Final position: 17th
Top goalscorer: Michael Boulding and Danny Reet (7). Richie Barker hit fifteen but left for Hartlepool at the turn of the year.
|
Captain Alex John-Baptiste did earn rave reviews at times, making him the next best candidate. Barker's replacement captain looked pacey, powerful and good on the ball at the back on occasion and popped up with the odd important goal.
Recently being rewarded with a new contract to stem the interest of other clubs, Baptiste outshined his often trepid team mates.
Against Notts: As usual the two games were worlds apart.
Once again the clash at Field Mill was a spicy and entertaining affair packed with action and goals, while the match at Meadow Lane was rather duller.
At Mansfield in October Danny Reet had the hosts two ahead at the break. Notts looked poor and passionless but returned with fresh venom in the second period and, aided by Matty Hamshaw's red card, forced a draw through Mike Edwards and a late Lawrie Dudfield goal.
|
The return at Notts came in March, with a 0-0 draw failing to help Notts' playoff push or Mansfield's relegation battle.
Both had a goal disallowed, and both were rightly so with Hamshaw offside when he netted and Stephen Hunt fouling Jason White for his goal.
Defining moment: Perhaps the most difficult side to pick a defining moment from considering they have been neither up or down throughout the whole year.
However, the sale of Richie Barker was never going to help their cause considering he was once again amongst the top goalscorers in the league - and in a struggling side.
Therefore, had Barker stayed Mansfield may have improved quite considerably on their finish, making NCM feel their defining moment came when Barker was sold to Hartlepool for just £80,000 in the January Transfer Window.
Highlight: Mansfield turned on the style when they defeated Lincoln City at Sincil Bank in March.
The Stags did their best to show they weren't mediocre and could play with the best of them as they took on the promotion chasing Imps.
With it also being a tense local derby, Mansfield thrived on the atmosphere with goals by Barry Conlon and Nathan Arnold getting the win despite a late Jamie Forrester consolation.
Lowlight: The pitch invasion following the final home game with Barnet which helped to result in a proposed reduced capacity for next season.
That, along with consistent poor stewarding as seen the football league order Mansfield to reduce attendances next year, making finances even tighter.
|
Peter Shirtliff was rightly replaced as manager given that he had failed to produce the goods despite bringing in several new faces.
Former Notts boss Billy Dearden managed to stave off the threat of relegation but a seventeenth place finish is once again a poor return for the Stags fans who expect so much - for some reason.
Mansfield never troubled the top half, and were destined for a bottom twelve finish all season.
What's next? Having extended the deals of eleven of his current squad so far, it is hard to see how Dearden will improve the Stags.
Ongoing boardroom problems, alongside reduced attendances, will further damage their finances meaning getting players in to take them onto the next level is unlikely.
NCM can, at the moment, see yet another mediocre season.