Archived News from December 2006
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STAGSNET`S STATISTICAL PREVIEW
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Billy Dearden's first League game as Stags manager after an absence of nearly five years (his then latest Stags league game was a 1-0 away win at Macclesfield thanks to an injury-time Allen Tankard header on December 29, 2001) will be to a completely new ground for the Stags' faithful, Accrington's Fraser Eagle Stadium aka Interlink Express Stadium. But do current Stags fans remember the Stags' last visit that counted to Accrington's old ground, Peel Park, or even the expunged goal-less draw in 1961-62 (see below)???
And after an absence of 44-years, the then last league fixture a 0-4 reverse at Crewe on March 3, 1962, Accrington Stanley made an emotional return to the league on August 5, 2006, thus being a 0-2 defeat at Chester, a side Accrington also faced in the fateful 1961-62 season. That season also saw an expunged goal-less draw at Peel Park between Accrington and the Stags on September 4, 1961 where 4161 (attendance figure courtesy to an excellent Accrington statistical site http://www.accringtonstanley.has.it made surely by one person in Sweden as the e-mail address was greger.lindberg@bredband.net linked from the official Accrington site http://www.accringtonstanley.co.uk ) saw the Stags line up as follows (courtesy of the centenary book): Wyllie, Toone, Bradley, Williams, Phillips, Morris, Wagstaff, Coates, Straw, Chapman R, Stringfellow. And one player from the then Accrington side in 1961-62, goalkeeper Alex Smith, ever-present that fateful season, later kept goal for Halifax and played in both games against the Stags in 1970-71, for instance. And in the Stags' second championship season, 1976-77, Smith was Preston goalie and played for them in the opening game at Field Mill on August 21, 1976, when the Stags won 3-1. After that game, Smith did not keep the Preston goal before April 2, 1977, then playing seven consecutive games, the last league game for Preston being a 1-0 home win against Gillingham on April 26, 1977. Smith played 33 games for Accrington, 19 for Bolton, 341 for Halifax and eight for Preston. But this will be the third time this season the Stags face Accrington. The first was on September 23, 2006, when the Stags missed two penalties in a 2-2 League Two Field Mill encounter. Nearly two months later, the sides clashed again at Field Mill, this time in the FA Cup first round, and once again, penalties played a major part. This time around, only one was needed and Richard Barker converted to a 1-0 victory. More on both fixtures in the match centre. The 0-0 draw, the expunged one, at Peel Park on September 4, 1961, is mentioned above and was also to be the only goal-less one at the old Accrington Stanley's headquarters. But the up-to-date latest Stags league clash at Accrington that counted, was played at Peel Park on Easter Saturday, March 25, 1961 in the old fourth Division. 2414 saw Wagstaff score twice, Wragg once and Ogilvie from the spot for the Stags, while Sturrock scored for Stanley. That Accrington side had a goal-poacher, named George Hudson, who hit the net on 35 occasions, equalling the club record set up by George Stewart in 1955-56. This was the last of four Stags away wins at Accrington before the old club's resignation in March 1962. In the 1959-60 season, the sides were relegated together from the old third division and on March 21, 1960, Jones scored the only goal of the game. And the first-ever Stags win at Peel Park was a pre-World War II one. On November 7, 1936, Accrington became one of several victims of Ted Harston. The 1936-37 55-goal machine netted twice in the 3-0 victory attended by 3334, Bungay hitting the other. And in the middle fifties, the old Accrington Stanley side had their best moments under the management of Walter Galbraith. In the seasons of only one club being promoted from the now defunct Division 3 (S) and Division 3 (N), Accrington finished runners-up twice, in 1954-55 behind Barnsley, and in 1957-58, behind Scunthorpe and in 1955-56 and 1956-57, Stanley finished third. Therefore, Accrington, which were the ONLY side to deny the Stags a Field Mill league goal in 1957-58, a 2-0 victory in Stagsland on January 25, 1958 in front of 7154, were along with the Stags founder members of the inaugural Division 3 way back in 1958-59. On January 3, 1959, Accrington were in fifth position when they travelled to Field Mill. There, the Stags won 3-2 after two goals from Barrie Thomas (later Scunthorpe season record scorer) and one from Griffiths in front of 6815. After that game, Stanley plummeted down the table and finished 18th, just two rangs above the Stags, and in the following seasons, the teams were relegated together with Accrington conceding a third level record 123 goals. The Stags faced Accrington in all seasons they played together in the old Division 3 (N), the first encounters taking place in 1932-33. That season, in the Stags' first-ever visit to Peel Park, they suffered their biggest defeat in any game between the sides when just 2477 saw Accrington fell the Stags 6-0 in front of just 2477 at Peel Park, a venue where the Stags did win on just four occasions, the biggest in the last not-expunged game. On the other hand, Accrington have only won at Field Mill three times, the first a 3-1 on April 17, 1933 when Prior netted the consolation goal witnessed by 3869. Twice, the Stags have won 5-0. Firstly on February 10, 1934, when 4441 saw Harry Johnson net twice, Munnings, Kilcar and Bytheway once. Secondly, a few seasons after the end of World War II. In the 1950-51 season, when the Stags had their then best FA Cup run, reaching the fifth round, the Stags routed Accrington 5-0 again. On March 23, 1951, 4504 saw Coole strike twice, Fox, Reeve and Barks once apiece. That was the fourth out of five consecutive Field Mill wins over Accrington without even conceding a goal. That season, Accrington successfully applied for re-election and an oddity in that case was that the later successful manager Galbraith then managed New Brighton, who were voted out at Workington's expense. The old Accrington Stanley side were founder members of the old Division 3 (N) in 1921. Before that, another Accrington side had figured in the league. Accrington FC, nicknamed The Owd Reds, were in fact founder members of the Football League in 1888, founded in 1878, playing at the highest level for five seasons, then being relegated after test matches and then even failed to get elected to the then new second level. The current Accrington club was formed in 1968, then called Accrington Stanley 1968, and entered the Lancashire Combination in 1970-71, finishing fifth on 35 points after 30 games, the record courtesy of the 1971-72 Rothman's Football Yearbook being Played 30, Won 15, Drawn 5, Lost 10, GF 65, GA 52, Points 35. And after three seasons in the Conf, Accrington were crowned Champions last term. Oddly enough, Oxford United, who were elected upon Accrington resignation in 1962, last season were relegated to the Conf. In the League, Accrington haven't won since October 14, 2006, when they on their first-ever visit to Torquay won 2-0. But Accrington, as well as the Stags, have yet to play a goalless league game this season, and have won games in the final minutes as well as having lost. Having scored the winner at home to Boston and Wycombe in the last minute, Accrington also lost against Hartlepool in the dying stages of the game, as well as having managed equalizers at home to Shrewsbury and away at Macclesfield, both 3-3 draws, in the last minute. Accrington's latest league game was a 1-1 home draw against Bury on Boxing Day attended by over 3000, easily one of their best home gates so far (on the other hand, the 3-4 home defeat against Milton Keynes Dons attracted a paltry 1324), while the Stags beat a depleted Darlington side away 2-0 thanks to goals from Barker and Arnold. Played for both sides (until 1961-62): Harry Broome, Jimmy Heathcote, Wally Hunt, John Jepson, Tom Lockie, George Mee, Stanley Mercer, Jacob Parsons, Jazz Rattray, William White. Home games: P 20, W 12, D 5, L 3, GF 42, GA 21 Away games: P 19, W 4, D 6, L 9, GF 25, GA 38 Season Home Date Away Date 1932-33 1-3 1933-04-17 0-6 1933-01-02 Div 3 (N) 1933-34 5-0 1934-02-10 1-1 1933-09-30 Div 3 (N) 1934-35 2-1 1934-12-15 0-2 1934-09-19 Div 3 (N) 1935-36 3-1 1936-04-10 1-1 1936-04-13 Div 3 (N) 1936-37 2-1 1937-03-13 3-0 1936-11-07 Div 3 (N) 1947-48 1-0 1947-11-15 0-1 1948-04-03 Div 3 (N) 1948-49 2-0 1949-01-22 1-1 1948-09-11 Div 3 (N) 1949-50 2-0 1949-08-29 2-2 1949-08-24 Div 3 (N) 1950-51 5-0 1951-03-23 2-0 1951-03-26 Div 3 (N) 1951-52 3-0 1951-08-27 0-1 1951-08-22 Div 3 (N) 1952-53 0-0 1953-04-13 2-2 1953-01-31 Div 3 (N) 1953-54 1-1 1953-09-12 1-5 1954-01-23 Div 3 (N) 1954-55 2-2 1954-09-11 2-3 1955-01-22 Div 3 (N) 1955-56 3-2 1956-03-30 1-3 1956-04-02 Div 3 (N) 1956-57 1-3 1956-12-29 3-3 1956-09-01 Div 3 (N) 1957-58 0-2 1958-01-25 1-4 1958-03-29 Div 3 (N) 1958-59 3-2 1959-01-03 0-2 1958-08-30 Div 3 (old) 1959-60 4-1 1960-04-02 1-0 1960-03-21 Div 3 (old) 1960-61 0-0 1961-03-22 4-1 1961-03-25 Div 4 (old) 2006-07 2-2 2006-09-23 (at Field Mill) League Two FA Cup: 1934-35 6-1 1934-11-24 (1st round at Field Mill) 1952-53 2-0 1952-12-06 (2nd round at Peel Park) 1959-60 2-1 1959-11-14 (1st round at Peel Park) 1960-61 0-3 1960-11-30 (2nd round at Peel Park) 2006-07 1-0 2006-11-11 (1st round at Field Mill) Svante Bernhard aka Sweden Stag (pictured, above right) |
Latest | December 2006