Mansfield Town Football Club is a professional football club based in the town of Mansfield, Nottinghamshire, England. The team competes in , the third tier of the English football league system. Nicknamed 'The Stags', they play in a blue and yellow kit. Since 1919, Mansfield have played at Field Mill.

The club was formed in 1897 as Mansfield Wesleyans and entered the Mansfield & District Amateur League in 1902, before changing its name to Mansfield Wesley and joining the Notts & District League in 1906. They then finally became Mansfield Town in 1910, and moved from the Notts & Derbyshire League to the Central Alliance the following year. Crowned Alliance champions in 1919–20, they joined the Midland League in 1921 and won this league on three occasions – 1923–24, 1924–25 and 1928–29 – before they were admitted into the Football League in 1931. They were relegated out of the Third Division in 1960, but won promotion out of the Fourth Division in 1962–63, remaining in the third tier for nine seasons until their relegation in 1972. They reached the Second Division for the first time after winning the Fourth Division title in 1974–75 and the Third Division title in 1976–77, only to suffer two relegations in three seasons.

Promoted out of the Fourth Division under the stewardship of Ian Greaves in 1985–86, they went on to win the Associate Members' Cup in 1986–87. Mansfield were however relegated in 1991 and promoted again in 1991–92, only to suffer an immediate relegation the following season. They won promotion once again in 2001–02, but were relegated to League Two in 2003 and lost their Football League status with a further relegation in 2008. They spent five seasons in the Conference until they were promoted back into the Football League after winning the Conference in 2012–13 following investment from new club owner John Radford.

Club history Before the Stags The Stags were by no means the first Football Club in Mansfield. In fact, a team named Mansfield Town played in the Midland Counties League as early as the 1892–93 season. Mansfield Greenhalgh, a team for employees of the Greenhalgh & Sons Works, also competed in this league at the end of the 19th century, playing their home games at Field Mill. These two clubs merged in 1894 to form Mansfield FC, although after 6 seasons of mediocre performance, the club disbanded around the turn of the century.

Early years

Mansfield Town was founded in 1897 under the name of Mansfield Wesleyans. Like many football clubs, their name derives from a local church, in this case the Wesleyan church on Bridge Street. Playing in Chocolate and Sky Blue shirts, with Royal Blue shorts and socks, the club played in friendly matches and local cup ties. Its first game was on 4 September 1897, drawing 2–2 against Sherwood Foresters. Mansfield first joined a league in the 1902–03 season, competing in the Mansfield and District Amateur League. 6 September 1902 saw the Wesleyans lose their first league fixture 1–0 away at Mansfield Corinthians. A week later, Shirebrook Swifts put 13 past the Mansfield goalkeeper without reply, the worst defeat ever suffered by the club in a competitive match. The team ended its first season in 7th place (of 12).

Mansfield's performances picked up, with finishes of 3rd, 5th and 3rd again in the following seasons. In preparation for the 1906–07 season, the league dropped the 'Amateur' tag from its name. The Church refused to have anything to do with this new-found professionalism, abandoning the club. The club replied by changing its name to Mansfield Wesley, and operated from then on as a professional club. Mansfield took advantage of this new-found freedom from the church by moving up into the Notts and District League, where they finished in a respectable 6th position in their first season. The final of the Mansfield Hospitals Charity Cup was also reached, however local rivals Mansfield Mechanics won 4–1. After a similar season the following year, the club showed signs of progression in 1908–09. Local lad Jack Needham was the star, picking up 46 goals in 35 games - earning himself a move to Birmingham FC - as Wesley finished 4th in the table.

1909–10 was an eventful season. Both the chairman, Fred Abraham, and the club secretary, James Marples, resigned after committing the heinous offence of signing a player on the Sabbath. The pair were later banned for life by the FA, although the club escaped with a two-point deduction. Missing Needham, Mansfield dropped to 17th in the league. Wesley entered the FA Cup for the first time in their history, participating in six matches before losing to the Mechanics (again) in a Second Qualifying Round Replay.

At the Summer 1910 AGM, it was proposed that the club change its name to either Mansfield Town or Mansfield United, to help project the image of being the major club in the town. A vote saw "Mansfield Town" become the preferred option. The Mechanics protested this, seeing themselves as the major club in the town, however the FA approved the change.

It is easy to see why the Mechanics were unhappy, from the 1909–10 Nottinghamshire and Derbyshire League table.

PosTeamWDLPtsNotes1Mansfield Mechanics218548Two points deducted17Mansfield Wesley672117Two points deducted

Mansfield Town

To further enhance the image, Town changed to a red-and-white strip. The first season under the new name saw an improvement in League performance, with Mansfield Town finishing 9th of 18 teams. They also reached the fourth qualifying round of the FA Cup and the semi-final of the Notts Senior Cup (losing to Notts County Reserves). The summer of 1911 saw a new league formed - the Central Alliance. 12 teams were accepted into this new league - one of them being Mansfield Town. Another change of kit came about this season, with the team adopting black-and-white quartered shirts, with black shorts and socks. The first season at the new level was a disaster for Town, finishing in next-to-last position with just 12 points. Mansfield also lost in the first qualifying round of the FA Cup, as well as losing to Notts County Reserves again in the County Cup.

Mansfield had to apply for re-election, although the league expanded to 18 teams and so the bottom two clubs were re-elected unopposed. Mansfield had to move ground in the summer of 1912, as the Great Central Railway extended their lines through the middle of the club's Newgate Lane ground. A move back to the pre-1902 ground on Radcliffe Gate was the only option. Facilities at this ground were so bad that players had to change in the local pub. At the same time, Mansfield Mechanics moved into their new ground, Field Mill. After two mediocre seasons in the league (10th and 15th), Mansfield were not re-elected in the summer of 1914, due to the state of the ground.

For the 1914–15 season, the club joined the Notts, Derby and District League. After a poor start to the season, Mansfield finished in 4th position, with 28 points from 26 matches. It was not a good season for cup competitions, with Mansfield losing 5–0 to Sutton Town in the Preliminary Qualifying Round of the FA Cup, and 11–0 to Newhall Swifts in the local Byron Cup.

The Great War had taken its toll on the Central Alliance. In the summer of 1915 nine teams left the competition, so when Mansfield applied to re-join they were immediately accepted. The league was split into two stages for the 1915–16 season. Town completed their first league double over the Mechanics during the first stage, and finished ahead of them for the first time as well, taking 6th place of 9 teams. In the second competition, Mansfield strolled to the title, winning all 10 games (another three teams had dropped out of the league). This included 6-0 wins home and away against the Mechanics. At the end of the season the Central Alliance decided to shut down until the conclusion to the war, and Mansfield Town soon followed suit.

A New Home

During the War, Mansfield Mechanics had not paid the rent on Field Mill. The owner of the ground, the Duke of Portland, agreed to rent the ground to the Mansfield branch of the Discharged and Disabled Soldiers and Sailors Federation (DDSSF) - provided that it also be made available to Old Comrades of the Great War. Instead of informing the Old Comrades of their rights, the DDSSF instead sought out Mansfield Town to become sub-tenants of the ground. Town agreed to make the ground fit for use in time for the 1919–20 season, bearing the cost of enclosing the ground and building new dressing rooms. This was the start of the end for the Mechanics, who eventually folded during the summer of 1919.

Mansfield marked the new era with another change of kit - this time to amber and royal blue halves. This saw the team pick up the nickname 'The Ambers'. The first league season back after the War saw Mansfield win the Central Alliance title, beating Ilkeston United to the title by one point. This was despite losing the last three games of the season. The 1920–21 season looked like it would go the same way, with Mansfield winning 10 out of the first 12 games of the season. Mansfield eventually slumped to 5th in the table, 15 points behind champions Leicester City Reserves. The Ambers also reached the fifth qualifying round of the FA Cup and the Final of the Notts Senior Cup, losing both (to Worksop Town and Nottingham Forest respectively) after a replay.

In the summer of 1921, Mansfield were admitted into the Midland Counties League (at the time one of the best divisions outside of the Football League), helped by an appearance in the Notts Senior Cup final and the fifth qualifying round of the FA Cup. A creditable first season in the Midland League was capped by a run in the FA Cup, reaching the 6th Qualifying round and taking League club Walsall to a replay. In 1922–23, the club again finished mid-table and again reached the 6th Qualifying Round of the FA Cup, losing to Halifax.

In the 1923–24 season, Mansfield appointed Jack Baynes as their first manager and raced to their first Midland League title, leading the club to apply for Football League status. Barrow and Hartlepool were re-elected, with Town not receiving a single vote. The following season, with fewer clubs, Mansfield won the competition and finished runners-up in the secondary competition, although again failed to get elected to the League. In 1925–26, the club finished second in the Midland League, despite scoring 120 goals. Mansfield again applied to join the Football League, but were instead only admitted to the Midland Combination. In the summer of 1926, Baynes contract as manager expired, and he was replaced by international footballer Teddy Davidson, as player-manager.

In the 1926–27 season, the club managed a respectable second place in a division made up of Football League reserve sides (apart from Mansfield), although another application to the Football League failed. Another FA Cup run led to another defeat by a League side (Walsall again). 1927–28 was a poor season, as Davidson resigned halfway through and the club could only manage 10th position back in the Midland League.