Mansfield Town Football Club is an English association football club based in the Nottinghamshire town of Mansfield. Founded in 1897 as Mansfield Wesleyans, the team first entered the Mansfield & District Amateur League in 1902. Four years later, the club turned professional, tweaked its name to Mansfield Wesley, and joined the Notts & District League. The team made their debut in the FA Cup in 1909–10, and joined the Central Alliance in 1911, by which time the club had adopted its current name of Mansfield Town.[1] In the first post-First World War season, they moved to the Field Mill ground and won the Central Alliance title, and in 1921, they were accepted into the Midland League. Three years later, they won the Midland League title, repeated the feat the following year, and were runners-up the next. Applications for election to the Football League were unsuccessful, but in the hope of a better class of football, they had one season in the Midland Combination, primarily a reserve league for Football League clubs, before returning to the Midland League. In 1928–29, Mansfield won the Midland League title by a nine-point margin and beat two Football League clubs on the way to their first appearance in the fourth round of the FA Cup, in which they lost 2–0 to Arsenal at Highbury.[2]
Geographically, Mansfield lay on the border between the catchment areas of the Northern and Southern sections of the regionalised Third Division of the League. They had previously applied for election to the Northern Section; for the 1931–32 season, they applied to the Southern Section, and were admitted. After one season, in which they struggled, the team was reallocated to the Northern Section, before returning to the Southern in 1937.[3] Competitive football was suspended for the duration of the Second World War. Mansfield finished 22nd and bottom in the first post-war season, and thus had to apply for re-election to the League. The management committee decided that in light of the difficult circumstances facing all clubs in resuming competitive professional football after the war, all clubs facing re-election should be accepted unopposed.[4] Mansfield were transferred to the Northern Section for 1947–48. Three seasons later, they finished runners-up – at that time, only the champions were promoted – and reached the fifth round (last 16) of the FA Cup for the first time, losing to First Division team and eventual cup finalists Blackpool. Against a background of financial and governance problems that brought the club close to bankruptcy,[5] Mansfield remained in the Northern Section until the regional sections were amalgamated into national Third and Fourth Divisions in 1958, when they were placed in the Third Division.[6]
Two years later, Mansfield were relegated for the first time in their history. In their third season in the fourth tier, they finished fourth and were promoted on goal average, ahead of Gillingham by 0.118 of a goal.[7] After a further nine years in the Third – during which time they reached the 1968–69 FA Cup quarter-final, which remains their best achievement in the competition – and three in the Fourth Divisions, Mansfield won their first title at Football League level, taking the 1974–75 Fourth Division by a six-point margin. A season of consolidation, whose highlights included progressing to the quarter-final of the League Cup and the first of two Anglo-Scottish Cup semi-finals, preceded another championship: the 1976–77 Third Division title gained Mansfield promotion to the Football League Second Division for the first and as yet only time. They could not maintain that status,[8][6] and for the next thirty years continued to drift between third and fourth tiers, during which time they won the 1986–87 Associate Members' Cup, a cup competition open to teams from the lowest two tiers of the League; Mansfield beat Bristol City in a penalty shoot-out in the final.[9] In 2007–08, they finished 23rd in the fourth tier and were relegated out of the Football League into the Conference National (promotion and relegation between League and Conference had replaced re-election in 1987).[6] They reached the final of the 2010–11 FA Trophy, losing to Darlington in the last minute of extra time,[10] before returning to the League as Conference champions in 2013.[6] After two play-off failures in the next ten seasons, Mansfield gained automatic promotion to League One via a third-place finish in the 2023–24 season.[6]
Since their admission to the Football League, Mansfield Town have spent 1 season in the second tier of the English football league system, 42 in the third, 38 in the fourth, and 5 in the top tier of non-league football. The table details the team's achievements in senior first-team competitions and their top league goalscorers (where known) from their debut season in the Mansfield & District Amateur League in 1902–03 to the end of the most recently completed season.
Key to league record:
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Key to divisions:
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Key to rounds:
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Details of the abandoned 1939–40 Football League season are shown in italics and appropriately footnoted.
Season | League[6][11][1][12] | FA Cup[13] | League Cup[6][14] | Other[6][14][15][16] | Top league scorer(s)[17] | ||||||||||
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Division[a] | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | Pts | Pos | Competition | Result | Player(s) | Goals | |||
1902–03 | M&D Am | 7th | — | — | — | — | Not known | — | |||||||
1903–04 | M&D Am | 3rd[b] | — | — | — | — | Not known | — | |||||||
1904–05 | M&D Am | 5th | — | — | — | — | Not known | — | |||||||
1905–06 | M&D Am | 3rd | — | — | — | — | Not known | — | |||||||
1906–07 | Notts | 6th | — | — | — | — | Not known | — | |||||||
1907–08 | Notts | 5th | — | — | — | — | Not known | — | |||||||
1908–09 | Notts/Derbys | 36 | 19 | 6 | 11 | 95 | 73 | 44 | 4th | — | — | — | — | Jack Needham | 46 |
1909–10 | Notts/Derbys | 34 | 6 | 7 | 21 | 35 | 81 | 17 | 17th[b] | QR2 | — | — | — | Not known | — |
1910–11 | Notts/Derbys | 34 | 15 | 6 | 13 | 66 | 58 | 36 | 9th | QR4 | — | — | — | Not known | — |
1911–12 | Cent All | 22 | 6 | 0 | 16 | 35 | 62 | 12 | 11th | QR1 | — | — | — | Not known | — |
1912–13 | Cent All | 32 | 13 | 2 | 17 | 50 | 54 | 28 | 10th[c] | QR3 | — | — | — | Fred Blacknell[1] | 39 ♦ |
1913–14 | Cent All | 30 | 6 | 7 | 17 | 38 | 62 | 19 | 15th | QR2 | — | — | — | Not known | — |
1914–15 | Notts/Derbys | 26 | 12 | 4 | 10 | 52 | 56 | 28 | 4th[19] | Prelim | — | — | — | Not known | — |
1915–19 | Competitive league and FA Cup football was suspended until after the First World War.
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1919–20 | Cent All | 30 | 19 | 3 | 8 | 81 | 41 | 41 | 1st | Prelim | — | — | — | Not known | — |
1920–21 | Cent All | 34 | 18 | 6 | 10 | 75 | 56 | 42 | 5th | QR5 | — | — | — | Not known | — |
1921–22 | Midland | 42 | 20 | 7 | 15 | 68 | 57 | 47 | 8th | QR5 | — | — | — | Not known | — |
1922–23 | Midland | 42 | 17 | 6 | 19 | 79 | 64 | 40 | 13th | QR6 | — | — | — | Not known | — |
1923–24 | Midland | 42 | 31 | 6 | 5 | 98 | 31 | 68 | 1st | QR6 | — | — | — | Not known | — |
1924–25 | Midland | 28 | 20 | 4 | 4 | 82 | 27 | 44 | 1st | QR4 | — | — | — | Not known | — |
1925–26 | Midland | 40 | 23 | 7 | 10 | 120 | 54 | 53 | 2nd | R1 | — | — | — | Not known | — |
1926–27 | Mid Comb | 24 | 15 | 6 | 3 | 62 | 28 | 36 | 2nd[20] | R2 | — | — | — | Not known | — |
1927–28 | Midland | 44 | 19 | 11 | 14 | 118 | 97 | 49 | 10th | QR4 | — | — | — | Not known | — |
1928–29 | Midland | 50 | 31 | 10 | 9 | 133 | 72 | 72 | 1st | R4 | — | — | — | Not known | — |
1929–30 | Midland | 50 | 25 | 4 | 21 | 126 | 98 | 54 | 10th | R1 | — | — | — | Not known | — |
1930–31 | Midland ↑ | 46 | 19 | 11 | 16 | 103 | 95 | 49 | 10th | R1 | — | — | — | Not known | — |
1931–32 | Div 3S | 42 | 11 | 10 | 21 | 75 | 108 | 32 | 20th | R1 | — | — | — | Harry Johnson[21] | 32 |
1932–33 | Div 3N | 42 | 14 | 7 | 21 | 84 | 100 | 35 | 16th | R1 | — | — | — | Harry Johnson | 30 |
1933–34 | Div 3N | 42 | 11 | 12 | 19 | 81 | 88 | 34 | 17th | R1 | — | Third Division North Cup | SF | Harry Johnson | 18 |
1934–35 | Div 3N | 42 | 19 | 9 | 14 | 75 | 62 | 47 | 8th | R3 | — | Third Division North Cup | R1 | Harry Johnson | 17 |
1935–36 | Div 3N | 42 | 14 | 9 | 19 | 80 | 91 | 37 | 19th | R1 | — | Third Division North Cup | R1 | Ted Harston | 26 |
1936–37 | Div 3N | 42 | 18 | 8 | 16 | 91 | 76 | 44 | 9th | R2 | — | Third Division North Cup | R1 | Ted Harston[22] | 55 ♦ |
1937–38 | Div 3S | 42 | 15 | 9 | 18 | 62 | 67 | 39 | 14th | R3 | — | Third Division South Cup | R1 | Harold Crawshaw[22] | 25 ♦ |
1938–39 | Div 3S | 42 | 12 | 15 | 15 | 44 | 62 | 39 | 16th | R2 | — | Third Division South Cup | R2 | Tommy Dutton | 12 |
1939–40 | Div 3S | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 8 | 8 | 3 | [d] | — | — | — | — | 3 | |
1939–45 | The Football League and FA Cup were suspended until after the Second World War.
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1945–46 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | R3[e] | — | — | — | — | — |
1946–47 | Div 3S | 42 | 9 | 10 | 23 | 48 | 96 | 28 | 22nd[f] | R1 | — | — | — | Eric Bryant | 15 |
1947–48 | Div 3N | 42 | 17 | 11 | 14 | 57 | 51 | 45 | 8th | R3 | — | — | — | George Banks | 14 |
1948–49 | Div 3N | 42 | 14 | 14 | 14 | 52 | 48 | 42 | 10th | R3 | — | — | — | Harry Oscroft | 14 |
1949–50 | Div 3N | 42 | 18 | 12 | 12 | 66 | 54 | 48 | 8th | R2 | — | — | — | Freddie Steele | 18 |
1950–51 | Div 3N | 46 | 26 | 12 | 8 | 78 | 48 | 64 | 2nd | R5 | — | — | — | Billy Coole | 16 |
1951–52 | Div 3N | 46 | 22 | 8 | 16 | 73 | 60 | 52 | 6th | R1 | — | — | — | Ken Reeve | 21 |
1952–53 | Div 3N | 46 | 16 | 14 | 16 | 55 | 62 | 46 | 18th | R3 | — | — | — | Chris Marron | 16 |
1953–54 | Div 3N | 46 | 20 | 11 | 15 | 88 | 67 | 51 | 7th | R1 | — | — | — | Ken Murray | 21 |
1954–55 | Div 3N | 46 | 18 | 9 | 19 | 65 | 71 | 45 | 13th | R1 | — | — | — | Ken Murray | 13 |
1955–56 | Div 3N | 46 | 14 | 11 | 21 | 84 | 81 | 39 | 18th | R2 | — | — | — | Barry Jepson | 22 |
1956–57 | Div 3N | 46 | 17 | 10 | 19 | 91 | 90 | 44 | 16th | R1 | — | — | — | George Darwin | 19 |
1957–58 | Div 3N | 46 | 22 | 8 | 16 | 100 | 92 | 52 | 6th | R3 | — | — | — | Barrie Thomas | 23 |
1958–59 | Div 3 | 46 | 14 | 13 | 19 | 73 | 98 | 41 | 20th | R1 | — | — | — | Barrie Thomas | 21 |
1959–60 | Div 3 ↓ | 46 | 15 | 6 | 25 | 81 | 112 | 36 | 22nd | R3 | — | — | — | 15 | |
1960–61 | Div 4 | 46 | 16 | 6 | 24 | 71 | 78 | 38 | 20th | R2 | R1[g] | — | — | Doug Wragg | 11 |
1961–62 | Div 4 | 44 | 19 | 6 | 19 | 77 | 66 | 44 | 14th | R2 | R2 | — | — | Roy Chapman | 20 |
1962–63 | Div 4 ↑ | 46 | 24 | 9 | 13 | 108 | 69 | 57 | 4th | R3 | R2 | — | — | Ken Wagstaff[22] | 34 ♦ |
1963–64 | Div 3 | 46 | 20 | 11 | 15 | 76 | 62 | 51 | 7th | R1 | R2 | — | — | Ken Wagstaff | 29 |
1964–65 | Div 3 | 46 | 24 | 11 | 11 | 95 | 61 | 59 | 3rd | R2 | R3 | — | — | Harry Middleton | 16 |
1965–66 | Div 3 | 46 | 15 | 8 | 23 | 59 | 89 | 38 | 19th | R1 | R3 | — | — | Bill Curry | 14 |
1966–67 | Div 3 | 46 | 20 | 9 | 17 | 84 | 79 | 49 | 19th | R4 | R2 | — | — | Bill Curry | 22 |
1967–68 | Div 3 | 46 | 12 | 13 | 21 | 51 | 67 | 37 | 20th | R1 | R1 | — | — | Dai Jones | 8 |
1968–69 | Div 3 | 46 | 16 | 11 | 19 | 58 | 62 | 43 | 15th | QF | R1 | — | — | Nick Sharkey | 13 |
1969–70 | Div 3 | 46 | 21 | 11 | 14 | 70 | 49 | 53 | 6th | R5 | R2 | — | — | Dudley Roberts | 18 |
1970–71 | Div 3 | 46 | 18 | 15 | 13 | 64 | 62 | 51 | 7th | R2 | R2 | — | — | Dudley Roberts[22] | 22 ♦ |
1971–72 | Div 3 ↓ | 46 | 8 | 20 | 18 | 41 | 63 | 36 | 21st | R2 | R1 | — | — | John Fairbrother | 18 |
1972–73 | Div 4 | 46 | 20 | 14 | 12 | 78 | 51 | 54 | 6th | R1 | R2 | — | — | John Fairbrother | 20 |
1973–74 | Div 4 | 46 | 13 | 17 | 16 | 62 | 69 | 43 | 17th | R2 | R1 | — | — | Terry Eccles | 20 |
1974–75 | Div 4 ↑ | 46 | 28 | 12 | 6 | 90 | 40 | 68 | 1st | R5 | R1 | — | — | Ray Clarke[22] | 28 ♦ |
1975–76 | Div 3 | 46 | 16 | 15 | 15 | 58 | 52 | 47 | 11th | R2 | QF | Anglo-Scottish Cup | SF | Ray Clarke | 24 |
1976–77 | Div 3 ↑ | 46 | 28 | 8 | 10 | 78 | 42 | 64 | 1st | R2 | R1 | — | — | Kevin Randall | 17 |
1977–78 | Div 2 ↓ | 42 | 10 | 11 | 21 | 49 | 69 | 31 | 21st | R4 | R1 | — | — | Dave Syrett | 16 |
1978–79 | Div 3 | 46 | 12 | 19 | 15 | 51 | 52 | 43 | 18th | R1 | R1 | Anglo-Scottish Cup | SF | Bob Curtis | 6 |
1979–80 | Div 3 ↓ | 46 | 10 | 16 | 20 | 47 | 58 | 36 | 23rd | R3 | R3 | — | — | Terry Austin | 19 |
1980–81 | Div 4 | 46 | 20 | 9 | 17 | 58 | 44 | 49 | 7th | R3 | R2 | — | — | Russell Allen | 9 |
1981–82 | Div 4 | 46 | 13 | 10 | 23 | 63 | 81 | 47[h] | 20th | R1 | R2 | — | — | Jim Lumby | 14 |
1982–83 | Div 4 | 46 | 16 | 13 | 17 | 61 | 70 | 61 | 10th | R2 | R1 | Football League Group Cup | Group | John Dungworth | 14 |
1983–84 | Div 4 | 46 | 13 | 13 | 20 | 66 | 70 | 52 | 19th | R2 | R1 | Associate Members' Cup | R1(N) | Dave Caldwell | 21 |
1984–85 | Div 4 | 46 | 13 | 18 | 15 | 41 | 38 | 57 | 14th | R2 | R1 | Associate Members' Cup | F(N) | Dave Caldwell | 9 |
1985–86 | Div 4 ↑ | 46 | 23 | 12 | 11 | 74 | 47 | 81 | 3rd | R1 | R2 | Associate Members' Cup | QF(N) | Neville Chamberlain | 16 |
1986–87 | Div 3 | 46 | 15 | 16 | 15 | 52 | 55 | 61 | 10th | R1 | R1 | Associate Members' Cup | W[i] | Keith Cassells | 16 |
1987–88 | Div 3 | 46 | 14 | 12 | 20 | 48 | 59 | 54 | 19th | R4 | R2 | Associate Members' Cup | QF(N) | Steve Charles | 12 |
1988–89 | Div 3 | 46 | 14 | 17 | 15 | 48 | 52 | 59 | 15th | R1 | R1 | Associate Members' Cup | Prelim(S) | Keith Cassells | 14 |
1989–90 | Div 3 | 46 | 16 | 7 | 23 | 50 | 65 | 55 | 15th | R1 | R2 | Associate Members' Cup | R1(S) | Steve Wilkinson | 15 |
1990–91 | Div 3 ↓ | 46 | 8 | 14 | 24 | 42 | 63 | 38 | 24th | R3 | R1 | Associate Members' Cup | QF(S) | Steve Wilkinson | 11 |
1991–92 | Div 4 ↑[j] | 42 | 23 | 8 | 11 | 75 | 53 | 77 | 3rd | R1 | R1 | Associate Members' Cup | Prelim(S) | Phil Stant[22] | 26 ♦ |
1992–93 | Div 2 ↓ | 46 | 11 | 11 | 24 | 52 | 80 | 44 | 22nd | R1 | R1 | Football League Trophy | R1(S) | Steve Wilkinson | 11 |
1993–94 | Div 3 | 42 | 15 | 10 | 17 | 53 | 62 | 55 | 12th | R1 | R1 | Football League Trophy | QF(N) | Steve Wilkinson | 11 |
1994–95 | Div 3 | 42 | 18 | 11 | 13 | 84 | 59 | 65 | 6th | R3 | R2 | Football League Trophy | R1(N) | Steve Wilkinson | 22 |
1995–96 | Div 3 | 46 | 11 | 20 | 15 | 54 | 64 | 53 | 19th | R2 | R1 | Football League Trophy | R1(N) | 7 | |
1996–97 | Div 3 | 46 | 16 | 16 | 14 | 47 | 45 | 64 | 11th | R2 | R1 | Football League Trophy | R2(N) | John Doolan | 6 |
1997–98 | Div 3 | 46 | 16 | 17 | 13 | 64 | 55 | 65 | 12th | R1 | R1 | Football League Trophy | QF(N) | Steve Whitehall | 24 |
1998–99 | Div 3 | 46 | 19 | 10 | 17 | 60 | 58 | 67 | 8th | R2 | R1 | Football League Trophy | R2(N) | Lee Peacock | 17 |
1999–2000 | Div 3 | 46 | 16 | 8 | 22 | 50 | 65 | 56 | 17th | R1 | R1 | Football League Trophy | R2(N) | Chris Greenacre | 9 |
2000–01 | Div 3 | 46 | 15 | 13 | 18 | 64 | 72 | 58 | 13th | R1 | R2 | Football League Trophy | R1(N) | Chris Greenacre | 19 |
2001–02 | Div 3 ↑ | 46 | 24 | 7 | 15 | 72 | 60 | 79 | 3rd | R3 | R1 | Football League Trophy | R2(N) | Chris Greenacre | 21 |
2002–03 | Div 2 ↓ | 46 | 12 | 8 | 26 | 66 | 97 | 44 | 23rd | R2 | R1 | Football League Trophy | R1(N) | Iyseden Christie | 18 |
2003–04 | Div 3 | 46 | 22 | 9 | 15 | 76 | 62 | 75 | 5th[k] | R3 | R1 | Football League Trophy | R1(N) | Liam Lawrence | 19 |
2004–05 | League 2[l] | 46 | 15 | 15 | 16 | 56 | 56 | 60 | 13th | R1 | R2 | Football League Trophy | R2(N) | Colin Larkin | 11 |
2005–06 | League 2 | 46 | 13 | 15 | 18 | 59 | 66 | 54 | 16th | R3 | R2 | Football League Trophy | R1(N) | Richie Barker | 18 |
2006–07 | League 2 | 46 | 14 | 12 | 20 | 58 | 63 | 54 | 17th | R3 | R2 | Football League Trophy | QF(N) | Richie Barker | 12 |
2007–08 | League 2 ↓ | 46 | 11 | 9 | 26 | 48 | 68 | 42 | 23rd | R4 | R2 | Football League Trophy | R1(N) | Michael Boulding | 22 |
2008–09 | Conf | 46 | 19 | 9 | 18 | 57 | 55 | 62[m] | 12th | R1 | — | FA Trophy | R1 | Rob Duffy | 9 |
2009–10 | Conf | 44 | 17 | 11 | 16 | 69 | 60 | 62 | 9th | R1 | — | FA Trophy | R1 | Jake Speight | 17 |
2010–11 | Conf | 46 | 17 | 10 | 19 | 73 | 75 | 61 | 12th | R1 | — | FA Trophy | F[n] | Louis Briscoe | 13 |
2011–12 | Conf | 46 | 25 | 14 | 7 | 87 | 48 | 89 | 3rd[o] | QR4 | — | FA Trophy | R1 | Matt Green | 29 |
2012–13 | Conf ↑ | 46 | 30 | 5 | 11 | 92 | 52 | 95 | 1st | R3 | — | FA Trophy | R1 | Matt Green[29] | 25 ♦ |
2013–14 | League 2 | 46 | 15 | 15 | 16 | 49 | 58 | 60 | 11th | R2 | R1 | Football League Trophy | R2(N) | Sam Clucas | 8 |
2014–15 | League 2 | 46 | 13 | 9 | 24 | 38 | 62 | 48 | 21st | R2 | R1 | Football League Trophy | R1(N) | Vadaine Oliver | 7 |
2015–16 | League 2 | 46 | 17 | 13 | 16 | 61 | 53 | 64 | 12th | R1 | R1 | Football League Trophy | R1(N) | Matt Green | 16 |
2016–17 | League 2 | 46 | 17 | 15 | 14 | 54 | 50 | 66 | 12th | R1 | R1 | EFL Trophy | QF | Matt Green | 10 |
2017–18 | League 2 | 46 | 18 | 18 | 10 | 67 | 52 | 72 | 8th | R3 | R1 | EFL Trophy | R2 | Kane Hemmings | 15 |
2018–19 | League 2 | 46 | 20 | 16 | 10 | 69 | 41 | 76 | 4th[p] | R1 | R2 | EFL Trophy | R2 | Tyler Walker | 22 |
2019–20 | League 2 | 36 | 9 | 11 | 16 | 48 | 55 | 38 | 21st[q] | R2 | R1 | EFL Trophy | R2 | Nicky Maynard | 14 |
2020–21 | League 2 | 46 | 13 | 19 | 14 | 57 | 55 | 58 | 16th | R3 | R1 | EFL Trophy | Group | Jordan Bowery | 10 |
2021–22 | League 2 | 46 | 22 | 11 | 13 | 67 | 52 | 77 | 7th[r] | R3 | R1 | EFL Trophy | Group | Rhys Oates | 9 |
2022–23 | League 2 | 46 | 21 | 12 | 13 | 72 | 55 | 75 | 8th | R3 | R1 | EFL Trophy | R2 | Will Swan | 10 |
2023–24 | League 2 ↑ | 46 | 24 | 14 | 8 | 90 | 47 | 86 | 3rd | R1 | R4 | EFL Trophy | Group | Davis Keillor-Dunn | 22 |
General
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