FRIDAY'S FORMER STAGS

Terry Eccles made sure he would become a Stags legend by averaging almost a goal every two game during Mansfield Town's most successful spell in their history.
1974 Stags v Crewe Terry Eccles Penalty1974 Stags v Crewe Terry Eccles Penalty
1974 Stags v Crewe Terry Eccles Penalty

He is seen here on our latest Friday’s Former Stags photo burying a penalty kick against Crewe in 1974.

Eccles, now 64, was with the club from July 1973 to January 1977 by which time he had been top scorer with 20 goals in 1973/74 and helped the club towards the Division Four and Division Three championships in 1974/75 and 1976/77 respectively.

In his career he scored 77 goals in 274 League outings.

The Leeds-born striker began playing football with Pudsey juniors, though was also a decent rugby union player, playing for England schoolboys against Scotland schoolboys at Twickenham.

But his football talent was spotted by Blackburn Rovers, who took him on as an apprentice and then gave him his first professional contract.

Stags boss Danny Williams did an astute piece of business when he captured Eccles three years later for £6,000.

Eccles bagged three hat-tricks for the Stags in those glory years as he led the line with aplomb, ending up with 47 League goals in 118 appearances for the club, with another 10 goals in FA Cup and League Cup ties.

Eccles finally moved on to Huddersfield Town for £110,00 – a new club record fee for the Stags and the first time they had ever sold a player for six figures.

After spells at Ethnikos in Greece and York City, he moved on to play for Scarborough in the Conference.

Once he finished playing, Eccles ended up as a pub landlord at the White Horse, Upper Poppleton near York before moving to Spain on his retirement in Mojacar where his apparent Twitter profile suggests he enjoys playing guitar, music, art and poetry as well as developing an interest in Buddism.