Seriously what the fuck is going on with football in the lower leagues? It is turning into a right arse on to go to games - not fan friendly at all. So the Mansfield away end holds 1800 ish and the game is made ALL TICKET - why? We could be pushing for promotion and still struggle to scrape 900. Do lower league football clubs actually want money? Some clubs - Pools included seem to be going out of their way to put people off going....

Also the club shop - I know we are only slightly passed Christmas but no H'Angus to buy until next seasons strip is out. That sort of thing will sell all year round as will towels which they seem to not bother selling now - shambles.....

I am going to the match soaking wet till they start selling towels again

Agree about the ticket situation. I'm looking at heading to Notts County away. If that goes all ticket I probably won't bother.

I think the police are to blame for Mansfield being all ticket. As a result of the historic chew between the clubs. I don't think Pools have a say.

And the club shop is a franchise that Pools technically have little to do with.

Still frustrating like.

Luton was all ticket last year, and you couldn't buy them at the ground either. So I had to ring up at 10:30am on the day, pay for a ticket over the phone, then collect it from some random woman outside the away end who had a handful of tickets in envelopes. Then of course go under somebodies house to get to the turnstile.

I'm not going again until I can buy a hangus


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Mansfield do this for every game in League Two. The reason they previously gave was "Being in the knowledge of away numbers in advance of our home games enables us to plan more efficiently and maximise our revenue in terms of food orders and stewarding numbers". Doesn't seem to affect any other team in League Two, mind...

To be honest the above statement actually makes sense.

Best Mansfield Away game was the 0-3 win there in the mid-90s. We were shite until the start of December and went there in a blizzard, thumped them then a few days later did the same at Bury! Only 65 Pools fans there, every single one singing their hearts out. Superb.

I think I've been to Field Mill more than any other ground apart from the Vic. The bairn will be making his 4th visit on Saturday and he's only 8. His record so far is seeing Pools win' draw and lose. Due a win then!

Only been once before and that was a pre-season friendly about 7 years ago.

They still never have enough staff in the food bit. And the ones they do have look astonished when you ask for Bovril, like they've never heard of it before.

Then the bloke behind asks for Bovril, and it begins again.

Why don't they just fill 50 bovrils/teas/coffees etc from about 10 minutes before half time? Guaranteed to sell them. Instead of fuckin about making them to order.

It's one of my least favourite away days, but too convenient to swerve.

So no tickets on the day is to help with the food queue? if you sell out of pies you sell out - who cares? Surely it is more sensible just to charge people who pay on the day an extra £1 or £2 for not buying in advance if you have to to cover menial costs. That's what some clubs do. if only 10 people turn up that didn't buy in advance that's £200 - which is quite a lot of pies.

On the H'Angus and towels - yes it might sound petty but the stock issues in the shop are contiunually a joke. At the start of the season I was willing to buy polo shirts, home and away tops but ended up leaving with just a long sleeve home top because of the lack sizes.

Items like H'Angus are always going to sell because people are always having sprogs - they should always be in stock even even if the strip is slightly out of date - it's common sense. The same with towels - ideal for birthday presents, holidays etc all you have to do is keep them stocked but oh no not Pools'.

Club shop is not Pools though, it's ran by an external company.

I reckon it must piss Pools right off not being able to decide what the shop sells. And then getting blamed for it.

Personally I think it needs to be brought back into the Club. Surely we can turn a profit on Footy Shirts and badged gear?

I think it would be difficult. As far as I'm aware the owners are able to get stock pretty cheap as they buy for several other clubs as well as Pools. Would explain why you get the same shirt designs replicated among different teams.

Luton and Mansfield are always all ticket for every team but I cant recall going to Mansfield and not hearing of someone buying a ticket on the day, and Luton normally let you book with them over the phone to collect on the day

It's a no brainer the club having control over the club shop. I can't see any benefit to the club it being anything otherwise.
I tried to buy a key ring for 3-4 quid just before Christmas. The lady said I couldn't pay on my card for transactions under 10 pound so i gave her a 20 quid note to be told she didn't have any change for anything more than a fiver. I walked out without the item. I know it's only a tiny item and a small amount of money but they've lost a sale the club must have lost a percentage and I didn't get the gift I was after. Must happen all the time.

I'm not having another Bath until I can buy a Hangus and a towel!

Mansfield 4 pools 3 was a basted in September 2000, the original H'Angus chasing the lass out of the refreshment kiosk, lovely summers day 3-1 up with about 20 seconds to play and chuffing lost 4-3. I had returned from Costa Del Sol on the Friday and was going for a 50th birthday meal with my friend and his family in Chesterfield, was sat there with a right gob on, till the food arrived, it was lush.


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It's one of those age things, I cannot remember our game against Mansfield last year but I have vivid memories of a cup game in 1953. We drew at home and won the replay 3-0 away. No floodlights the game was played on a Wednesday afternoon with no scores on radio. I waited outside the newsagents for the late edition of the mail to see the score in the stop press. The next round we drew at Northamton and again an afternoon replay.School warned us any missing that day would be in trouble. I was in trouble. We won but got hammered at Stoke in the next round.

Hey Johnjo, your not the docker gadge with the thumbs mostly down by any chance. You know, the one on the plank and on the front of the footy mail which is kept alive in MB? I was born in '53 but don't remember much about that Mansfield Town game.

To be honest the first game I remember was Pools v Norwich City 1949 a cup tie. Norwich were a big 3rd Division South team. We drew 0-0 and got hammered in the replay.
You mention the docker but we also had the Flying Dustman Leo Harding an outside left who was a crowd favourite. He was a part timer who worked on the bins. (Driver)

I can sort of understand it with Luton as Kenilworth Road is very regularly sold out and they can segregate the away end to suit demand then sell the extra seats to home fans, Field Mill though is one of the divisions emptier looking grounds I don't get that one. It's surely over the season costing them more in gate receipts than wasted bread buns?

Think I've been to Mansfield twice. The first was the end of 1998/99 season, I think we were sat on benches in the stand along the side of the pitch, I know we lost and they scored fairly early on and didn't Martin Hollund wear a Mansfield top?
The 2nd time was a new years day and we won 1-0, think that was Ritchie Barkers last game for them.

And it was chuffing Baltic that day, with loads getting tickets for parking in the retail park car park


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Maybe it's a rule or something about only actually allocating that few seats? I'm presuming it's one block so they have to offer more if we demanded and they know they'll sell the seats to home fans so it basically suits them to close away sales early they'd probably rather have 30 empty seats in the away end than have to risk us taking up 121 and them not being able to sell more due to segregation. I'm sure from Lutons end theirs a good reason for it. I remember a few of our fans driving to Norwich a few year back and not getting in so stopping sales is surely a better alternative to that?

can understand why luton do it as the ground is small and have to fit as many in as possible but mansfield is a different proposition. large ground, half empty at its best. was going to go on saturday but can,t be arsed with the ticketing arangements. been in the past and you could buy tickets for the home end on the day of the match so it kicks their wasted pie argument well into touch. they just don,t want away fans end of to save money on stewards and old bill.

Dunno if its anything to do with it but both of those games are having charity collections for prostate Cancer with volunteers going round the ground with collection buckets. Maybe a factor in them been all ticket

just checked their website and says the ticket office is open on match days prior to kick off. if you can keep your gob shut for 90 mins. you could be a fantom stag for the day.

Go in the home end and just get moved round to the away end. Pathetic that it's all ticket in the first place.