A year to remember forever as Mansfield Town soar - a 2024 review

Manager Nigel Clough became the first manager in 21 years to take the side into League One – and once there the Stags made an immediate impact too.

Even better is the style in which the squad achieved the year's successes with an exciting, attacking philosophy that, after so many years of paltry crowds, has led to all-ticket sell-out games at a One Call Stadium where work has started on the Bishop Street Stand at long long.

Promotion was finally clinched on a night to remember with a 2-1 home win against Accrington Stanley on Tuesday, 16th April - only the club’s eighth promotion since joining the Football League in 1931.

The celebratory pitch invasion earned the club a huge fine, but gave supporters a moment they will never forget.

With survival at the next level the only real target, every game in Leahue One became a bit of a free hit and led to Mansfield handing out several bloody noses to big guns and at one stage winning five in a row.

Inevitably, the reality of the quality division saw results slow as they lost five in a row, but the points already under their belt meant they faced 2025 with every reason to believe they will survive and thrive at this level and no real worries of a relegation battle, as usually happens in the past when the club hit these heights.

The year began in perfect style with a 2-0 away win at big-spending promotion rivals Stockport County.

That moved moved them two points behind the table-topping Hatters with two games in hand and dreams of the League Two title.

The Stags were averaging more than two points per game at this stage and had still lost only one game all season - a remarkable achievement,

Sadly the game did see a serious knee injury to striker Rhys Oates from which he has only just returned.

After a 4-0 away win at Forest Green in February, three days later a 9-2 hammering of Harrogate Town at the One Call Stadium on Tuesday, 13th February equalled the club record victory since joining the Football League in 1931.

Stags then smashed Salford City 5-1 at the One Call Stadium less than two weeks later to go top of the league.

By 16th March the title dream remained a reality after a magnificent 5-1 away win at Bradford City sent five points clear at the top with eight games to play.

Mansfield were three up inside 18 minutes and it really could have been another nine or 10-goal tonking.

But, with rivals Stockport and Wrexham closing in on them, Stags were held 1-1 at home by Colchester United and then lost 2-0 at Wrexham.

Crawley Town then pulled off Mansfield's only serious defeat of the campaign as they cruised home 4-1 at the One Call with a fine display and there were no complaints.

The title was slipping away but automatic promotion was very much on the cards and three days later Tom Nichols grabbed a crucial goal in a narrow 1-0 home win over relegation-bound Forest Green to ease the nerves.

There followed a simply astonishing 4-1 away win at MK Dons, themselves with play-off aspirations, to set up the home clash with Accrington that ultimately sealed promotion.

Next up, Nigel Clough's 200th game of the club in charge saw Mansfield beat visiting Gillingham 2-1 before a final day 1-1 draw away at Barrow – their 100th goal of a hugely entertaining season.

That meant Mansfield had hit 47 away league goals equalling a club record set in 1962/63.

Losing only five away games was a new club record in a season in the Football League and the 11 away wins, just one less than the club record.

Stags had scored the second most goals in League Two, the most goals they had scored in a season since winning in the Conference in 2012/13 and the most in the Football League since 1974/75 while they also ended up having the best defensive record in League Two.

Boss Clough was also named EFL League Two Manager of the Year with Aden Flint, Louis Reed and Davis Keillor-Dunn named in the Team of the Year.

The summer months rightly brought record season ticket sales and a high sense of anticipation.

Clough kept much of his squad intact but brought in some shrewd signings like Deji Oshilaja, Will Evans (reputedly for an undisclosed club record fee), Frazer Blake-Tracy, Australian international Keanu Baccus and veteran former Mansfield striker Lee Gregory.

After an impressive pre-season Stags opened up with a stunning Friday night televised 2-1 win at Barnsley.

The Tykes got some revenge by then signing Stags' top scorer David Keillor-Dunn by the end of the window, though Gregory was more than making up for his goals.

Stags exited the Carabao Cup on penalties after a fine showing at Bolton Wanderers.

A thrilling 3-3 home draw with Clough's old club Burton Albion was then followed by a crazy 4-1 loss at Lincoln where keeper Christy Pym made a couple of rare errors while Stags enjoyed 71 per cent of the possession – one of those days.

After a 1-1 home draw with Stockport, Stags embarked on a superb five-game winning streak, beating Cambridge, Shrewsbury and Blackpool at home and Northampton and Crawley away.

Suddenly fans – and players – were beginning to believe they were seeing the start of something special once more.

A wonder free kick saw Stevenage halt that charge as they left the One Call with all three points.

Stags responded superbly with a fine 2-1 midweek win at Wigan Athletic – a fourth away win in a row.

A thrilling 1-1 home draw with title favourites Birmingham City followed in front of 8,583 captivated fans and Stags successfully negotiated the potential FA Cup banana skin of non-league Curzon Ashton away with a comfortable 4-0 win.

But, despite good displays in all, season ambitions were then diluted with an unlucky run of five league defeats, Bristol Rovers and Huddersfield edging close games at the One Call, and Stags narrowly beaten at high-flying Wrexham and leaders Wycombe (by a last gasp fluke cross that sailed in) while what looked set for a 1-0 win at Bolton saw Hiram Boateng sent off and the 10 men concede three goals in 10 late minutes to lose 3-1.

Amid that run Stags did gain some revenge over Stevenage as a superb Stephen McLaughlin strike saw them win 1-0 in an away FA Cup Second Round tie.

The losing streak was halted by a gutsy 0-0 away draw at Charlton Athletic's plush Valley stadium in boss Nigel Clough's 1,500th game as a manager.

And Mansfield then proved they had their mojo fully back as they won their two Christmas games – 1-0 at home to Rotherham United in match-spoiling winds – and then, impressively, 3-0 away at Peterborough United on Boxing Day, going 2-0 up in nine minutes and three up at the interval in a first half display the manager thought to be the best of the season so far.

Sadly the year did end in a narrow 2-1 away defeat at Reading.

Stags had never beaten the Royals in their back yard in 24 attempts and this made it 21 defeats and four draws against a bogey side on Mansfield’s first ever visit to their plush Madejski Stadium in their first meeting in over 31 years

Stags dominated the game and Will Evans levelled an early goal – the first Mansfield had conceded in 344 minutes of football – just before the break.

But Stags could not come back a second time after conceding again on 55 minutes, despite Aaron Lewis coming close near the end.

However, another big away contingent applauded their side at the end for another superb display away at an ex-Premier League club and for a year of fabulous, record-breaking football and success many of the younger fans will have been experiencing for the first time.

Stags had ended 2024 in a magnificent 11th position, six points off the play-off spots in League Once with a game in hand and everything to play for in an exciting 2025.