Charlton FA Cup preview

[Sweden Stag]

After a hectic period with five league fixtures within a fortnight, out of which all three Tuesday night ones were won, most recently 2-1 at home to Grimsby, the Stags are in FA Cup action this weekend. And the draw paired them with one side which the Stags faced in their only season at the second level, namely the 1946-47 FA Cup winners Charlton Athletic, currently in League One, and did also play on last Tuesday, emerging as 2-0 winners at Walsall.

The Stags and the Addicks have rarely faced each other over the years as the sides bypassed each other a few times. When the Stags were relegated from the third tier in 1971-72, Charlton were relegated from the second level after fifteen consecutive campaigns there. And when the Stags won their first-ever Championship in 1974-75, Charlton were promoted, too. The Charlton as third-placed team at third level behind Blackburn and Plymouth. Finally, when Charlton were relegated again from the second tier in 1980, the Stags went down to thw basement.

As a result of that, Charlton have visited Mansfield only once in their entire League and Cup history. On April 1, 1978, the Stags lost against Charlton to a 0-3 scoreline in a fixture where nothing went right for the Stags. But that home defeat, one week after the good 3-3 home draw against the Spurs, was to be the Stags’ final home defeat out of nine during the 1977-78 campaign.

A few months earlier, the sides met at The Valley. There, the sides played out a 2-2 draw on November 5, 1977 with Ernie Moss and Dave Syrett as Stags scorers. That draw ended a run of three consecutive Stags defeats.

Before these encounters, the sides had only faced each other one. This happened in the League Cup early on in the 1972-73 campaign. After disposing of Lincoln City at home to a 3-2 scoreline with Sandy Pate as one of the scorers, the Stags were drawn away to Charlton. On September 5, 1972, the Stags lost at The Valley to a 4-3 scoreline with Walker, Wignall and McCaffrey as Stags scorers.

Charlton Athletic were founder members of the old division 3 (S) and were after four seasons at the second level relegated back to division 3 (S) way back in 1932-33 along with Chesterfield. A few years later, Charlton went on to become the first ever to be promoted from the third level to the highest one in successive seasons. Well there at the highest level, Charlton went on to finish runners-up during the 1936-37 campain. And Charlton remained at the highest level until the 1956-57 season. And when the Addicks have played at that level, managerial consistency was the key. Jimmy Seed in their first spell, Alan Curbishley in their latest one as Premier League between 2000 and 2007. Curbishley was Charlton boss for fifteen years before leaving in 2006. The following season, the Addicks were relegated from the PL and two years later, also from the Championship.

During Charlton’s first spell at the highest level, they reached the FA Cup final twice in successive season immediately after the end of WW II. After losing to Derby in 1946, Charlton beat Burnley by the only goal of the game in 1947 and lifted the FA Cup for the first time.

Meanwhile, the Stags’ best FA Cup run was in 1968-69 when the Stags kayoed West Ham at home in the fifth round, only to be beaten at home to Leicester in the quarter-finals on March 8, 1969.

Recent Charlton history has seen ownership problems (ask the Stags a decade ago) which has seen lots of supporter protest during a few games as well at League One level. And since Curbishley’s departure, Charlton have had about a dozen bosses, among them Alan Pardew and Phil Parkinson.

Not only in the 1974-75 season, the Stags and Charlton were promoted the same campaign. This also happened in 1985-86. When the Stags were promoted back to the third level under the reign of Ian Greaves, Charlton returned to the highest level, where they stayed for four years under the management of Lennie Lawrence (who stayed from 1982 until 1991) also having had to play their home fixtures at Selhurst Park at that time.

A former Stags boss appeared for Charlton in his playing days. The name: Peter Shirtliff. Among other current and recent FL managers who did play for Charlton are Alan Pardew and Chris Wilder to be mentioned.

Played for both sides: Bob Curtis, Jonathan Fortune, Ray Harford, Simeon Hodson, Lawrie Madden, Malcolm Partridge, John Stenson, Nicky Weaver.

Played for Charlton, later managed the Stags: Peter Shirtliff.

Expect an interesting FA Cup tie on Sunday. Come on Mansfield !

[KirkbyStag2]

The HOME/AWAY programmes from our Division 2 season in 77/78 (now Championship)

The HOME game was on 1st April, unfortunately with Stags being the fools!, 0-3

A creditable draw at The Valley, 2-2

[Chris M]

The HOME/AWAY programmes from our Division 2 season in 77/78 (now Championship)

The HOME game was on 1st April, unfortunately with Stags being the fools!, 0-3

A creditable draw at The Valley, 2-2

I dug the home programme out too. My admission cost was £1.50 to sit in Bishop Street stand, aged twelve. The third game I attended at Stags. Not put off by the heavy defeat though!