STAGS' GOLDEN GOALS '” Ian Juryeff helps Mansfield Town beat the drop with demolition of Halifax

Each week we are taking a look at some of the best to hit the net for Mansfield Town over the past decades. If you have a goal you would like us to feature, email [email protected] with brief details and your memories of the strike and we will try to include in a future article.

This week we go back to 1984 and remember a striker — and one of his goals — who is not, perhaps, a household name among Stags fans.

But for those three months he proved to be something of a saviour as he scored five goals in 12 matches to help keeper Mansfield Town in the Football League.

When Ian Juryeff arrived at Field Mill the Stags were deep in relegation trouble and facing a first ever drop into non-league or at least re-election.

By the time 10th April came around they were still in the mire after winning just one match from January to March, before hitting four to beat Stockport the previous Saturday.

But then upstepped Juryeff to take his tally to five goals in as many games with a terrific hat-trick as Mansfield defeated Halifax Town 7-1 on a curious night.

There was no sign of the Stags’ goalfest to come as the Stags, in the early days under Ian Greaves, struggled for an hour.

They had taken the lead through Stewart Barraclough but were then pegged back by a George Foster own goal 10 minutes into the second half.

As nerves jangled around Field Mill and the threat of re-election suddenly loomed large again, Juryeff took the game by the scruff of the neck.

First the loan striker restored the home lead and then set up Tony Lowery to make it 3-1. Even better was to come as he netted the goal of the game - Juryeff’s golden goal for the Stags.

As Halifax pressed to get back into the match and Colin Calderwood dallied in defence, the ball was launched forward and Juryeff broke clear, outpacing trailing defenders.

The striker, who went on to play more than 100 league games for Leyton Orient later in his career, held off the challenges before chipping in from 25 yards.

It was goal to grace any match and killed off Halifax to ensure the Stags would remain in the Football League.

On a remarkable night the goals kept on coming. as John Matthews, Juryeff and Dave Caldwell made it six goals in 30 minutes for the Stags and a 7-1 victory.

Later in his career Juryeff would make around 100 appearances for Halifax, but on that night in 1984 he was very much a Stag.