As autumn and winter collide, and the cold snap certainly beckons, so the football season is seen to be in full swing, and with it, Nigel Clough’s Mansfield Town on a Sky Bet League One campaign.
It’s a campaign that’s started reasonably well thus far for the Stags, sitting fifth place in the league as October falls and having collected four wins and three draws from their opening ten in all competitions.
They’re even doing well in front of goal, netting fourteen times as summer signing, Lee Gregory, leads the way with five, including a brace in the mid-September home win over Cambridge United.
In fact, it was he who helped the Stags to their first three points, on the opening day, when at Oakwell, against Barnsley, in front of a near 15,000 spectators; Stephen Quinn scored the first of the season, Gregory adding the second, inside twenty minutes.
The cups haven’t seen much joy in the early throes of the campaign; an early Carabao Cup exit, on penalties, away to Bolton Wanderers, following a 1-1 draw, Davis Keillor-Dunn with his only goal of the season prior to his departure to Barnsley.
A six-goal thriller was seen as Buton Albion visited the One Call Stadium in mid-August, Gregory salvaging a point at the death with penalty seven minutes into stoppage time, before a tough, 4-1 loss, at the hands of hosts Lincoln City, a game that would see another summer addition, Deji Oshilaja.
Abdul-Yussuf Adedeji Adeniyi Oshilaja is a Bermondsey-born defender of Nigerian descent; now in his early thirties he spent the first half of his career at Cardiff City, but on-loan to some four clubs, between 2013 and 2017 (including three spells at Gillingham). Sold to AFC Wimbledon in 2017, Deji would become the Dons captain and go on to make over a hundred appearances for the club, before spells at Charlton Athletic, and Burton Athletic, turning out over a hundred times for the Brewers also, over the past three seasons. After joining the Stags Deji made his debut for the club in the 2-1 at Barnsley on the opening day, before netting his first goal for his new club in the loss at Lincoln, finishing from close-range, following a corner, with twenty minutes remaining. He has already become a mainstay at the heart of the Stags defence appearing in all ten games so far (seven starts, three substitute appearances).
Losses in the EFL Trophy, to Rotherham United and Bradford City have also been witnessed by the Stags faithful, but in the league, since the defeat to Lincoln, it’s unbeaten in four as they headed to Crawley Town for their first outing of October.
A home point against Stockport County, Hiram Boateng with the goal, was quickly followed by a trio of successes to slot the Stags into fifth place come the end of September; back-to-back 2-1 home wins over Cambridge, and Shrewsbury Town, brought much cheer, Gregory notching three goals, including a second penalty of the season, as momentum began to build.
The decisive goals in the wins over the Shrews, and away to Northampton Town at the end of September, belonged to midfielder Aaron Lewis, both coming in the closing minutes of each encounter, whilst Will Evans, the Stags’ last signing of the transfer window, grabbed his second of the season with the opener (as he’d done in the home draw with Burton).
A brace at home to Cambridge, and two penalties, from his five goals in eight appearances (nine overall), has been a fantastic return since Lee Gregory made the move from Yorkshire to Nottinghamshire. A Sheffield-born marksman, Gregory began his career in the youth set-up with Blades, whilst his last club before joining the Stags was the Owls, having an early spell at Mansfield prior to making his name elsewhere. FC Halifax Town (155 appearances), Millwall (238 appearances), Stoke City (50 appearances) and Sheffield Wednesday (100 appearances) have all benefitted over the past fourteen years, he being a two-time play-off winner for added measure – with Millwall in 2017 (1-0 versus Bradford City), and Sheffield Wednesday in 2023 (1-0 versus Barnsley).
Following the 2-0 win away to Northampton Town, in their last outing, a third league win on the bounce, the Stags found themselves in fifth place, five points off early leaders Birmingham City, having win four and drawn two of their seven outings (fourteen points).
Although Stags fans would have been disappointed by the departures of Ollie Clarke, Davis Keillor-Dunn, and Will Swan, to Swindon Town, Barnsley, and Crawley Town respectively, they’d sure have been delighted by the progress made of several, home-grown players.
The Nottingham-born trio of Finn Flanagan, McKeal Abdullah, and Taylor Anderson, have all made an appearance this season, the Academy products, alongside Darien Wauchope, will be looking to make a continued impression as the season progresses.
Flanagan, Abdullah and Anderson are all 19-years-old, and products of the Mansfield Town Academy; defender Taylor Anderson would be the first of the home-grown stars to make a first-team debut, he doing so in the 4-0 drubbing of Carlisle United, on Valentines Day last year; striker McKeal Abdullah then followed up by making his bow in the 2-0 Carabao Cup success over Grimsby Town last season; and midfielder Taylor Anderson, he made his entrance in the 3-2 EFL Trophy success over Doncaster Rovers, in mid-October (on for Elliott Hewitt) – the three stepping up to the first team within the space of eight months.
With Anderson and Abdullah both having made four first team appearances, the latter of the two is also already capped at international level, he having made his debut, for Pakistan, in the FIFA World Cup Asian Qualifiers defeat to Saudi Arabia less than four months ago.
2024/25 Appearances (all competitions) – Christy Pym (8), Louis Reed (8); Will Evans (8, 2sub); Lee Gregory (8; 1sub), Stephen Quinn (8;1sub); Hiram Boateng (7, 3sub), Deji Oshilaja (7, 3sub); Stephen McLaughin (7, 2sub); Keanu Baccus (6)
2024/25 Goals (all competitions) – Lee Gregory (5); Will Evans (2), Aaron Lewis (2)
October Fixtures – Crawley Town (A, 1 October), Blackpool (H, 5 October), Stevenage Borough (H, 19 October), Wigan Athletic (A, 22 October), Birmingham City (H 26 October), Newcastle United U21s (H, EFL Trophy, 29 October).
*Article provided by Peter Mann (Senior Correspondent).
*Main image @mansfieldtownfc it’s been a solid life to League One for Mansfield Town.