Archived News from November 2003
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STAGSNET`S STATISTICAL PREVIEW
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Northampton was one of the clubs that crossed the league swords with the Stags in their inaugural league season. And already on October 24, 1931 did the Stags face the Cobblers in a div 3 (S) home league game, ending 2-0 to the Stags thanks to two Harry Johnson goals watched by 7,015 thus being the third-ever Stags league victory. This was to be a pointer to Northampton's visits to Field Mill as they have only managed two wins there since then, on November 9, 1968 and on December 30, 1989, both times in the old third division – and the Cobblers were relegated both times! And between August 12, 1972 and August 27, 1988 (both cases were opening day league games), when a old div 3 game ended 1-1, Northampton suffered eleven consecutive defeats at the Mill to a score of 26-3. And at Northampton, the Stags have won eight out of twenty-seven outings, winning four out of five unbeaten between March 25, 1975 (2-0, goals from Bristol City loanee Kevin Griffin and the late Gordon Hodgson) and April 2, 1983 (2-1, both goals from David Caldwell in front of only 1,988).
Here are some memorable Stags v Cobblers games: * November 19, 1938. The Stags scored one-third of all their away League goals in the 1938-39 season by recording the first-ever away win – then at the County ground to the tune of 4-3 and three strikes from Somerfield and one from Dutton in front of 8,774 * April 29, 1961. The Stags needed to win to have the chance to avoid re-election against a Northampton side that in 1965-66 played their only season at the highest level – then to be the first side to slide back to the basement after the Stags great FA Cup season in 1968-69. The Stags won 4-2 in front of 4872, Ken Wagstaff netting twice, Delapenha and Jones one apiece * May 7, 1977. The Stags last home game and the last one overall for the Cobblers. The Stags had already secured promotion and the Cobblers needed to smash the Stags unbeaten home record to have any chance to stay up and needing Reading and Portsmouth to drop points in their remaining fixtures. None of the Cobblers' wishes came true as the Stags attended by 11,314 comfortably stuffed Northampton 3-0 due to goals from Bird, Moss and McEwan. * April 24, 1990. Mansfield were seeking revenge for their only second home defeat against the Cobblers and gained a very vital win to secure their division 3 status and condemning the Cobblers to relegation due to goals from Trevor Christie and Mark Kearney in front of a paltry 2119 crowd. Last season, the teams were relegated together and at Sixfields, the Stags were unlucky to lose 2-0 but in the final game of last season, the Stags overturned an early 0-1 deficit to a 2-1 win, Andy White equalizing and Liam Lawrence converting a penalty to hit the winner in front of 3928, a good attendance considering the fact that both sides already were doomed. This season, Northampton have been a huge disappointment hovering in the bottom half – 13 points behind the Stags - considering the fact that the Cobblers have spent a huge amount of £ on players and already having had a managerial change, Martin Wilkinson getting the sack and being replaced by ex-Stags player Colin Calderwood in the hot seat. Another fact is that both clubs have had a Dave Smith as manager, the Stags between 1974 and 1976, while the Cobblers had a Dave Smith in the hot seat between 1954 and 1959. Played for both sides: Kim Book, Alfred Brown, Peter Clark, John Fairbrother, Greg Fee, Thomas Knox, Edwin McLachlan, Barry Richardson, Gary Saxby, Ben Sedgemore, Glyn Thompson, Clive Walker, Keith Welch, Benjamin Wonnacott. Home stats: P 27, W 20, D 5, L 2, GF 52, GA 18 Away stats: P 27, W 8, D 4, L 15, GF 23, GA 43 Season Home Date Away Date 1931-32 2-0 1931-10-24 0-3 1932-03-05 Div 3 (S) 1937-38 4-1 1937-08-28 0-3 1938-01-01 Div 3 (S) 1938-39 1-1 1939-03-25 4-3 1938-11-19 Div 3 (S) 1946-47 3-2 1947-04-05 0-3 1947-01-23 Div 3 (S) 1960-61 4-2 1961-04-29 0-1 1960-12-10 Div 4 (old) 1967-68 3-2 1967-09-25 1-1 1967-09-05 Div 3 (old) 1968-69 0-2 1968-11-09 0-0 1969-01-18 Div 3 (old) 1972-73 1-0 1972-08-12 0-1 1973-02-17 Div 4 (old) 1973-74 2-0 1973-09-01 0-2 1974-01-01 Div 4 (old) 1974-75 3-0 1974-10-28 2-0 1975-03-25 Div 4 (old) 1976-77 3-0 1977-05-07 1-0 1977-03-08 Div 3 (old) 1980-81 2-0 1980-10-27 1-0 1981-01-10 Div 4 (old) 1981-82 4-1 1981-09-21 1-1 1982-02-09 Div 4 (old) 1982-83 2-0 1982-12-28 2-1 1983-04-02 Div 4 (old) 1983-84 3-1 1984-05-12 1-2 1983-12-18 Div 4 (old) 1984-85 2-0 1984-12-22 0-1 1985-04-30 Div 4 (old) 1985-86 1-0 1986-01-11 0-1 1985-08-31 Div 4 (old) 1987-88 3-1 1987-10-20 0-2 1988-04-10 Div 3 (old) 1988-89 1-1 1988-08-27 1-2 1989-03-18 Div 3 (old) 1989-90 1-2 1989-12-30 2-1 1990-04-24 Div 3 (old) 1991-92 2-0 1992-03-10 2-1 1992-11-05 Div 4 (old) 1993-94 1-0 1993-12-11 1-5 1993-10-12 Div 3 1994-95 1-1 1994-09-17 1-0 1994-11-10 Div 3 1995-96 0-0 1996-02-03 3-3 1995-08-26 Div 3 1996-97 1-0 1997-03-22 0-3 1996-08-24 Div 3 1999-2000 0-0 1999-10-19 0-1 2000-04-29 Div 3 2002-03 2-1 2003-05-03 0-2 2002-09-28 Div 2 Svante Bernhard aka Sweden Stag (pictured, above right) Details from various sources (Stags centenary book, soccerbase and various editions of Rothmans Football Yearbook) |
Latest | November 2003