VIDEO: STAGS' GOLDEN GOALS - Iyseden Christie grabs stoppage time Mansfield Town equaliser at Notts County
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.
The latest in our series of golden Stags goals was suggested on fans’ website Stagsnet by hibbmtfc and Tel.
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Hide AdThey remember the day Iyseden Christie snatched the most dramatic of equalisers in the local derby at Meadow Lane in front of a packed crowd.
Christie was the classic enigma of a striker - the darling of the fans one minute and then the butt of their frustrations the next.
But he will always be adored by the 3,000-plus Mansfield Town fans packed into the spion kop at Meadow Lane on 9th November, 2002.
The Stags had not won at Notts County for more than 40 years, but they were scenting a Division Two victory after promotion the previous season. Liam Lawrence gave the Stags a more than deserved half-time lead.
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Hide AdIt was a pulsating local derby and more than 10,000 fans were treated to a thriller.
The visitors continued to create and miss chances - and were punished when County first levelled through a scrambled Richard Liburd finish and then took the lead just seven minutes from time.
WATCH Christie score the dramatic equaliser at Notts CountyThe injustice of the scoreline rankled the massed ranks of amber and blue. The injustice of the award of the free kick from which Darren Caskey curled County into the lead angered them even more.
To make matters worse, in the last minute Christie, getting on to the end of a Wayne Corden cross, volleyed over from close-range when it looked likely he would equalise.
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Hide AdHe should have scored. He should have sent the thousands of visiting Stags into pandemonium — and then, remarkably, he did.
Four minutes into injury time — when only three minutes had been awarded — a long, hopeful ball forward by Matt Gadsby skimmed off the head of Caskey and went towards the County goal.
Christie, appearing to be several yards offside, on the edge of the penalty area, looked up and beat keeper Stuart Gardner with a left-footed drive into the bottom corner to snatch the unlikeliest of draws.
With County’s players, manager Billy Dearden and fans all protesting that Christie was offside, the Stags celebrated long after the final whistle.
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Hide AdSTAGS’ GOLDEN GOALS: Wayne Corden starts promotion partyVIDEO: STAGS’ GOLDEN GOALS — Liam Lawrence hits last-gasp winner in thrilling derbyVIDEO: STAGS’ GOLDEN GOALS — George Foster’s Freight Rover Trophy area final stunnerVIDEO: STAGS’ GOLDEN GOALS — Simon Ireland heads cup winner at Leeds UnitedVIDEO: STAGS’ GOLDEN GOALS — Dave Syrett’s Mansfield Town hat-trick strike in a Spurs mudbathSTAGS’ GOLDEN GOALS — Keith Cassells curls in debut hat-trick to start Mansfield Town promotion seasonSadly the draw was one of the few high points that season, which started so promisingly with a 4-2 home win over Plymouth but ended with relegation. It included the dramatic 5-4 home defeat to Bristol City, a six-goal win over Tranmere and a home victory over the Magpies.
Christie had a fine goalscoring ratio of around a goal every other game for the Stags.