Left Stag: March 2024

This column, over the course of the season so far, has tracked the fluctuating fortunes of Mansfield Town FC, in segmented monthly pieces. Some months have seen us in inconsistent form, others breaking records and filling fans (this one included) with an unbreakable confidence that we will finally undo the curse we seem to have been under for a decade. So great the belief, that this column has declared on several occasions that it WILL come to pass. March, however, has amplified, in blaring surround-sound, those whispers that always lurked in the deepest recesses of even the happiest of clapper’s minds – those which we ignored, despite what history told us, what we knew was always possible, the unthinkable…the bottle job of all bottle jobs. Surely not. Not even Stags can mess this one up! Oh, you’d better believe they can.

The month began brilliantly. A rugged away win at Newport was a continuation of the excellent form of the previous month, in which The Stags had scored hat-fulls of goals and looked every bit worthy of the top spot in League 2. Hopes were high, but as often proves the case, it’s the hope that kills you. While important wins against Swindon and Bradford followed, they were interspersed by humbling defeats to Tranmere, and promotion rivals Milton Keynes and Wrexham, as well as a disappointing draw at home to Colchester.

All this left Mansfield 3rd in the table, as others around them picked up points. Then, at the start of April, things somehow got even worse. Crawley Town, flying in the form table, visited a blustery Field Mill and fired in two goals in either half to win 4-1. Up to this point, no side had scored more than two goals in an entire game against The Stags. It had all gone very badly wrong. But why? Nigel Clough said in his post-Crawley interview that perhaps “the weight of expectation is now getting a bit too much for one or two players”. The club press man, Mark Stevenson, replied that this “needs to be managed” and he’s totally right. I’m sure Cloughy knows this all too well, but I’d refer anyone in a state of worry right now, to the words of Mr Clough Senior, who once said “you can’t do anything to the best of your ability, unless you relax”. Ultimately, Nigel’s ability to manage this situation will determine whether he remains as Mansfiled’s manager going forward.

So where does this leave us all now?  We have a team devoid of confidence. A manager that, despite his numerous qualities, also seems shaken, and must pull something out of a blazing fire to prevent us slipping further. Yet, after everything I’ve just said, promotion is still in our hands. Win our games and we’re up – but we’ve been here before and when has it ever been that simple? To understand the context that frames the anxieties of anyone who has followed Mansfield in recent years, let’s just look back a moment. Last season, the last day. Stags miss out on the playoffs by a single goal, after a crippling injury crisis. The season before that - Stags miss out at Wembley, in the playoff final, after playing delightful football in Nigel Clough’s first full season. Rewind to 2018 – Stags are top 3 and looking odds on to go up until manager Steve Evans jumps ship with 10 games to go and the team plummet all the way down to 8th, not even making the playoffs. Finally, and perhaps most aptly, let’s go to 2019…

The final whistle of the season echoes around the vast and impressive Stadium: MK, Milton Keynes’ shrine to robbery and injustice. A spotty youth in ripped jeans and a hoodie slides on his knees in slow motion across the half-way line, through a cloud of red smoke, a delirious, crooked grin spread over his face. From the opposite stand, a portly man with no hair enters the pitch, his jowls flapping (also in slow motion) as he runs, like a boxer dog in a Pedigree Chum advert. Fifty yards away, five thousand Stags fans stand for a moment in stunned silence, before many pour on to the pitch to confront the oncoming Milton Keynes fans. It’s carnage, as scraps break out with rival fans and stewards, until defiant shouts of “YELLOWS!” go up and the crowds are parted by police. Stags have just been beaten 1-0 and replaced in 3rd by Milton Keynes, the team that, prior to kick-off, occupied 4th. Stags had needed a solitary goal to go up. Can you see a theme here?

With five games remaining, we probably need three wins. We play a Tuesday night game-in-hand against bottom club Forest Green, that if we draw, puts us back 3rd heading into what will surely be the decisive game of the season, against….you guessed it….Milton Keynes, away. I’ll be in the away stand with another bumper following, hoping that history doesn’t repeat itself in the cruellest way, but it must be said that this time there isn’t quite as much riding on the game (yet). If Stags can reverse their recent bad form and beat FGR, they will go into the MK match knowing that even a loss would leave them only a point behind, but with a game in hand. Not ideal, but still in our increasingly sweatier hands. So here we go again. Never easy is it, Stags?! (takes deep breath) COME ON MANSFIELD – JUST ONCE, PLEASE DON’T BOTTLE THIS!