Next Up: Chesterfield Away

If you had said before Easter that this match would have no meaning bar deciding who would finish in 8th place, most City supporters would have accused you of making a sick joke. Five defeats and a draw later and sadly that is the reality, although given most pundits and fans had City down to finish around halfway perhaps the fans have been spoilt to have been in a promotion hunt. Well, the away fans anyway! The final match may be an opportunity for Paul Tisdale to give some of his young guns a run-out, such as Jordan Moore-Taylor, Aaron Dawson and Elliott Chamberlain.

Another side relegated last season, it has been something of a nothing season for Chesterfield, hovering around the upper reaches of mid-table for most of the season without really threatening the sides at the top. A poor start to the campaign was probably to blame, and it cost John Sheridan his job and sent him to purgatory (i.e. that mob down the A38). The Spireites looked over to East Lancashire for Sheridan’s replacement, appointing Accrington manager Paul Cook as their new boss. He has steadied the ship somewhat although with a fairly expensive squad he might have hoped for stronger progress than that which sees his team falling short of the playoffs. This match will be noteworthy in particular for the final appearance of Jack Lester. It was something of a shock when he suddenly dropped from being a star with Nottingham Forest in the Championship to turning out for Chesterfield, but such has his influence been that fans have often dubbed the club “Lesterfield”, and he will no doubt be wanting to go out on a high.

The reverse of this fixture came during City’s wretched October, and Chesterfield emerged victorious 1-0 thanks to a goal from Chris Atkinson. With both clubs having plied their trade in League One last season, the last time City visited Chesterfield was in January 2012, where goals from Liam Sercombe and Richard Logan gave City a 2-0 win (Artur saved a penalty – see here). It’s the Spireites who hold the overall head-to-head lead, 19 wins to City’s 10 (10 draws). Here’s hoping City end an ultimately disappointing campaign on a high!

Match Officials: http://www.exeweb.com/2013/04/23/match-officials-chesterfield-away/

Ground Guide to the Proact stadium: http://www.exeweb.com/2012/06/24/the-things-you-need-to-know-b2net-stadium-chesterfield/