The 2021-22 campaign was a season of soaring ambition for Mansfield Town, as The Stags secured a 7th-place finish in League Two to clinch a play-off spot under Nigel Clough. Leading the attack was Rhys Oates, whose 9 league goals (12 in all competitions) proved crucial. The team successfully navigated a semi-final against Northampton Town before ultimately suffering the heartbreak of a 3-0 defeat to Port Vale in the final at Wembley, a crushing day that denied them promotion and remains a defining chapter in the club's recent history.