1971–72 Mansfield Town F.C. season
# 1971–72 Mansfield Town F.C. season

The 1971–72 season was Mansfield Town's 35th season in the Football League and 11th in the Third Division, they finished in 21st position with 36 points and were relegated to the Fourth Division on goal average.

## Final league table

| Pos | Teamvte | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GAv | Pts | Qualification or relegation |
| - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| 1 | Derby County (C) | 42 | 24 | 10 | 8 | 69 | 33 | 2.091 | 58 | Qualification for the European Cup first round |
| 2 | Leeds United | 42 | 24 | 9 | 9 | 73 | 31 | 2.355 | 57 | Qualification for the Cup Winners' Cup first round |
| 3 | Liverpool | 42 | 24 | 9 | 9 | 64 | 30 | 2.133 | 57 | Qualification for the UEFA Cup first round |
| 4 | Manchester City | 42 | 23 | 11 | 8 | 77 | 45 | 1.711 | 57 | Qualification for the UEFA Cup first round |
| 5 | Arsenal | 42 | 22 | 8 | 12 | 58 | 40 | 1.450 | 52 | |
| 6 | Tottenham Hotspur | 42 | 19 | 13 | 10 | 63 | 42 | 1.500 | 51 | Qualification for the UEFA Cup first round |
| 7 | Chelsea | 42 | 18 | 12 | 12 | 58 | 49 | 1.184 | 48 | |
| 8 | Manchester United | 42 | 19 | 10 | 13 | 69 | 61 | 1.131 | 48 | |
| 9 | Wolverhampton Wanderers | 42 | 18 | 11 | 13 | 65 | 57 | 1.140 | 47 | Qualification for the Watney Cup |
| 10 | Sheffield United | 42 | 17 | 12 | 13 | 61 | 60 | 1.017 | 46 | Qualification for the Watney Cup |
| 11 | Newcastle United | 42 | 15 | 11 | 16 | 49 | 52 | 0.942 | 41 | |
| 12 | Leicester City | 42 | 13 | 13 | 16 | 41 | 46 | 0.891 | 39 | |
| 13 | Ipswich Town | 42 | 11 | 16 | 15 | 39 | 53 | 0.736 | 38 | |
| 14 | West Ham United | 42 | 12 | 12 | 18 | 47 | 51 | 0.922 | 36 | |
| 15 | Everton | 42 | 9 | 18 | 15 | 37 | 48 | 0.771 | 36 | |
| 16 | West Bromwich Albion | 42 | 12 | 11 | 19 | 42 | 54 | 0.778 | 35 | |
| 17 | Stoke City | 42 | 10 | 15 | 17 | 39 | 56 | 0.696 | 35 | Qualification for the UEFA Cup first round |
| 18 | Coventry City | 42 | 9 | 15 | 18 | 44 | 67 | 0.657 | 33 | |
| 19 | Southampton | 42 | 12 | 7 | 23 | 52 | 80 | 0.650 | 31 | |
| 20 | Crystal Palace | 42 | 8 | 13 | 21 | 39 | 65 | 0.600 | 29 | |
| 21 | Nottingham Forest (R) | 42 | 8 | 9 | 25 | 47 | 81 | 0.580 | 25 | Relegation to the Second Division |
| 22 | Huddersfield Town (R) | 42 | 6 | 13 | 23 | 27 | 59 | 0.458 | 25 | Relegation to the Second Division |

* ↑ Leeds United qualified for the European Cup Winners' Cup as the 1971-72 FA Cup winners.
* ↑ Tottenham Hotspur qualified for the UEFA Cup as the 1971-72 UEFA Cup winners.
* ↑ Wolverhampton Wanderers and Sheffield United qualified for the Watney Cup as the two teams with the most goals that hadn't already qualified for a European competition.

| Pos | Teamvte | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GAv | Pts | Qualification or relegation |
| - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| 1 | Aston Villa (C, P) | 46 | 32 | 6 | 8 | 85 | 32 | 2.656 | 70 | Promotion to the Second Division |
| 2 | Brighton & Hove Albion (P) | 46 | 27 | 11 | 8 | 82 | 47 | 1.745 | 65 | Promotion to the Second Division |
| 3 | Bournemouth | 46 | 23 | 16 | 7 | 73 | 37 | 1.973 | 62 | |
| 4 | Notts County | 46 | 25 | 12 | 9 | 74 | 44 | 1.682 | 62 | Qualification for the Watney Cup |
| 5 | Rotherham United | 46 | 20 | 15 | 11 | 69 | 52 | 1.327 | 55 | |
| 6 | Bristol Rovers | 46 | 21 | 12 | 13 | 75 | 56 | 1.339 | 54 | Qualification for the Watney Cup |
| 7 | Bolton Wanderers | 46 | 17 | 16 | 13 | 51 | 41 | 1.244 | 50 | |
| 8 | Plymouth Argyle | 46 | 20 | 10 | 16 | 74 | 64 | 1.156 | 50 | |
| 9 | Walsall | 46 | 15 | 18 | 13 | 62 | 57 | 1.088 | 48 | |
| 10 | Blackburn Rovers | 46 | 19 | 9 | 18 | 54 | 57 | 0.947 | 47 | |
| 11 | Oldham Athletic | 46 | 17 | 11 | 18 | 59 | 63 | 0.937 | 45 | |
| 12 | Shrewsbury Town | 46 | 17 | 10 | 19 | 73 | 65 | 1.123 | 44 | |
| 13 | Chesterfield | 46 | 18 | 8 | 20 | 57 | 57 | 1.000 | 44 | |
| 14 | Swansea City | 46 | 17 | 10 | 19 | 46 | 59 | 0.780 | 44 | |
| 15 | Port Vale | 46 | 13 | 15 | 18 | 43 | 59 | 0.729 | 41 | |
| 16 | Wrexham | 46 | 16 | 8 | 22 | 59 | 63 | 0.937 | 40 | Qualification for the Cup Winners' Cup first round |
| 17 | Halifax Town | 46 | 13 | 12 | 21 | 48 | 61 | 0.787 | 38 | |
| 18 | Rochdale | 46 | 12 | 13 | 21 | 57 | 83 | 0.687 | 37 | |
| 19 | York City | 46 | 12 | 12 | 22 | 57 | 66 | 0.864 | 36 | |
| 20 | Tranmere Rovers | 46 | 10 | 16 | 20 | 50 | 71 | 0.704 | 36 | |
| 21 | Mansfield Town (R) | 46 | 8 | 20 | 18 | 41 | 63 | 0.651 | 36 | Relegation to the Fourth Division |
| 22 | Barnsley (R) | 46 | 9 | 18 | 19 | 32 | 64 | 0.500 | 36 | Relegation to the Fourth Division |
| 23 | Torquay United (R) | 46 | 10 | 12 | 24 | 41 | 69 | 0.594 | 32 | Relegation to the Fourth Division |
| 24 | Bradford City (R) | 46 | 11 | 10 | 25 | 45 | 77 | 0.584 | 32 | Relegation to the Fourth Division |

## Results

### Football League Third Division

| Match | Date | Opponent | Venue | Result | Attendance | Scorers |
| - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| 1 | 15 August 1971 | Halifax Town | H | 0–0 | 5,865 | |
| 2 | 21 August 1971 | Rochdale | A | 1–2 | 3,554 | Ryder (o.g.) |
| 3 | 28 August 1971 | Brighton & Hove Albion | H | 0–3 | 4,104 | |
| 4 | 4 September 1971 | Plymouth Argyle | A | 1–3 | 8,343 | Stenson |
| 5 | 11 September 1971 | Swansea City | H | 0–2 | 3,549 | |
| 6 | 18 September 1971 | Chesterfield | A | 0–2 | 9,960 | |
| 7 | 22 September 1971 | Aston Villa | A | 1–0 | 28,112 | Jones |
| 8 | 25 September 1971 | Rotherham United | H | 0–1 | 4,799 | |
| 9 | 27 September 1971 | Tranmere Rovers | A | 2–2 | 2,455 | Thompson, Fairbrother |
| 10 | 2 October 1971 | Bolton Wanderers | A | 0–2 | 9,030 | |
| 11 | 9 October 1971 | Bristol Rovers | H | 0–0 | 3,836 | |
| 12 | 16 October 1971 | Halifax Town | A | 1–1 | 3,864 | Fairbrother |
| 13 | 18 October 1971 | Barnsley | H | 0–0 | 3,696 | |
| 14 | 23 October 1971 | Blackburn Rovers | A | 1–1 | 7,103 | Fairbrother |
| 15 | 29 October 1971 | Bournemouth | H | 0–5 | 6,622 | |
| 16 | 6 November 1971 | Notts County | A | 0–2 | 16,905 | |
| 17 | 13 November 1971 | Port Vale | H | 0–1 | 5,996 | |
| 18 | 27 November 1971 | York City | A | 2–1 | 4,328 | Wignall, B Roberts |
| 19 | 4 December 1971 | Torquay United | H | 0–0 | 5,145 | |
| 20 | 18 December 1971 | Plymouth Argyle | H | 2–3 | 3,784 | Fairbrother, Thompson |
| 21 | 27 December 1971 | Walsall | A | 1–2 | 7,001 | Thompson |
| 22 | 1 January 1972 | Chesterfield | H | 2–1 | 8,331 | Fairbrother, Wignall |
| 23 | 8 January 1972 | Brighton & Hove Albion | A | 0–1 | 10,916 | |
| 24 | 15 January 1972 | Bradford City | A | 2–2 | 4,098 | Fairbrother (2) |
| 25 | 22 January 1972 | Tranmere Rovers | H | 1–1 | 4,752 | Fairbrother |
| 26 | 29 January 1972 | Barnsley | A | 1–1 | 3,924 | Thompson |
| 27 | 5 February 1972 | Oldham Athletic | H | 2–1 | 4,497 | Fairbrother, Wignall |
| 28 | 12 February 1972 | Blackburn Rovers | H | 1–0 | 5,155 | Wignall |
| 29 | 19 February 1972 | Bournemouth | A | 1–1 | 13,417 | Kitchener (o.g.) |
| 30 | 26 February 1972 | Notts County | H | 1–1 | 16,784 | B Roberts |
| 31 | 4 March 1972 | Port Vale | H | 0–1 | 2,809 | |
| 32 | 11 March 1972 | Bristol Rovers | A | 1–2 | 5,581 | Fairbrother |
| 33 | 13 March 1972 | Wrexham | A | 1–1 | 2,547 | Saunders |
| 34 | 18 March 1972 | Rochdale | H | 3–1 | 5,121 | Saunders, Fairbrother, Wignall |
| 35 | 20 March 1972 | Shrewsbury Town | H | 2–2 | 6,076 | Fairbrother, D Roberts |
| 36 | 24 March 1972 | Swansea City | A | 1–1 | 3,494 | Wignall |
| 37 | 27 March 1972 | Bolton Wanderers | H | 1–0 | 5,412 | Wignall |
| 38 | 1 April 1972 | Walsall | H | 1–1 | 5,782 | Fairbrother |
| 39 | 3 April 1972 | Rotherham United | A | 1–3 | 5,906 | Fairbrother |
| 40 | 8 April 1972 | Oldham Athletic | A | 1–2 | 5,587 | Wignall |
| 41 | 15 April 1972 | York City | H | 0–0 | 5,018 | |
| 42 | 19 April 1972 | Shrewsbury Town | A | 2–4 | 2,693 | Fairbrother (2) |
| 43 | 22 April 1972 | Torquay United | A | 1–0 | 3,929 | Longhorn |
| 44 | 24 April 1972 | Aston Villa | H | 1–1 | 12,476 | Fairbrother |
| 45 | 29 April 1972 | Bradford City | H | 1–1 | 4,242 | Stenson |
| 46 | 1 May 1972 | Wrexham | H | 1–1 | 6,688 | Fairbrother |

### FA Cup

| Round | Date | Opponent | Venue | Result | Attendance | Scorers |
| - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| R1 | 20 November 1971 | Chester | A | 1–1 | 3,669 | Bingham |
| R1 Replay | 22 November 1971 | Chester | H | 4–3 | 5,310 | Bingham, Fairbrother, Thompson, B Roberts |
| R2 | 11 December 1971 | Tranmere Rovers | H | 2–2 | 5,634 | Fairbrother, Thompson |
| R2 Replay | 15 December 1971 | Tranmere Rovers | A | 2–4 | 5,703 | Fairbrother (2) |

### League Cup

| Round | Date | Opponent | Venue | Result | Attendance | Scorers |
| - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| R1 | 18 August 1971 | Chesterfield | A | 0–0 | 12,261 | |
| R1 Replay | 23 August 1971 | Chesterfield | H | 0–5 | 9,219 | |

## Squad statistics

* Squad list sourced from 1971–72 Mansfield Town F.C. season at the English National Football Archive (subscription required)

| Pos. | Name | League | League | FA Cup | FA Cup | League Cup | League Cup | Total | Total |
| - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| Pos. | Name | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals |
| GK | Kim Book | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 |
| GK | Graham Brown | 40 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 46 | 0 |
| GK | Graeme Crawford | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| DF | Sam Ellis | 20 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 20 | 0 |
| DF | Barry Foster | 9 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 9 | 0 |
| DF | Colin Foster | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| DF | Ray Harford | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 9 | 0 |
| DF | John Haselden | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 |
| DF | Sandy Pate | 46 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 52 | 0 |
| DF | John Saunders | 44 | 2 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 48 | 2 |
| DF | Clive Walker | 41 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 47 | 0 |
| DF | Phil Waller | 21(3) | 0 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 27(3) | 0 |
| MF | Alan Jarvis | 40(2) | 0 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 46(2) | 0 |
| MF | Dennis Longhorn | 26(1) | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 26(1) | 1 |
| MF | Bobby Roberts | 37(4) | 2 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 42(4) | 3 |
| MF | John Stenson | 19(3) | 2 | 2(1) | 0 | 1 | 0 | 22(4) | 2 |
| FW | John Bingham | 14(2) | 0 | 3(1) | 2 | 1 | 0 | 18(3) | 2 |
| FW | John Fairbrother | 41 | 18 | 4 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 45 | 22 |
| FW | Colin Harrington | 7(6) | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 10(6) | 0 |
| FW | Dai Jones | 5(5) | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5(5) | 1 |
| FW | Dudley Roberts | 15(1) | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 18(1) | 1 |
| FW | Dave Thompson | 40 | 4 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 46 | 6 |
| FW | Frank Wignall | 23(2) | 8 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 25(2) | 8 |
| – | Own goals | – | 2 | – | 0 | – | 0 | – | 2 |
