TONIGHT’S OPPOSITION
MANSFIELD TOWN
THE CLUB WAS FOUNDED in 1897 as Mansfield Wesleyans and became Mansfield Wesley in 1906, before changing to Mansfield Town in 1910. Playing in local leagues up until World War I, the club moved into Field Mill, currently known as the One Call Stadium, just after the war. It has been used as a football ground since 1861 making it the oldest football ground in the world that hosts professional football. In 1921, the club was admitted into the Midland Counties League.
Having applied to join the Football League every year since 1923, the club were finally accepted into the league in 1931, joining Division Three (South) at the expense of Newport County. Due to their central location, Mansfield often found themselves moving between the two regional divisions when it was necessary to even up numbers. In 1961 they were relegated to the Fourth Division but regained their place in Division Three in 1963. The 1970s started badly with relegation to the Fourth Division but championships in 1975 and 1977 took them all the way up to the Second Division but their stay only lasted one season and the Stags were back in the Fourth Division in 1980.
In 1986 Mansfield were promoted again and stayed in the third Division for five seasons before being relegated, promoted and relegated again in successive seasons 1991 to 1993. The Stags managed promotion again in 2002 only to suffer the same fate of immediate relegation. At the end of the 2007–08 season, the Stags lost their Football League place and were relegated to the National Conference ending a 77-year stay. After five seasons in the Conference, Mansfield won the Conference title and returned to the Football League in 2013. Since then Mansfield have remained in League Two with mostly mid-table finishes apart from the 2018-19 season where after a fourth place finish, they lost to Newport County on penalties in the play-off semi-final. After a 21st place finish last season, this campaign didn’t start too well for the Stags with just two wins in their first 19 games, but a unbeaten run since just before Christmas including an impressive five game winning streak has seen Nigel Clough’s side turn it round, and they now sit comfortably in mid table just below Town.
FOUNDED 1897
NICKNAME The Stag’s
THE ONE CALL STADIUM Capacity 9,186
RECORD SCORER Harry Johnson - 114 (1931-36)
RECORD APPEARANCES Rod Arnold - 513 (1970-71, 1972-84)
RECORD TRANSFER FEE PAID £160k Otis Khan To Yeovil Town 2018 (officially “undisclosed” so information may be incorrect)
RECORD TRANSFER FEE RECEIVED £655K Colin Calderwood By Swindon Town/ Tottenham Hotspur in 1993
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