Mansfield Town Football Club

Mansfield Town were elected to the Football League in 1931 and would spend the next seventy-seven years in the Third and Fourth Divisions (later League One and League Two). Field Mill, their home since the club's earliest days, became one of the most storied lower-league grounds in England. The Stags enjoyed their most successful period in the 1970s under manager Peter Morris, reaching the quarter-finals of the FA Cup in 1969 and winning the Third Division title in 1977.

The club produced a steady stream of players who went on to bigger things and provided cup shocks against higher-ranked opposition. But Mansfield were always a selling club, and the financial realities of life in a small market town meant that sustained success was elusive. By the 2000s, the club was in decline, and relegation from League Two in 2008 sent the Stags into non-league football for the first time in their history.

Relegation to the Conference (now National League) in 2008 was a devastating blow for a club that had been in the Football League for nearly eight decades. Under new owner John Radford, who took over in 2010, the club stabilised and began rebuilding. The appointment of Paul Cox as manager in 2011 proved transformative: Cox built a competitive, hard-working side that won the Conference title in 2012-13, securing an immediate return to the Football League.

Back in League Two, Mansfield initially found life difficult, hovering in mid-table for several seasons. But the foundations laid by Radford's investment — improved facilities, a more professional setup — meant the club was better positioned than many of its rivals. The challenge was finding the right manager to take the next step.