By Nick Lough
Until Scotsman Gary Caldwell swooped into Wigan and took his mantle, Mansfield Town boss Adam Murray was the youngest manager in the Football League when he was handed the reins at the One Call Stadium back in December 2014.
With the Stags in free-fall and in real danger of returning to the place they had spent the best part of five years trying to escape, Murray stepped forward to replace the departing Paul Cox in the dug-out on a player-manager basis.
The 34-year-old had previously acted as Cox’s number two from 2012 after Mickey Moore’s decision to leave the Nottinghamshire club, having kicked-off his second spell with the Yellows just a year prior.
After his appointment, Murray played in total just four minutes of first-team football after swapping shin pads and thermal-wear for winkle picker shoes and a tie, proving his decision to move from the heart of the midfield to the technical area wasn’t just a fad.
In the lead-up to Cox’s removal from the Mansfield hot-seat, the team were without a win in eight League Two fixtures with just four points from a possible 24 collected.
The pressure was beginning to build, with the atmosphere at what was to be Cox’s final stand at the One Call Stadium a cauldron of aggression and distress as the Stags played out an uninspiring 1-1 draw with Conference South side Concord Rangers in the FA Cup.
With the doom and gloom lingering around the town, the decision by the board to give Murray the nod was both a bold and risky decision given his lack of senior management experience. The nerves lasted a whole 24 hours; by that time they’d already registered their first league win for over two months against Plymouth Argyle thanks to Vadaine Oliver’s strike.
Losing just one of his maiden five matches, Murray knew there was very little scope for him to make any major changes to his playing squad until the summer. With this in mind, he inspired his players to Football League safety with two games to spare after a particular purple patch between February and March which accrued 17 points from ten matches.
There was no time to kick back and relax in the off-season for the Stags boss who signed a new two-year contract in May; instead swiftly delving into the transfer market to begin his rebuilding process. A whopping 13 players came through the door in the summer including veteran goalkeeper Brian Jensen, a former Premier League full-back in Nicky Hunt and the experienced ex-Portsmouth and Chesterfield forward Craig Westcarr.
The most popular signing, however, was undoubtedly the acquisition of Birmingham City striker and local hero Matt Green on a free transfer. The Bath-born centre-forward rose to fame after netting a total of 57 goals in 97 games for the Yellows on their journey back to the Football League, and his return instantly created a much-needed buzz around the stands.
A home fixture with Carlisle was first on the agenda this season, and although the 1-1 draw probably wasn’t the result Murray will have been looking for, you’d be lucky to find a more sweetly struck free-kick than left-back Mal Benning’s 25-yard effort on the half-hour mark.
With a point on the board the stage was set for the following Friday’s local derby against Notts County, with the game moved forward a day under the request of Nottinghamshire Police.
A feisty encounter from the outset, 2,800 Stags fans left Meadow Lane ecstatic after Murray’s men upset the odds to hand the recently relegated League One side their first defeat on their return to the Football League’s basement division.
Chris Clements and Ryan Tafazolli were on the mark as the Stags triumphed 2-0. A dip in form saw Mansfield pick up just a point from their next two matches.
However, by the start of October only Carlisle United had picked up more points than the Yellows over the last seven fixtures after accumulating 14 points from a possible 21. This included back-to-back away wins in the space of four days against Stevenage and Dagenham & Redbridge which cemented the club comfortably amongst the play-offs.
For Murray it has been moving from one learning curve to the next in terms of broadening his knowledge of the game from the touchline, but he certainly seems to have found a recipe for success with a formula that works for both he and his players as he quietly plots League Two promotion. Watch this space!
