STAGS DOWN THE YEARS: Struggling Mansfield see off Luton

Mansfield Town and Luton Town again lock horns this Saturday at Kenilworth Road, but these pictures go back to a clash between the sides at Field Mill back in November 1977.
1977 Stags v Luton Town Dave Syrett1977 Stags v Luton Town Dave Syrett
1977 Stags v Luton Town Dave Syrett

Stags had just been promoted to the old Division Two (now the Championship) as Division Three champions and were finding life tough.

Just three wins in the first 15 games had Stags under pressure as the Hatters came to the Mill for the first time in seven years and only the sixth time ever.

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A crowd of 7,519 turned out to watch Mansfield win the game 3-1.

1977 Stags v Luton Town1977 Stags v Luton Town
1977 Stags v Luton Town

Click HERE to read our Big Match Preview for Luton v Stags on Saturday

Having recently seen Kevin Randall move to York City, in the week before the Luton visit, Ian McDonald decided to follow Randall to Bootham Crescent and Stags then also accepted an offer from Peterborough United for Billy McEwan.

Nevertheless, Stags returned to form in style against the Hatters with goals by Pat Sharkey, Dave Syrett and Johnny Miller.

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The game marked player-manager Peter Morris’ 600th Football League game.

1977 Stags v Luton Town Dave Syrett1977 Stags v Luton Town Dave Syrett
1977 Stags v Luton Town Dave Syrett

But it also proved to be the last of the season for striker Ernie Moss as he gave in to ongoing pelvic problems which eventually saw him undergo operations on both hips.

With Randall gone and Moss sidelined, it was a blow Stags struggled to recover from as they were eventually relegated, winning only six more games, two of them back-to-back in April.

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