Nigel Clough passes Greaves as Mansfield's longest-serving post-war manager

Nigel Clough has become Mansfield Town's longest-serving post-war manager, passing the tenure record held by Ian Greaves. The Mansfield and Ashfield Chad reported that Clough had exceeded Greaves' six years and two days in charge, adding a second managerial milestone after he also took the club record for English Football League matches managed.

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The league appearance landmark came in October, when Mansfield won 3-0 away to AFC Wimbledon in Clough's 275th league game at the helm. According to The Nottingham Sport, that moved him beyond Greaves' 274. Michael Smith scored twice in the first half, with Stephen McLaughlin providing the crosses for both headed goals.

BBC Sport reported on Saturday that Clough had overseen 329 Mansfield matches across all competitions. His side finished tenth in League One last season, their highest league position since Greaves led them to the same placing in 1987. Mansfield were eleventh after 13 matches of the current campaign at the time of the report.

Clough's tenure has included both difficult spells and promotion. A 12-match winless run left Mansfield in the relegation places during the 2021-22 season, but they subsequently reached the League Two play-off final. Automatic promotion followed in 2024, ending a 21-year absence from the third tier. Clough then kept the club in League One beyond its first season back.

Mansfield announced his appointment on 6 November 2020, initially agreeing a contract through June 2023. The club's announcement named Gary Crosby as assistant manager and Simon Clough as head of recruitment. Owners John and Carolyn Radford said at the time that the appointment was intended to bring leadership and stability, citing his experience of improving teams.

That experience began in management at Burton Albion in 1998. Mansfield's appointment announcement recalled Burton's Northern Premier League title under Clough and his departure for Derby County in 2009 with Burton leading the Conference. He later managed Sheffield United, taking the third-tier club to an FA Cup semi-final, before returning to Burton in 2015 and guiding them into the Championship.