The Match

Back in September Mansfield came to the Mem and gave us a footballing masterclass. There have been plenty of occasions this season where we've stood on the terraces and talked about how crap the teams in this division are but these conversations will always be interspersed with someone saying "Mansfield were good though". Since that time they've had a wobble and ex-Gashead/s**thead Keith Curle has had to take a fair bit of flak, but the bad news for us is that they've started to come good again and are unbeaten in five. Moreover, they've only lost three times at home all season and the word fortress usually precedes Field Mill. Even with our improved form, Rovers face a daunting task.

One thing's for certain, it won't be dull. Last season the Stags got relegated from Division Two even though they scored 38 goals at home. That they also managed to let in 45 shows that they perhaps took the phrase "gung ho" a little too far. This season, their penchant for goals has certainly continued. In their 20 home League fixtures they've scored a total of 41 goals, which is only bettered by Hull City (we've managed a glorious total of 23, of which three came two weeks ago). In contrast to last season, they've only let in 20 goals, which means that Keith Curle has been busy passing on his defensive skills to his players.

All of which, you would have thought, would have led Curle to be a pretty popular character up in Nottinghamshire. Not quite true. As stated above, Mansfield are currently looking like getting their act together with a five-match unbeaten run but February and the first half of March saw them go through a very lean spell. During this time Curle copped a lot of flak from the fans, with many of the opinion that he'd "lost the dressing room". It now seems though that he's found it, and the manner in which it seems to have been achieved is one of the more bizarre footballing stories. We found this on their official site: "If the manager ever did lose the dressing room, he's certainly managed to find it again now. He tells us media men that pre game speeches about prison buggery, and a return to simple football are behind this turnaround". So now we know where all our managers over the last four years have gone wrong - they clearly didn't know enough about prison buggery.

There certainly don't seem to be many dull moments where Curle's involved, and he displays many Holloway-esque characteristics in his post-match rambles. The words "combative" and "confrontational" were never far away from Curle during his playing days and his comments after the Oxford game suggest he's lost none of it since converting to being a manager. Junior Mendes, who ripped into us at the Mem, had been going through a tough patch but got himself on the scoresheet for the first time in a while: "I was pleased to see Junior score again. That was Junior at his best. When he was struggling for goals a fan told me on a phone-in that Junior wouldn't get in his pub team - I'd like to watch that team now, they must have some good players." If you're driving up, make sure you're tuned into the local radio after the game".

Finally, if you didn't go up there a couple of seasons back, Field Mill has undergone a total facelift and is now a 10,000 all-seater stadium. Teams with a lot less resources than us giving their grounds a good makeover - it's fast becoming a regular feature of these away guides.

The Place

None of us have been up there since the late '80s so providing a guide to Mansfield as a place isn't easy. According to one website we found "there are more pubs in Mansfield than people", which sounds good, though this was followed shortly afterwards by "uniquely adhesive carpets in all of our pubs. Don't stand in one place to long or you will have to have your legs amputated at the knees". One word of warning though. It's probably best to find out the best pub near the ground for away fans as Mansfield does fall into the "they've got a few boys" category and there was an incident after the Mem game which might not have been forgotten.

At least getting there by public transport is a bit easier these days; once upon a time the only train station was "Alfreton and Mansfield Parkway" which serves both towns and was consequently miles from each. These days Mansfield has its own station which makes things a little bit easier…

There are claims that Mansfield has been around since Celtic times and it's also the centre of 'Robin Hood Country' but other aspects of Mansfield's past aren't quite so pleasant. Twenty years ago, during the Miners' Strike, Mansfield was, as one of gasheads.com's correspondents noted "Scab Central". Around Mansfield and throughout Nottinghamshire the breakaway UDM were formed and thrived which earned the area the enduring hatred of miners and their supporters. A few years later, in the early 90's, Mansfield gained a reputation as a centre for many far-right and fascist parties from the BNP through to Blood and Honour and many others with the former even launching an anti-pit closure campaign aimed at UDM miners.

Upsetting the locals

A vociferous chant of "Scabs, scabs, scabs" or "There's only one Arthur Scargill" is not only a must but it tend to get the locals well riled, although probably best to avoid calling a steward "scab" on the way in which a Cardiff-supporting friend of ours did: he was subsequently barred from entering the ground.

Mansfield also dislike Chesterfield so comments about your admiration of the Spireites may not go down too well.

And, of course, there's always Keith Curle…