Six memorable Nigel Clough moments as Mansfield Town manager celebrates 300 games in charge
Nigel Clough reached the superb milestone of managing his 300th Mansfield Town game on Tuesday.
Stags played out a hard-fought draw against promotion candidates Bradford City to mark the occasion, taking them closer to the desired 50-point mark in the table and safety for another year.
This season is Stags’ second in League One since their promotion clinch in 2024. Clough guided the club back to England’s third tier for the first time in more than two decades after they secured a third-place finish behind Stockport County and Wrexham.
Since then, Mansfield Town have grown from strength to strength under the gaffer. From their historic promotion, to hosting Arsenal at the One Call Stadium, it’s been a thrilling Clough era so far. As the club and fans honour his 300-game landmark, let’s take a look at some of his most memorable moments since his arrival in 2020.
First win as Stags manager
Clough was appointed as Mansfield Town manager on 6th November 2020, replacing Graham Coughlan. At the time, Stags were third from bottom in League Two after enduring a tough winless run of results. Clough made an immediate impact by guiding the team to their first league victory of the season against Forest Green Rovers.
The boss steadied the ship throughout the remainder of the season and Stags went on to finish in 16th place.
Play-off heartbreak in 2022
Despite a disappointing start to the 2021/22 season, Stags went on a charge of a record 11 straight home wins to ultimately finish the season in seventh place. Their valiant efforts earned them a spot in the play-offs, where they beat Northampton Town to reach the final. However, Stags’ dreams were crushed when they suffered a wounding 3-0 defeat to Port Vale at the last hurdle.
Stags narrowly miss out on 2023 play-offs
Eager to avenge their near-miss a year prior, Stags pushed for another chance at promotion during the 2022/23 season. However, an even more frustrating outcome unfolded as Mansfield Town finished just outside the play-off places by goal difference alone. Stags earned 75 points, tied with seventh-placed Salford City, but the Ammies’ superior difference of just one goal scraped them into the play-offs instead.
Mansfield Town earn promotion to League One
Stags’ ‘never say die’ attitude is deep-rooted into this side. Despite their previous heartbreaks, Mansfield Town dug deep to clinch promotion to League One at the third consecutive time of asking under Clough.
Stags wrapped up their top three finish with games to spare and ended the season with an impressive 86 points. They finished a confident eight-points clear of closest rivals MK Dons in fourth, enjoying their final stretch of games as they basked in the glory of securing automatic promotion.
New contract for Nigel Clough
Adored by the fans for guiding Stags back to League One, Clough gave them more to celebrate when he signed a new two-year contract last summer. John and Carolyn Radford were delighted to see Clough put pen to paper, describing the club’s progress under him as ‘unparalleled in the modern era’.
Hosting Arsenal in historic FA Cup clash
Mansfield Town took the FA Cup by storm this season as they issued upsets to Sheffield United and Burnley. After beating the Premier League-dwelling Clarets, Stags reached the fifth round of the competition for the first time since 1975. There, they were drawn against powerhouses Arsenal, who made the trip to the One Call Stadium in a monumental milestone for the club.
The Gunners prevailed in their fifth round clash but only just. Stags gave everything in a valiant effort as Will Evans’ goal refused to allow the record 14-time champions an easy route into the next round.
It’s been a memorable, historic and successful era under Nigel Clough so far. As he celebrates his landmark 300th game milestone, he is only 39 away from setting a new club record. Only Ian Greaves (338) has managed more games than Clough in Stags history.