000.
The fans could now look forward to visiting places such as Sunderland, Southampton, Bolton, Fulham and Sheffield United. They soon discovered they’d also have the prospect of a visit to White Hart Lane as Tottenham had been relegated from the First Division. What a season to look forward to.
pics courtesy of Stagsnet & The Chad
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