VIDEO: STAGS' GOLDEN GOALS '” Kevin Kent scores at Wembley for Mansfield Town
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 Sunday, 25th May 1987 and one of the most famous goals in Mansfield Town’s history.
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Hide AdIt has been suggested for this feature by Sidney Ottewell, among others, on fans website Stagsnet.
Playing at Wembley is the pinnacle for players — and watching their beloved side stride out on to the Wembley turf is the pinnacle for the fans.
That was the case on that in May 1987 for Mansfield Town and its fans.
It was the club’s only appearance at the old Wembley Stadium. No matter that it was for the final of the Freight Rover Trophy, then the name of the competition for clubs in the lower two divisions in the Football League — this was a day to remember.
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Hide AdThe Stags were against Bristol City, who once played in the top tier of English football.
City included former Leeds and Scotland striker Joe Jordan as well as David Moyes, now manager at Sunderland.
Mansfield became a ghost town as hordes of amber and blue descended on the famous stadium.
And those fans went bonkers when Kent scored this famous goal in the 57th minute to break the deadlock.
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Hide AdStriker Keith Cassells had run his heart out that day, but he still had the strength to run down the left wing of the vast expanses of turf at the old national stadium.
Not for the first time that afternoon he swung over a ball into the penalty area — having run selflessly into the channels throughout the final - and this time it paid dividends.
His cross from the edge of the area, across the face of the penalty area, was run on to by Kent, who nipped in ahead of the hesitant keeper and defenders to clip the ball left-footed into the bottom of the net from 10 yards.
WATCH Kevin Kent score at WembleyWATCH the penalty shoot-out as the Stags win the Freight Rover TrophyLISTEN to full match commentary of the whole matchThe wingman had written his name into Stags folklore for all time with that single shot.
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Hide AdCity went on to equalise in normal time, but when the final eventually went to a nailbiting penalty shoot-out Kent kept his cool again to net the vital fifth penalty that kept the Stags’ hopes alive before they won the trophy in sudden death.
Kent scored many goals for the Stags, including four in one match against his future club, Port Vale. However, his Freight Rover Trophy success was not his last at Wembley, for the winger also won the Autoglass Trophy there with Vale.
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