1996–97 Mansfield Town F.C. season
The 1996–97 season was Mansfield Town's 60th season in the Football League and 24th in the Third Division they finished in 11th position with 64 points.
Final league table
Results
Football League Third Division
| Match | Date | Opponent | Venue | Result | Attendance | Scorers |
| 1 | 17 August 1996 | Exeter City | H | 0–1 | 2,149 | |
| 2 | 24 August 1996 | Northampton Town | A | 0–3 | 4,162 | |
| 3 | 27 August 1996 | Hartlepool United | A | 2–2 | 2,275 | Sale, Hadley |
| 4 | 31 August 1996 | Rochdale | H | 0–0 | 1,861 | |
| 5 | 7 September 1996 | Doncaster Rovers | A | 0–0 | 1,814 | |
| 6 | 10 September 1996 | Barnet | H | 0–0 | 1,505 | |
| 7 | 14 September 1996 | Leyton Orient | H | 0–2 | 1,839 | |
| 8 | 21 September 1996 | Fulham | A | 2–1 | 5,740 | Hadley, Harper |
| 9 | 28 September 1996 | Hereford United | H | 3–1 | 1,889 | Doolan, Sedgemore, Walker |
| 10 | 1 October 1996 | Hull City | A | 1–1 | 3,579 | Eustace |
| 11 | 5 October 1996 | Carlisle United | A | 1–1 | 5,509 | Helliwell |
| 12 | 12 October 1996 | Swansea City | H | 0–0 | 2,003 | |
| 13 | 15 October 1996 | Wigan Athletic | H | 0–1 | 1,942 | |
| 14 | 19 October 1996 | Darlington | A | 4–2 | 2,532 | Hadley, Sale, Watkiss |
| 15 | 26 October 1996 | Scarborough | A | 1–2 | 2,521 | Kay |
| 16 | 29 October 1996 | Torquay United | H | 1–2 | 1,632 | Wood |
| 17 | 2 November 1996 | Scunthorpe United | H | 2–0 | 2,210 | Sedgemore, Kilcline |
| 18 | 9 November 1996 | Brighton & Hove Albion | A | 1–1 | 1,933 | Harper |
| 19 | 23 November 1996 | Lincoln City | A | 0–0 | 3,548 | |
| 20 | 30 November 1996 | Scarborough | H | 2–0 | 1,981 | Wood |
| 21 | 3 December 1996 | Cambridge United | A | 1–2 | 2,179 | Kilcline |
| 22 | 14 December 1996 | Colchester United | H | 1–1 | 1,653 | Sale |
| 23 | 21 December 1996 | Cardiff City | A | 1–1 | 2,238 | Sale |
| 24 | 26 December 1996 | Barnet | A | 1–1 | 1,778 | Primus |
| 25 | 4 January 1997 | Leyton Orient | A | 1–2 | 3,422 | Doolan |
| 26 | 11 January 1997 | Hereford United | A | 1–0 | 1,873 | Walker |
| 27 | 18 January 1997 | Hull City | H | 1–0 | 2,286 | Kilcline |
| 28 | 21 January 1997 | Doncaster Rovers | H | 2–0 | 2,093 | Eustace, Clarke |
| 29 | 1 February 1997 | Brighton & Hove Albion | H | 1–1 | 2,456 | Doolan |
| 30 | 4 February 1997 | Chester City | H | 0–2 | 1,688 | |
| 31 | 8 February 1997 | Scunthorpe United | A | 2–0 | 2,600 | Doolan, Martindale |
| 32 | 15 February 1997 | Lincoln City | H | 2–2 | 3,037 | Sedgemore, Martindale |
| 33 | 18 February 1997 | Torquay United | A | 2–1 | 3,402 | Clarke, Walker |
| 34 | 22 February 1997 | Chester City | A | 0–1 | 2,385 | |
| 35 | 1 March 1997 | Cambridge United | H | 1–0 | 2,163 | Doolan |
| 36 | 8 March 1997 | Cardiff City | A | 1–3 | 2,569 | Hackett |
| 37 | 14 March 1997 | Colchester United | A | 1–2 | 3,064 | Dunne |
| 38 | 22 March 1997 | Northampton Town | H | 1–0 | 2,569 | Eustace |
| 39 | 29 March 1997 | Exeter City | A | 0–0 | 3,181 | |
| 40 | 31 March 1997 | Hartlepool United | H | 1–0 | 2,229 | Sedgemore |
| 41 | 5 April 1997 | Rochdale | A | 1–0 | 1,619 | Cresswell |
| 42 | 8 April 1997 | Fulham | H | 0–0 | 3,889 | |
| 43 | 11 April 1997 | Carlisle United | H | 0–0 | 4,375 | |
| 44 | 19 April 1997 | Swansea City | A | 2–3 | 4,786 | Eustace, Ford |
| 45 | 26 April 1997 | Darlington | H | 2–1 | 2,431 | Doolan, Ford |
| 46 | 3 May 1997 | Wigan Athletic | A | 0–2 | 7,106 |
FA Cup
| Round | Date | Opponent | Venue | Result | Attendance | Scorers |
| R1 | 16 November 1996 | Consett | H | 4–0 | 3,183 | Wood, Eustace, Doolan, Ford |
| R2 | 7 December 1996 | Stockport County | H | 0–3 | 3,354 |
League Cup
| Round | Date | Opponent | Venue | Result | Attendance | Scorers |
| R1 1st leg | 15 August 1996 | Burnley | H | 0–3 | 1,708 | |
| R1 2nd leg | 3 September 1996 | Burnley | A | 0–2 | 2,884 |
League Trophy
| Round | Date | Opponent | Venue | Result | Attendance | Scorers |
| R2 | 13 January 1997 | Bury | A | 0–6 | 1,331 |
Squad statistics
- Squad list sourced from