History of Mansfield Town F.C.
Mansfield Town was founded in 1897 under the name of Mansfield Wesleyans. Like many football clubs, their name derives from a local church, in this case the Wesleyan church on Bridge Street. Playing in Chocolate and Sky Blue shirts, with Royal Blue shorts and socks, the club played in friendly matches and local cup ties. Its first game was on 4 September 1897, drawing 2–2 against Sherwood Foresters. Mansfield first joined a league in the 1902–03 season, competing in the Mansfield and District Amateur League. 6 September 1902 saw the Wesleyans lose their first league fixture 1-0 away at Mansfield Corinthians. A week later, Shirebrook Swifts put 13 past the Mansfield goalkeeper without reply, the worst defeat ever suffered by the club in a competitive match. The team ended its first season in 7th place (of 12).
History of Mansfield Town F.C.
David Holdsworth made a fantastic impact in his start at the Stags, winning the majority of his games, instantly guiding the club away from their relegation worries. He shored up the Mansfield defence and with the new signings of Alan Marriott, Scott Garner and Paul Mayo the team broke the club record of consecutive home clean sheets with six in a row, against Crawley Town, Rushden & Diamonds, York City, Kettering Town, Lewes, finally beating the record with a 1–0 victory over Forest Green Rovers. Despite this fantastic home form, Mansfield couldn't pick up enough points to muster enough of a challenge for the play-offs. Another poor, mid-table season followed and in November 2010, David Holdsworth was sacked as manager.