Mansfield Town 4 Crewe Alex 3

Football League Division IV

Tuesday 31 March 1992

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Matchday programme, 29 March 2002

Stags needed 4 home wins to secure promotion in 1992

It is ten years since the Stags were last promoted. With six games to go,
the Stags were lying in third place (the final automatic promotion spot),
and were two points behind second placed Blackpool, and a point ahead of
fourth placed Rotherham, though Stags had played a game more than their
rivals. Just like this season, four of the final six games were at Field
Mill, and Stags manager George Foster targeted "We've got to win our home
games ... it's as simple as that." The first of the home games was against
Crewe on Tuesday 31 March 1992. In front of just 3,108 fans, and following
a 300 minute goal drought (a remarkable parallel to this season), Mansfield
took the lead on 10 minutes with a cool finish from Steve Wilkinson. On 39
minutes, Phil Stant made it 2-0 from a Paul Holland throw-in, and on the
stroke of half time, Wayne Fairclough ran on to a Martin Clark through-ball
and tucked a low shot under the keeper to make it 3-0. But two goals in
four minutes just after half time through Clarkson and McKearney brought
Crewe back into it. Stant notched his second on 64 minutes drilling home
from close range, but Clarkson pulled a goal back on 80 minutes to set up a
tense finale. Stags hung on for a 4-3 victory despite a free-kick from
Craig Hignett going inches over the bar five minutes into injury time.

Stags went on to win the other three of their remaining home games, whilst
losing one and drawing one away, which proved just enough to secure
promotion on the final day of the season.

Read the full report of the Crewe game and see photos of 2 of the goals in
the Vintage Stags section of www.Stagsnet.com

Compiled by Martin Shaw