Harrison9

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The Gaffer’s Notes
A FM20 Story


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Club: Chesterfield FC
League: Vanarama National League
Founded: 1866
Home Ground: Proact Stadium (10,500 capacity)
Nickname: The Spireites

At 24 years old, after going through multiple FM successes from 2007 to 2018 in interview, I have somehow found myself in the hot seat at Chesterfield FC.

Until recent years, Chesterfield were doing reasonably well, 2010’s move from Saltergate to the newly built Proact Stadium (then b2net) saw the Spireites win their 3rd and 4th League Two titles in 2011 and 2014 respectively as well as an EFL Trophy in 2012. However, following troubles off the field, they were relegated from League One in 2017 and in 2018 they dropped out of the Football League for the first time. 2019 saw Chesterfield finish an underwhelming 15th in the National League and at time of writing, the Spireites are fighting a relegation battle.

Arriving at the club, chairman Dave Allen’s expectations were that I achieve:

• A league finish in the playoffs
• Reach the FA Cup first round
• Reach the FA Trophy fourth round
• Stay within wage budget
• Play with an attacking style (preferred)

With this in mind, I have set up my main initial tactic as an attacking 4-4-2 with emphasis on wing play. As backup, I have a similar 4-2-3-1 tactic and a 4-1-2-3 which is more defensive.

My initial concerns in terms of staff is that there are a large number of vacancies across all non playing staff teams. There is also no natural right back in the first team and depth on the left wing is weak.
 
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Recruitment
Backroom Staff:

As mentioned previously, on arrival there were a large number of vacancies in the backroom teams and that was my priority to address. There were no dedicated coaches, no dedicated scouts and the bare bones of a medical team. Glynn Snodin was already in post as my assistant, and is someone who I am more than happy to keep for advice. Having weighed up what was left of the backroom team, I was happy to keep them in place and add members where necessary

Appointments:

Steve Torpey - General Coach
Dmitry Khadine - Goalkeeping Coach
Alex Armstrong - Fitness Coach
Tai Broome - Scout
Charlie Carter - Scout
Ian Hendon - Director of Football
Mark Smith - Head of Youth Development
Rodger Wylde - Head Physio
Owen Bedford - Head of Sports Science
Grant Cameron - Sports Scientist

Playing Staff:

In terms of playing staff, the lack of a dedicated first (or indeed second) choice right back was a huge concern for me. There was also a lack of a depth on the left wing, and I wanted to add some quality depth to the forward line.

Tre Pemberton


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First to arrive at the Proact was Tre Pemberton on a season long loan from Championship side Stoke City. Tre is a young left sided midfielder boasting strong pace and comes with glowing recommendations from the scouting team. Pemberton will wear the number 11 shirt this season.

Myles Welch-Hayes

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Myles Welch-Hayes was next to arrive on a £28k deal from League Two side Macclesfield Town. A versatile defender who can play at centre half or in either full back positions, Myles comes to the Proact highly recommended. Welch-Hayes will wear the number 2 shirt this season.

Mohamed Diallo

A 19 year old right back who arrives on a free transfer following his release from Stoke City, Diallo is more of a future prospect rather than a first team option, but hopefully one that will play out in the long run. Diallo will wear the number 31 shirt this season.

Alassane Meite

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Another goal scoring option to lead the line, 19 year old Meite arrives on a free transfer following his release from Leicester City. Formerly of PSG, he will hopefully realise his potential at the Proact. Meite will wear the number 17 shirt this season.

James Brown

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Another right back, 21 year old Brown arrives on a season long loan from Millwall. Highly recommended, he is likely to battle with Myles Welch-Hayes for the first choice at right back. Brown will wear the number 23 shirt this season.

Departures

Considering the board’s expectation of a healthy wage budget, I reviewed the squad and listed higher earning players who were down the order in terms of playing time

Haydn Hollis and Jonathan Smith left for Bromley and York respectively, both for measly transfer fees under £1k. The board weren’t best pleased, but in all honesty I wasn’t expecting to get much more and would have rather freed up the wage budget before I released them on a free in a years time.
 
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Preseason

Results:

Matlock Town 0-4 Chesterfield
McGlashan 35
Boden 46, 82
McKay 85


Chesterfield 1-2 Sunderland
Mandeville 90

Chesham 1-3 Chesterfield
Fondop 25, 35
Denton 28


Chesterfield 1-2 Sheffield Wednesday
Spyrou 69

Chesterfield 2-1 Derby
McGlashan 70
Wakefield 91


Our preseason fixtures were largely positive. We won the games we should have won well against Matlock and Chesham and put in spirited performances against the larger sides that visited the Proact.

A strong performance at Matlock was only blighted by a minor calf injury to Anthony Spyrou which meant he missed the following 2 games. Prior to that he set up both of Boden’s goals on a plate, after a fantastic cross from Mandeville found the head of McGlashan to open my unofficial account as Chesterfield boss.

That was followed by a nervous start against Sunderland where we found ourselves 2-0 down before we started to create anything. Liam Mandeville pulled one back eventually but we left it too long to take any result.

Against Chesham, we created a lot of chances and if we had been more clinical could have won by 6 or 7. The goal conceded against Chesham was poor with total miscommunication allowing Clayton a 1 on 1 chance from 6 yards.

Against Sheffield Wednesday, we started brightly and had a goal chalked off for offside in the 35th minute. After that, the boys heads dropped and a fantastic goal from Josh McEachran really dampened spirits. That compounded by an avoidable penalty gave us a mountain to climb and in all honesty, we were gifted the goal through a really poor backpass giving Spyrou an open net to finish in.

That being said, we finished with a fantastic win against Championship side Derby. Spirited defending in the opening 45 saw us keep the scoreline goalless at half time with 11 shots on target conceded as opposed to our 2 on. It was only a fantastic finish from 25 yards by Graham Shinnie that saw Derby take the lead just after the break. However we fought our way back and a wonderful volley from a tight angle by McGlashan saw us level. Spyrou then had a goal disallowed for offside in the 86th minute before fantastic play between he and McGlashan down the right hand side saw the ball fall to Wakefield in the middle to slot home a 91st minute winner.

All in all, a positive start. McGlashan and Pemberton have been constant threats down the wings and their pace clearly causes numerous issues for the opposition. Spyrou is a capable finisher, if he can beat the flag and has also laid on a few assists. The defence are fairly solid as long as they keep concentration and the additions of Brown and Welch-Hayes have bolstered this. The boys are looking sharp and despite a few knocks there were no significant injuries, so I have the luxury of a fully fit squad for the season opener at home to Eastleigh
 
August 2019

Results:

Vanamara National League
Chesterfield 1-0 Eastleigh

Spyrou 5

In truth I couldn’t have asked for a better start to my management career. After 4 minutes, Jermaine McGlashan tore away from his marker down the right wing and drove a low cross across the box to Anthony Spyrou who nicked the ball past the helpless keeper from 6 yards out for a goal with his first touch for the club.

After the initial flurry of the opener, things seemed to calm and the rest of the game was fairly uneventful. However it is 3 points on the board from the opening fixture which is all I could have asked for.

Vanarama National League
Barnet 0-2 Chesterfield

Gerrard 3
Meite 68


Going into the first away game at the Hive, the only change made was that Anthony Gerrard replaced Laurence Maguire at centre half for his Spireites debut.

Gerrard had 19 career goals from 465 games in the lead up to his Chesterfield debut at the Hive. As a centre half, I doubt any of those came in a club debut. I also doubt any of those were as scrappy as his first for the Spireites. A 3rd minute corner found him at the back post and his initial effort played pinball off the keeper and Barnet defenders, before the ball eventually fell back to him to give the slightest touch to trickle it across the line for 1-0.

What followed over the next hour or so was a fairly even game, with excellent defending limiting Barnet to very few opportunities. Those that did slip through were dealt with solidly by Luke Coddington in the Spireites goal. At 60 minutes, Alassane Meite replaced Jack McKay for his Chesterfield debut. 5 minutes later he got his first touch of the ball, looping a header across the keeper into the far corner after a perfect delivery from Tre Pemberton on the left hand side to make it 2-0.

A brilliant win on the road against one of the better sides in the division with a solid team performance to boot

Vanarama National League
Chesterfield 2-0 Hartlepool Utd

Anderson OG 19
Mandeville 92


A winning return to the Proact made us the only side in the division with a 100% win record after the opening 3 games.
It almost looked like we would have another early opener. After a Hartlepool effort tested Coddington in the 4th minute, a long ball from David Buchanan set Spyrou free one on one against Killip, however he missed narrowly wide of the far post.

After 19 minutes, we finally had our goal and in all honesty, Anthony Gerrard was robbed by the dubious goals panel. A deep corner again found him at the back post, and his header looked bound for the far corner until Myles Anderson inadvertently diverted it into the back of the net for a 1-0 lead.

We continued to test Killip without reward throughout the half, and after the break Spyrou was unlucky to only clip the crossbar from 25 yards.

However we eventually prevailed in the dying minutes. Spyrou held the ball up well on the halfway line before sending the ball through to set McGlashan free on the halfway line. He outpaced the defence and delivered his cross to the far side of the area where a first time volley from substitute Liam Mandeville found the far corner to seal the 3 points.

The only negative from the game was that following the restart after Mandeville’s goal, McGlashan picked up a calf injury that will keep him out of action for 5-6 weeks.

Vanarama National League
Wrexham 0-2 Chesterfield

Weston 72
Spyrou 80


Next up was a visit to North Wales for a test against arguably one of the stronger sides in the division. With most of the boys jaded from the opening 3 and Meite picking up a knock in training, it was time to shuffle the pack. Welch-Hayes and Maguire replaced Buchanan and Gerrard in the back four, Curtis Weston replaced the tired Pemberton and Mandeville came in for the injured McGlashan. McKay replaced the injured Meite to lead the line.

Initially, tired legs and new faces began to show and we started the game slowly. On 29 minutes Wrexham man Ben Tollitt’s header hit the post, and from the counter attack Charlie Wakefield could only fire over. Wrexham edged the first half but we managed to keep the scoreline 0-0 going into the break.

Minutes into the second half we had a lucky escape. A long delivery was brought down in the box, and we allowed Wrexham to keep the ball and move it around in our area. A low ball across the 6 yard box found Tollitt in acres of space, but somehow he managed to slip his shot wide.

Wrexham continued to test our defence and in the 70th minute a long ball over the top found Jason Oswell free to slip the ball past Coddington for an apparent Wrexham lead. We were saved by the officials flag however for another lucky escape.

That appeared to be the wake up call we needed, and after some nice possession in the attacking third, the ball fell to Curtis Weston on the left side of the Wrexham penalty area. He took a look up before curling it beautifully past Lainton into the far corner for a 1-0 lead.

We then took real control of the game and 8 minutes later we were 2 in front. A seemingly innocuous long ball by Mandeville for Spyrou looked to be going straight into the arms of Lainton. However, he decided to come out of his area and head the ball clear, right to the feet of Spyrou. The Spireites striker was left to chip the ball over Lainton to ensure a happy trip back to Derbyshire.

Vanarama National League
Chesterfield 0-1 Harrogate Town


With 4 wins on the bounce, I was expecting 3 points from the home tie with 20th placed Harrogate. Buchanan returned to the starting line up in place of Welch-Hayes and Robbie Weir replaced Charlie Wakefield in the centre of midfield.

It was a disappointing end to an otherwise brilliant month. We dominated in the first half and created a number of chances but sloppy finishing cost us. Free kicks from Mandeville were causing issues, the first being headed by Yarney into the path of McKay, whose shot was straight at Belford. Minutes later, another set piece found Pemberton in a dangerous position but his header was well wide.

After the break, a golden chance was spurned by Spyrou. He capitalised on poor passing from the Harrogate defence and found Jack McKay who played a through ball to find Spyrou again, but his shot was tipped wide by Belford.

In the 55th minute, Harrogate had their first meaningful chance of the game. Steady buildup play found George Smith on the left wing. His deep cross found Jon Stead at the back post who slotted the ball past Coddington to give Harrogate the lead.

A minute later we looked to bounce back immediately, a long through ball presenting Jack McKay with a 1 on 1 chance, but he couldn’t beat Belford. We never managed to get going after that, and could have been 2 down 10 minutes later. A powerful free kick from Kiernan from 28 yards struck the post and after some penalty area pinball we finally managed to clear our lines.

End of month position: 2nd

Month review:

Overall, a very positive month with a bitter twist at the end. Off the field, young left back Jay Sheridan has joined Kidderminster on loan for the rest of the season, and Shaun Gale has arrived at he club to fill the u18’s Manager vacancy. That being said, we are currently in 2nd place in the division after the opening 5, having scored 7 and conceded only 1. It remains to be seen how the boys will react to our first defeat and pick themselves up in September.
 
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September 2019

Vanarama National League
Bromley 1-2 Chesterfield

Meite 45+1
McKay 78


A return to winning ways at Hayes Lane found us back on top of the league table. Anthony Gerrard replaced Laurence Maguire and Alassane Meite came in for Jack McKay for the only 2 changes following the previous defeat.

It was the hosts who carved the first opportunity, a long through ball sending Henry clean through, but his shot was dragged across the face of goal and narrowly wide.

We then had a few chances of our own within minutes of each other, Spyrou and Meite both having shots on target tipped wide by Huddart in the Bromley goal.

Henry then broke clear again for Bromley, his shot leaving Coddington helpless but crashing back off the crossbar to be cleared.

Tre Pemberton was next to cause problems, after a mazy run from the halfway line, he tried to find Spyrou in the box, however his pass was deflected off the defender and fell nicely for him again. However he could only muster a weak shot which was saved and held by Huddert.

A minute into added time at the end of the first half, we finally had reward. Some fantastic work on the right hand side by James Brown allowed the right back to play a long through ball to Meite who left the defenders behind. One on one with Huddert, the Spireites striker slipped the ball into the far corner to open the scoring.

We started the second half in similar vein, Spyrou was denied again by Huddert in the opening minutes. Pemberton thought he’d made it 2-0 on the 55th minute after he turned Liam Mandeville’s cross into the back of the net. However he was miles offside and his celebrations were cut short by the linesman’s flag.

On the hour however, Bromley were level. A long ball forward looked to have been dealt with by Scott Buchanan, but under pressure from Henry, his poor pass across the face of goal fell at the feet of Michael Cheek, who had the simple task of beating Coddington to equalise.

Bromley were the better side for the next 15 minutes, however after pressure around our box, Welch-Hayes cleared to Joe Rowley. He sent Jack McKay through who fizzed a shot on target. Huddert got a hand to it but the ball wriggled under him and rolled into the back of the net to give us the lead.

The last talking point of the game came in the 87th minute. A fast counter attack found Meite chasing a through ball from McKay, only to be taken to the ground by Bromley defender Joe Rizzo. Already booked, Rizzo saw another yellow card and then a red one, to leave Bromley a man down for the remaining minutes.

Vanarama National League
Chesterfield 1-1 Woking

McKay 84

The starting XI for this game was unchanged from the team that beat Bromley. Sub keeper Shwan Jalal was however away on international duty with Iraq and so he was replaced on the bench by fit again McGlashan

We looked to have started positively in this one. After 13 minutes a poor free kick from Woking keeper Sam Hayes gave away possession to James Brown. He played a long ball into Spyrou however his shot was tipped behind by Hayes. The resulting corner found the head of Yarney in a dangerous position but his header was well over.

The rest of the half was fairly uneventful, until Woking took the lead on 43 minutes. A free kick from Edser on the left hand side found the head of Kane Ferdinand. Coddington saved his effort but parried the ball right to the feet of Jake Gray who poked Woking in front before the break.

We reacted well after the break, but struggled to create chances. Spyrou dragged his shot wide after good work found him one on one, and an excellent near post cross by Robbie Weir was diverted narrowly wide by McKay.

With 15 minutes left Woking really should have been two up. We committed men forward for an attacking throw but lost possession, on the counter a long ball found Tarpey in acres of space, however his shot was off target.

10 minutes later Woking would rue that miss. A poor cross was picked out by Joe Rowley, who played a long ball ahead of McKay. He unleashed a shot at goal which the keeper again got a touch to, however he could only divert it into the top corner. 2 goals in as many games for Jack McKay and the Spireites level late on.

We could have then gone on to take all 3 points. In the 88th minute, a free kick from the left hand side was whipped in by Rowley onto the head of Yarney but his header clipped the crossbar on its way over.

Vanarama National League
Halifax 3-1 Chesterfield

Mandeville 32 (pen)

Halifax were 4th in the league going into this one, and I knew it was going to be a challenge.

We had the worst possibly start when they took the lead a minute into the game. A throw from the right hand side to Duckworth. He gave it to Clarke, whose cross to the far post was knocked down by McAlinden to Allen who touched the ball in for an early lead

After 4 minutes Halifax had a golden chance to make it 2-0. A deep cross from the right found McAlinden but Coddington tipped his effort behind

Minutes later they had another chance. Duckworth picked up the ball just inside the Spireites half and was allowed to make his way into the box. His shot beat Coddington but struck the post and was eventually cleared.

On 28 minutes Halifax doubled their lead. Scott Buchanan’s long throw in our defensive third went straight to Earing. His pass released Duckworth on the right whose cross found Allen in the box for a simple finish

It could have been 3-0 straight from the restart. A long ball from Coddington found only the Halifax defence. They pinged it straight back forward to Allen who was brought down in the box by Maguire. On a hat trick, Allen stepped up for the penalty but his effort was straight down the middle and saved by Coddington who managed to smother the ball.

Minutes later we had a penalty of our own. From a throw on the left hand side, Tre Pemberton crossed towards Jack McKay who was pulled over in the box by Williams. Liam Mandeville stepped up and placed his effort in the bottom right corner to pull one back from the Spireites.

On 37 minutes we could have levelled the score line. A Halifax cross into the box was cleared to McKay. His long ball set Spyrou free but his shot was saved by Johnson and cleared.

However it was soon 3-1. A throw in from the left hand side saw Halifax play some nice passing football. Eventually Nathan Clarke played a cross to the far post which was met by the unmarked Dayle Southwell to restore Halifax’s 2 goal advantage before half time.

After the break, we had a golden chance for McKay to pull one back. Buchanan played the ball out from the back to Pemberton. He looked to have set Spyrou clear but the striker played in McKay who had a chance from close range which he dragged wide

We continued to carve out chances throughout the half - a long range drive from Tre Pemberton stung the palms of Johnson, and minutes later Meite found himself in behind, only to be denied by the Halifax keeper from a tight angle. With 5 minutes left, Meite released Spyrou on a counter attack but he was denied by another good save from Johnson.

Ultimately we created enough chances to take something from the game but could not capitalise and the score ended 3-1.

Vanarama National League
Solihull Moors 0-0 Chesterfield


Following Halifax, we had a disappointingly boring affair at 20th placed Solihull Moors.
We looked shaky defensively and after 15 minutes Solihull had their first chance. A corner from Gael Bigirimana found Daly unmarked in the middle however his effort was straight at Coddington.

Four minutes later the hosts had another chance. An awful attacking throw by Yarney gave possession away cheaply and a long ball found Preston who skipped over Maguire’s sliding challenge and ran through on goal however he couldn’t beat Coddington. From the resulting corner Paul McCallum headed wide.

We finally had a chance just before half time. Pemberton got away down the left and took the ball all the way to the penalty area but his effort was well saved by Boot.

The only highlight in a drab second half was a long range free kick on target by McCallum which Coddington pushed wide. A disappointing result all round.
 
September 2019

Vanarama National League
Chesterfield 2-2 Torquay

McKay 25
Spyrou 33


We went into our home fixture with Torquay with some injury concerns. Meite and Boden picked up a twisted knee and calf strain respectively in the buildup. The only other change to the squad was that Gerrard replaced Maguire at centre half.

Yet again we conceded an early opener. After 2 minutes, a long ball over the top by Jake Andrews found Jamie Reid in behind who slipped it past Coddington for 1-0.

10 minutes later we had an opportunity to respond. A throw in from Gerrard on the left hand side found the ball back with the centre half to swing a cross in. That found the head of McKay who could only find the post before it was cleared.

After 25 minutes though, we were level. Tre Pemberton cut inside and took a shot from range which was tipped over by McDonald. The resulting corner from Buchanan found the head of McKay, who found the top corner to equalise.

8 minutes later we were in front. A Torquay corner was cleared by Gerrard to Rowley. He surged forward and found McKay whose shot from outside the box was blocked. The deflection fell to Spyrou just inside the box, who curled it in to the far corner to give the Spireites the lead going into the break

2 minutes after half time, Torquay were level. A ball out wide found Davis in space. His cross was headed away by Yarney but only as far as Armani Little who blasted a shot into the bottom corner from 25 yards to make it 2-2.

The rest of the half was fairly uneventful. With 84 minutes gone a Jack McKay shot from range hit the post. But 4 minutes into injury time he had a golden opportunity to win it at the death. A fantastic ball from Spyrou sent McKay through one on one but his shot was tipped wide by the keeper, just as the full time whistle was blown.

Vanarama National League
Notts County 3-2 Chesterfield

Spyrou 42
Pemberton 90+5


Our final game of September took us to Meadow Lane, where we met 4th place Notts County. Sam Wedgbury hadpicked up a pulled hamstring keeping him out for 2-3 weeks, and James Brown had a tight thigh making him a doubt

After an uneventful start, Notts took the lead in the 22nd minute. Jim O’Brien’s corner found the head of Ben Turner who put County 1-0 up.

4 minutes later it was 2-0. A Spireite’s corner was cleared long to Boldewijn on the right hand side. His cross found Regan Booty unmarked at the far post who slotted past the helpless Coddington.

On the 42nd minute mark we pulled one back. Good work down the right by Mandeville found Welch-Hayes on the overlap. He picked out Spyrou in the middle whose header crashed in off the underside of the bar.

10 minutes into the second half we nearly pulled level. Buchanan drifted a corner to the far post. Laurence Maguire got a head on it but the ball bounced off the post and behind.

The second half died down, however 4 minutes into injury time, a long ball from the back put Wes Thomas in behind. His shot beat Coddington to make it 3-1.

A minute later we were straight up the other end. McGlashan put a cross in from the right. He found Spyrou at the back post who teed up Pemberton to pull one back with his first for the club, however it was too little too late

End of month position: 8th

Month review:

A disappointing month after being awarded Manager of the Month for August. I knew the Notts County and Halifax games were going to be tough, however poor defensive displays really let us down and we were fighting losing battles. In the other games, sloppy finishing cost us points, and despite a good win against Bromley, we have found ourselves dropping down the table. Taking 6 points from a possible 18 is disappointing and we now find ourselves 5 games without a win. Off the field, Luke Rawson and Charlie Wakefield have both gone on season long loans to Oxford City and Kettering respectively to continue their development.
 
October 2019
Vanarama National League
Chesterfield 4-0 Dagenham and Redbridge
Pemberton 9
Mandeville 18 (pen)
McKay 62
Spyrou 81


October started with a bang. Just 9 minutes into our home tie with Dagenham, Mandeville’s cross from a deep free kick found Pemberton at the back post to head home his second in successive games.

On 12 minutes it looked like we had made it 2-0. Another long Mandeville free kick found Spyrou who had the ball in the back of the net but he was ruled offside.

On 18 minutes things got even better. Good possession around the Dagenham area following a corner saw the ball played in to Spyrou who was felled in the box. Liam Mandeville stepped up for the subsequent penalty and found the bottom right corner to make it 2-0.

The rest of the half was uneventful, and we had to wait until just after the hour for our 3rd. A long ball from Mandeville sent Spyrou clear, and he held the ball up at the byline before teeing up Jack McKay who found his 4th of the season with the help of the post.

With 9 minutes to go we made it 4-0. A driven through ball by Jermaine McGlashan set Spyrou free, and he made no mistake in slotting the ball past Justham from 18 yards. A deserved goal for the loanee striker after a brilliant performance.

Vanarama National League
Fylde 1-1 Chesterfield

Meite 68

A trip to the West coast saw us up against 7th placed Fylde. Tired legs meant numerous changes with Brown, Gerrard, McGlashan and Meite starting at the expense of Welch-Hayes, Yarney, Pemberton and McKay. With Shwan Jalal away on international duty again, 17 year old Dylan Wharton was promoted to the senior squad and made the bench.

Fylde took the lead on 27 minutes with a fantastic goal by right wing back Tyler Forbes. A poor clearance came to him on the edge of the area, and he smashed a half volley from 25 yards which clipped the crossbar on its way in to the top corner.

Chances came and went, but we drew level on 68 minutes. Joe Rowley delivered a deep free kick to the far post where Meite finished from close range to take a point back to Derbyshire.

Vanarama National League
Chesterfield 0-0 Maidenhead


The first of 3 home games, the next fixture was the visit of 6th placed Maidenhead. The welcomed rest saw the return of Yarney, Welch-Hayes, Pemberton and McKay for Gerrard, Buchanan, McGlashan and Meite. Curtis Weston replaced the tired Joe Rowley for his first start of the season.

A tepid first half saw half chances come and go. We had the ball in the net on 40 minutes when Yarney’s flick on from a corner was turned in by Jack McKay, only to be ruled offside.
The second half started more brightly, with Maidenhead testing Coddington from range early on.

Spyrou was unlucky not to take the lead on the hour, great work by Pemberton and Welch-Hayes set the former free down the left wing. He found Spyrou from the byline but his effort was turned wide by Ashby-Hammond.

McKay was next to go close, first being thwarted by Ashby-Hammond from close range, and minutes later heading Welch-Hayes cross narrowly over.
In the closing minutes, a long range shot from Spyrou was parried by Ashby-Hammond. McGlashan made it to the rebound but could only find the foot of the post from a tight angle.

FA Cup 4th Qualifying Round
Chesterfield 0-0 Hereford


A break from league fixtures came in the shape of National League North side Hereford visiting the Proact for the FA Cup. A win would see us through to the first round as per the board’s expectations. Shwan Jalal replaced Coddington for his first start of the season whilst Welch-Hayes and McGlashan came in to rest Brown and Pemberton.

After 17 minutes, Meite saw his effort come back off the near post after a beautiful ball from Buchanan set up McGlashan to pump a delivery into the area. Hereford then had a goal ruled out on the verge of half time, Sam Osborne putting the ball in the net but fouling Buchanan in the process. The scores remained level going into the break.

The second half was quiet. Anthony Spyrou was denied well by the keeper after Mandeville played him in, and then with 10 minutes to go hit the post from close range. Frustratingly it ended goalless in a game we really should have won so we will be travelling for a replay in four days time.

FA Cup 4th Qualifying Round Replay
Hereford 1-2 Chesterfield

McKay 37
Spyrou 50


If at first you don’t succeed, enjoy a cold midweek trip to Hereford on a Wednesday night. The prize of a win would be smiles from the board and a home tie with Notts County in the first round.

An uneventful first half brightened in the 37th minute. David Buchanan’s corner was poorly cleared to Rowley and his ball back in was turned into the net by Jack McKay to give the Spireites a 1-0 lead going into the break.

5 minutes into the second half we were 2-0 up. The ball was hacked away following another corner as far as James Brown. He delivered a long ball towards McKay who laid it off with his head to Anthony Spyrou who found the net with a brilliant half volley from range.

Ash pulled one back in injury time for Hereford with a finish from close in, but it was too late and passage to the first round was confirmed at the final whistle.

Vanarama National League
Chesterfield 1-0 Boreham Wood

Spyrou 21

Two days later and the boys were back to league action at the Proact, this time welcoming 20th placed Boreham Wood as visitors.

The action started from kickoff. Tidy possession by the visitors and a dangerous through ball set Danaher free of the defence, only to be denied by the feet of Coddington. The subsequent corner was headed way over the bar, before at the other end, Pemberton went close with a shot from distance.

In the 16th minute, we went close. A Mandeville corner was cleared to Pemberton who unleashed a shot from range again, this time cannoning off the bar. The rebound fell to McKay with the goal at his mercy, but the whistle had gone for offside before he had the chance to put the Spireites in front.

We finally took the lead on the 21 minute mark with a touch of fortune. Welch-Hayes played a ball into the box and miscommunication between Fyfield and Boreham Wood keeper Gregory lead to the former knocking the ball past the keeper, giving the lurking Spyrou an open goal to take the lead.

We maintained pressure throughout the second half without reward, with Spyrou striking the post twice in the closing 10 minutes of the game, however we saw the game out for our second home win in a row.

Vanarama National League
Stockport County 3-1 Chesterfield

Weston 9

The last game of October was a visit to Edgeley Park, home of 18th placed Stockport County. Out of form Robbie Weir was replaced in the starting lineup by Curtis Weston, whilst McGlashan and Buchanan came in to replace Mandeville and Pemberton

After just 3 minutes we were behind. Initially, we looked to have had a lucky escape after a long ball forward was inadvertently teed off by Gerrard to Frank Mulhern who was denied by Coddington. However we failed to deal with the resulting corner and Paul Turnbull volleyed home to put the hosts in front.

However we were level on 9 minutes. Excellent forward pressure eventually allowed McGlashan to put a cross into the area. That was cleared only as far as Curtis Weston whose first time shot from the edge of the area found the bottom corner.

We didn’t hold on for long. A minute later Ben Jackson broke down the left hand side and his near post cross found Mulhern in the middle who restored County’s lead. Spyrou headed over minutes later, but the score remained 2-1 going into the half time break.

In the 83rd minute it looked like we were level, Weston played the ball into sub Pemberton in the box and he found the top right corner with a fierce shot, but it was ruled out for offside.

A minute later we had the ball in the net again. Welch-Hayes the provider from the left wing, and this time Meite was thwarted by the flag as he drove home from close range.

However things would only get worse from there. In the 3rd minute of added time, Herson Alves found himself in space inside the box, and floated the ball past Coddington into the top corner.

End of month position: 6th

Month review:

An improvement on September, but not an ideal month nonetheless. The 4-0 win against Dagenham was as good a team performance as I could have asked for. However, the Hereford replay was another 90 minutes we could have done without playing and a few times now, a lack of clinical finishing has cost us. Off the field, owner Dave Allen has announced that he intends to sell up and there are rumours of takeover bids swirling.
 
Last edited:
November 2019

Vanarama National League
Sutton United 1-3 Chesterfield

Spyrou 27
Maguire 77, 80


November began with a visit to managerless Sutton, who currently sit bottom of the league table. With a fully fit squad to select from, I was expecting nothing less than 3 points.

23 seconds in we nearly took the lead in bizarre fashion. A cross from McGlashan landed at the feet of Purkiss on the penalty spot, he took too much time on the ball and Spyrou took it from his toes, somehow hitting the post before the ball fell safely to Sutton keeper Driscoll.

On 27 minutes we took the lead. Great individual work by Spyrou got him free of the defence, his initial shot was parried by Driscoll but he pounced on the rebound to fire home.

5 minutes later and things got worse for Sutton. As Pemberton burst away down the left wing, he was clattered by Ben Purkiss who saw his second yellow card and was sent off.

We had to wait until the 77th minute to seal the points in bizarre fashion. Buchanan’s free kick into the area was met by Yarney’s head. His effort was blocked and penalty area pinball ensued, until Sutton defender Fernandes’ loose clearance into Laurence Maguire rebounded into the net.

3 minutes later Maguire scored again, and there was nothing bizarre about this one. Following a corner, the ball was cleared back to Rowley. He picked out Maguire outside the area, who took a touch before unleashing an unstoppable strike into the top left corner from 25 yards. The centre half’s second goal of the game and of the season and an early goal of the season contender.

On 87 minutes, Sutton pulled one back. A long ball by Jon Barden found Aaron Jarvis in the box, who powered the ball in to the net via the crossbar, but it was too late to affect the result.

FA Cup First Round
Chesterfield 3-1 Notts County

Rowley 13
Meite 81
Pemberton 90+3


Into the FA Cup first round proper, we welcomed fellow National League side Notts County to the Proact in front of the TV cameras.

On 13 minutes we had a lead. Liam Mandeville broke from the back and played a long ball over the top to Joe Rowley who timed his run perfectly. In behind, he slotted the ball past Slocombe in the County goal to give us the advantage.

On 36 minutes, Notts County drew level. A long free kick was pumped into the area by Brindley. Coddington came to take it but Pierce Bird got there first and flicked the ball on to Will Miller who finished into the open net from point blank range.

Half chances came and went throughout the rest of the game, and we finally had our breakthrough in the 81st minute. Jack McKay picked up the ball on the halfway line and played in Meite who drove the ball low past Slocombe to restore our lead with 9 minutes plus added time to play.

In the 3rd minute of added time, we secured safe passage to the second round. Mandeville got the ball on the right wing and played a cross to Pemberton. He cushioned a header down to Joe Rowley, who teed up Pemberton to hit a vicious strike past the helpless Slocombe into the top right hand corner.

3-1 at full time, a phenomenal team performance in front of the cameras and a trip to Rochdale or Forest Green Rovers awaits in the second round.

Vanarama National League
Chesterfield 1-2 Barrow

Pemberton 51

A return to league action saw league leaders Barrow visit the Proact. We put out an unchanged side from that which beat Notts Co.

A seemingly uneventful first half saw us go behind on the half hour. Josh Koroma’s delivery from a deep free kick finding Matthew Platt who headed beyond Coddington.

On 51 minutes we equalised, good pressure on the right hand side by Yarney saw him lay off to Mandeville. His cross to the far side of the penalty area found Pemberton who sent a left footed volley past Dixon and into the back of the net.

However a minute later we were behind again. A poor pass by Yarney deep in the Barrow half was intercepted by Drissa Traore. He burst forward and was allowed to take the ball all the way to the penalty area where he calmly slotted past Coddington to make it 2-1.

We failed to create any decent chances after that. A disappointing home defeat after we again conceded just after scoring.

Vanarama National League
Chorley 0-1 Chesterfield

Pemberton 5

Our fourth match of the month saw us visit 18th placed Chorley.

5 minutes in we were ahead. Welch-Hayes near post cross was headed away by Meppen-Walter as far as Tre Pemberton whose low drive beat Urwin to open the scoring.

We managed 20 shots for the rest of the game, with only 7 hitting the target, but thanks to a solid team performance we left Lancashire with all 3 points.

Vanarama National League
Chesterfield 0-0 Ebbsfleet United


Next to visit the Proact was my home town club, 3rd placed Ebbsfleet United.

The game was fairly even throughout the first half, with the visitors edging possession. We had the first chance though, Robbie Weir’s header denied by Holmes after a Mandeville free kick, before Spyrou headed narrowly wide from the resulting corner.

At the other end Botti Biabi was denied in a 1 on 1 with Coddington before Pemberton flashed a shot wide of the Fleet post.

Scoreless at the break, and the second half was fairly boring until great work by Meite set McGlashan free down the right hand side, but the latter couldn’t find the target with his effort

However neither side could find the breakthrough and an even game finished goalless.

FA Cup Second Round
Forest Green Rovers 2-3 Chesterfield

Rowley 11, 55
McKay 13


Back to FA Cup action and we were on the road to the Cotswolds to face League Two side FGR for a place in the third round, and a potential high profile tie. 1,253 Spireites fans made the 290 mile round trip to the New Lawn for this one.

On 11 minutes, Joe Rowley’s ball over the top set Spyrou free of the defence but his shot was tipped wide by Wollacott. From the resulting corner, Buchanan’s delivery caused carnage in the box, eventually falling to Joe Rowley who finished in the top corner for a shock lead.

Things got even better on 13 minutes. Buchanan the provider again, his cross from deep found the head of Jack McKay who doubled our advantage with his first goal in 7 games.

FGR pulled one back on 27 minutes. Elliott Frear’s fierce cross found the head of Aaron Collins. His effort beat Coddington and went in off the crossbar.

10 minutes into the second half we doubled our advantage again. An excellent team move starting with a goal kick, the ball gradually made its way forward before Jack McKay released Rowley through the middle, and his shot was too powerful for Wollacott.

With 10 minutes to go FGR pulled another one back setting up a tense finish. Good work again by Frear on the left hand side saw him cross to the near post where Jack Aitchison converted with his head.

FGR were then denied a number of times in the closing minutes, but we held on for a brilliant victory. A home tie with Burton Albion awaits in the 3rd round, which was underwhelming considering the calibre of teams in the draw. However they are 23rd in League One and struggling for form so it should be an interesting tie.

End of month position: 7th

Month review:

A fairly solid month with 7 points taken from a possible 12. Whilst we are showing 7th, we now have a game in hand after the FA Cup fixture delayed our league schedule and a win in that game would take us up to 5th. Excellent results in both cup games this month has at least given the fans a run to remember, but my main priority is getting into the Football League. Off the field, Jalal and Evans are starting to become unhappy at their lack of involvement and I have agreed with both that loans will help, however I’m struggling to find a club willing to take them. The takeover rumours continue with the latest being that a bid has been made by local investor David Francis. In other news, we have drawn National League North side Kings Lynn away in the first round of the FA Trophy.
 
December 2019


Vanarama National League
Chesterfield 0-1 Aldershot Town


A busy 8 game December began with the visit of 4th placed Aldershot to the Proact.

However it was a disappointingly boring start. The first 45 minutes saw an even display with half chances but no clear cut opportunities for either side.

5 minutes after the break we looked a bit more lively, Yarney’s cross finding the head of Spyrou, whose effort rebounded off the crossbar before it was hacked clear

However despite not threatening much throughout the game, Aldershot took the lead 10 minutes before time. A deep cross from Hegarty found Berkeley-Agyepong at the far post who beat Coddington to open the scoring

We failed to respond with anything, and a lack of any bite saw us come away with nothing. Another frustrating home defeat to open a key month in the season.

Vanarama National League
Yeovil Town 0-3 Chesterfield

Spyrou 31, 81
Pemberton 80


Next up was a long trip down to the West Country to face 19th placed Yeovil. 328 supporters made the 450 mile round trip on a drizzly Saturday afternoon.

We were out of the blocks quickly, Spyrou twice denied by Stuart Nelson in the opening 10 minutes.

We had to wait half an hour for our breakthrough. Wilkinson looked to have dealt with a long ball forward by Maguire, however he dallied on the ball and Spyrou took it from his toes. He was again denied by Nelson, who produced a double save to stop McKay’s effort from the rebound. However Spyrou pounced on the loose ball to finally open the scoring from yards out.

Yeovil almost had an instant response. A long ball into the area for Hippolyte, but his first time volley crashed off the bar.

We had to wait until 80 minutes to seal the win. Good work to get forward by Rowley allowed him to put the ball through to Pemberton who flicked the ball past Nelson.

A minute after the restart it was 3-0. Rowley again provider, his long ball over the top found Spyrou in behind who made no mistake to score his 2nd of the game and 10th of the season.

Spyrou could have had a hat trick. In added time he burst through again, but his shot was tipped over by Nelson. A fourth win in a row on the road.

Vanarama National League
Dover Athletic 2-3 Chesterfield

McKay 3
Mandeville 12
Yarney 65


Next up was a trip to the Kent coast for our game in hand against 22nd placed Dover. Considering our recent away form I was optimistic about this one.

It took us 3 minutes to get off the mark. Mandeville whipped in a free kick from the right hand side onto the head of Weir. His effort was blocked, as was Rowley’s, but the ball eventually fell to Jack McKay who bundled it over the line.

On 12 minutes we had doubled the lead. Weir’s cross found Mandeville, who floated a header into the far corner.

In the 23rd minute, Weir was forced off with an injury giving Sam Wedgbury a first appearance of the season. He will be out for around 3 weeks with a fractured wrist.

On 38 minutes Dover pulled one back. Taylor’s cross found Inih Effiong, who cushioned a header to Woods. His shot took a big deflection off Yarney and left Coddington stranded.

On 65 minutes Yarney opened his account for the season. He got on the end of Mandeville’s corner and after seeing his header saved, got a toe to the rebound to make it 3-1

6 minutes later Dover made it 3-2. Woods found substitute Ricky Modeste in the box who squared it to find Effiong in acres of space with an easy finish

The 93rd minute saw Meite taken off with a twisted ankle, however we held on to make it 5 wins in a row away from the Proact

FA Trophy First Round
Kings Lynn Town 0-1 Chesterfield

Pemberton 70

A break from league action saw us travel to National League North side Kings Lynn for the first round of the FA Trophy. The board were expecting at least to win this game, as was I.

We had to wait until the 70th minute for the opener. Curtis Weston found Pemberton on the edge of the box, and the left winger fired a low drive into the bottom corner.

It wasn’t pretty but it was a win and a replay avoided. A home tie against National League South side Bath City awaits in the second round.

Vanarama National League
Chesterfield 1-0 Notts County

McKay 79

A return to the league welcomed 9th placed Notts Co to the Proact for the second time this season. James Brown returned from injury and we were hoping for a repeat of the FA Cup victory.

We started stronger, after a few shots on target Pemberton went close twice after successive corners, however the first half finished goalless.

Things continued in a similar vein without reward in the second 45. Yarney hit the bar after a corner however we just could not find the breakthrough.

However on 79 minutes we finally got the breakthrough. An excellent ball from Joe Rowley sent McKay scampering clear, and he made no mistake beating Slocombe to open the scoring.

That was the only goal in a drab game, however it is our first home league win since late October and extends our winning run to 4 games. A welcome Christmas present!

Vanarama National League
Chesterfield 3-1 Fylde

Spyrou 1
Yarney 42
McKay 82


The Boxing Day fixture saw us host 11th place Fylde as the first of 3 fixtures in the space of 5 day. Fylde have lost their last 3 so I was hoping to pile on the misery.

We were ahead after just 44 seconds. A free kick just outside the box from Mandeville found the head of Maguire, who flicked it onto Spyrou at the far post for an easy finish.

McGlashan then replaced Mandeville on 20 minutes after he complained of a tight thigh. With games coming thick and fast I couldn’t afford to pick up injuries and did not want to exacerbate anything

Just before half time we were 2 up. Yarney’s second of the season came after Buchanan’s corner was again flicked on by Maguire allowing Yarney to tuck it in at the back post.

10 minutes into the second half and Fylde pulled one back. A long ball by Ryan East sent Danny Philliskirk clear and the experienced striker had no problem beating Coddington with an emphatic effort.

On 72 minutes Yarney was unlucky not to double his tally. A long freekick from deep found him just inside the box and an acrobatic volley from the centre half saw the ball hit the bar and bounce back out again without crossing the line.

On 82 minutes we sealed the points. Lovely play between Weston and Rowley in the middle allowed the latter to work the ball through to Jack McKay whose shot was too fierce for Montgomery.

3 points secured, the winning run extended to 5 games and back to back home league wins for the first time since early August sealed a fantastic Christmas.

Vanarama National League
Boreham Wood 1-0 Chesterfield


2 days later we were back in action against 23rd placed Boreham Wood. Wholesale changes rested many of the key players, the most notable being 19 year old Levi Amantchi making his first appearance of the season at the expense of McKay

On 23 minutes we had the ball in the net. Wedgbury sent Spyrou clear on goal, but the striker’s effort was disallowed for offside.

On 33 minutes though, it was the hosts that took the lead. A quick counter attack found Tyrone Marsh unmarked in the box to score.

We struggled to create chances after that, Rowley and Spyrou were reluctantly subbed off to preserve them for Barnet in 3 days time but the game finished 1-0. A disappointing defeat despite a relatively good performance from tired first team players and their replacements.

Vanarama National League
Chesterfield 0-0 Barnet


Our final game of 2019 was a New Years Eve fixture against 7th Barnet at the Proact. I was keen to get a win from this one to start building some home form to get our promotion bid going.

We edged the first half but couldn’t find the breakthrough. Spyrou headed narrowly over from a Buchanan corner and Pemberton later found himself in space, only to fire his shot straight at Loach.

After the break we continued to test. Fit again Robbie Weir this time heading narrowly over before Pemberton made a mess of a good chance.

Barnet had the ball in the net on 53 minutes but it was disallowed for offside. A shot from distance from Fonguck deflected off the offside Adams and into the net.

Maguire had a header cleared off the line in the closing seconds after a corner, however this one would end goalless.

End of month position: 5th

Month review:

A good month all in all with 13 points taken from a possible 21. A disappointing result away at Boreham Wood is mitigated by fixture congestion and personnel changes, however we have only lost 2 of our last 10 games. Off the field, the takeover bid from David Francis collapsed on Christmas Eve, so for now Dave Allen has lifted the embargo, however I anticipate he still plans to sell.

Weir, Meite, Boden and Coddington have been offered contract extensions, as has Buchanan although talks appear to have broken down for now with him. Tom Denton has left for Kettering on loan until the end of the season and Mike Fondop will leave for TNS in January for £5k.
 
January Recruitment

Departures

Tom Denton left for Kettering on a season long loan deal just prior to the window opening. He was transfer listed and I had initially looked to sell him as one of the squad's higher earners to free up the wage budget as he wasn't playing regularly, however he expressed willingness to go to Kettering and has been putting some good displays in there which will hopefully increase interest in him.

Similarly, Mike Fondop was on relatively high wages and only had one competitive appearance to his name. He left on New Years Day to join TNS for a fee of £5k.

Shwan Jalal was next to leave the Proact for Southend United for a £1.5k fee. He has been very much a backup keeper and has only made one appearance in the FA Cup first round (purely to give him a game), which led to him expressing frustration at his playing time. Again, it was unnecessary spending of the wage budget and the deal is in the best interests of both club and player.

For much the same reasons as Jalal, Will Evans has been transfer listed. However, I have not been able to find a club who can meet his wage demands as yet.

Arrivals

Luke Conlan

IMG_6968.JPG


The first to arrive in the January window was Luke Conlan on a loan deal for the rest of the season from League Two side Morecambe. An attack minded left back, Conlan arrives as depth behind Buchanan and potentially as a replacement should the contract stalemate continue. Conlan has plenty of Football League experience, having started his career at Burnley before making 107 appearances in League Two for Morecambe. He is transfer listed for £49k, but without the funds immediately available I have opted for a loan with a view to a permanent deal in the summer should it go well. Conlan will wear the number 26 shirt.

Freddie Lapworth

IMG_6969.JPG


Following Conlan was the arrival of 18 year old goalkeeper Freddie Lapworth from Cheltenham Town. The youngster arrives on a loan deal until the end of the season as an understudy to Coddington. In all honesty, I moved Jalal on to lighten the wage budget and Lapworth gives us a backup option to warm the bench until the end of the season with no financial burden. Lapworth will wear the number 13 shirt.

Wilson Carvalho

Medium.jpeg


The final signing of the January window was Wilson Carvalho who arrived on a free transfer. I originally began scouting him on the transfer list at Accrington Stanley, however days before the window closed his contract was terminated. Carvalho is a Portuguese born left winger, who has 7 years of experience playing at various levels of non league, as well as in the Football League with Port Vale and most recently Accrington. Carvalho signs to replace Buchanan as the stand in left midfielder whilst Pemberton is injured, and then to compete with the Stoke loanee when he returns to fitness. Carvalho will wear the number 32 shirt.
 
Last edited:
January 2020

FA Cup Third Round
Chesterfield 2-1 Burton Albion

Spyrou 33, 49

We started the new decade with the visit of League One strugglers Burton in the FA Cup in front of a sold out Proact Stadium.

We started brightly, only 2 minutes gone when Mandeville struck a 30 yard free kick just wide of the left hand post.

After dominating the opening play, on 33 minutes we took the lead. Buchanan delivered a corner to Maguire at the far post, and the centre half cushioned the ball to the ever present Spyrou to give us a shock lead.

However our excitement was short lived, despite telling the players to concentrate, almost immediately after kick off a long ball found Joe Sbarra in space to pull Burton level

On 42 minutes James Brown picked up a knock and was replaced by Welch-Hayes, however the score remained level going into the half time break.

We started the second half brightly. Pemberton broke clear down the left and set up Mandeville but his shot was tipped wide by O’Hara. The resulting corner was brought down by Maguire, who set up Spyrou again to restore our lead.

Tre Pemberton was forced off with broken ribs with 10 minutes to go, which rules him out of action for 7-10 weeks. His replacement Weston hit the bar deep into added time. In the 4th added minute, Spyrou looked to have broken clear of John Brayford. However the Burton man pulled him down and received a straight red card for a professional foul.

That was enough to secure another phenomenal win in this cup run against senior opposition, and a tie at home to Championship side Reading awaits in the 4th round.

FA Trophy Second Round
Chesterfield 2-0 Bath City

Rowley 21, 31

After our midweek game at Eastleigh was postponed due to a waterlogged pitch, we had a weeks break to recuperate until the visit of National League South outfit Bath City. New signings Luke Conlan and Freddie Lapworth make the bench.

On 20 minutes we took the lead. Buchanan’s cross from the left lead to a shot by McKay, which was blocked into the path of Rowley to put the Spireites in front

10 minutes later Rowley had a second. Buchanan’s corner from the right came straight back to him, and his second delivery found the head of Rowley who in turn found the far corner

Rowley was causing all kinds of problems for Bath and in the 38th minute he burst into the area, only to be tripped by Hamblin. Rowley stepped up from 12 yards on a hat trick but his effort was too central and saved by Idem.

The second half calmed, and despite a few chances here and there the score line remained 2-0. The reward was a home tie against National League South side Concord Rangers at home in the last 16.

Vanarama National League
Eastleigh 1-2 Chesterfield

Meite 77
McGlashan 90+2 (pen)


Our return to league action came with the postponed fixture against 21st placed Eastleigh who are without a manager. I was looking for a repeat of the 3 points that we took from them in the season opener. Liam Mandeville pulled his thigh in the buildup which will rule him out for 3 weeks so McGlashan replaces him.

The first half was quiet and we had to wait until 40 minutes for the first real chance. A cross from Buchanan found McKay in the box was headed over

That was until Eastleigh took the lead on 42 minutes. Frost burst forward down the right and his cross was cleared, only as far as Jack Payne who found the top corner on the volley

Throughout the second half we were terrible in front of goal, with McKay, Spyrou and Buchanan all missing golden chances.

However in the 77th minute, McGlashan played in Alassane Meite who got his 5th goal of the season to level the scores

In the 2nd minute of added time we were gifted the opportunity to win the game, Spyrou burst forward into the box and was tripped by Reda Johnson for a late penalty. Jermaine McGlashan stepped up and powered it straight down the middle to steal all 3 points at the death

Vanarama National League
Chesterfield 2-0 Bromley

Spyrou 7, 37

A return to the Proact saw us host bottom of the league Bromley. After picking up 3 points in the reverse fixture, I was hoping for a repeat.

We took the lead after 7 minutes. Good play down the right by McGlashan and Brown allowed the latter to play a dangerous cross for Spyrou who beat Huddart to make it 1-0

We continued to apply pressure through the half, and in the 37th minute we doubled our lead. A fantastic long ball from Miles Welch-Hayes allowed Spyrou to beat the offside trap and slide the ball past Huddart for his 15th of the season

We continued to dominate for the rest of the game and but for Huddart it could have easily been 4 or 5.

FA Cup Fourth Round
Chesterfield 1-1 Reading

Spyrou 39

Next to visit a sold out Proact Stadium were Championshift side Reading for the fourth round of the FA Cup. Luke Conlan came in for his first start for the club. I was obviously pleased with the cup run and there are financial benefits of the gate fees and prize money, however I wasn’t quite as confident of a result as in the previous ties. However the FA Cup is nothing without upsets so at the very least I expected a spirited performance.

We started the brighter with a few shots on target in the opening 15 minutes not bringing any joy.

On 39 minutes we took yet another shock lead. Buchanan delivered a corner from the right side and Spyrou rose highest to head the ball into the far corner. Shock on!

Puscas went close before the break for Reading, but we held our 1 goal lead going into half time.

After half time, chances were at a premium. On 72 minutes, good pressure by McKay saw him steal the ball from Miazga in the attacking third, he found Buchanan who teed up Rowley but his effort crashed off the bar

In the 87th minute, Reading equalised. A long ball over the top from Liam Moore found Joao who was played onside by Maguire. He finished in the top corner to secure a replay at the Madjeski.

I would have taken a replay before the game, however in all honesty we were really unfortunate not to win. We are the lowest ranking side left in the competition, and the prize for a win at the Madjeski would be a visit to Anfield to face Liverpool.

Vanarama National League
Hartlepool 0-0 Chesterfield


Back to league action, we ended the month with a trip to 9th place Hartlepool to play our game in hand. They had won 4 in their last 5 coming into this one so I was wary but hoping we would come out on top.

We carved the first opportunities, Spyrou going close with a header before Buchanan curled an effort into the side netting. However the first half would end goalless.

We struggled to create chances after the break, and went closest when Weston hit the post in the 86th minute. However it would end goalless. A frustrating point considering we only managed to get 1 of 12 shots on target. Had we been more clinical we might have come away with a result.

End of month position: 5th

Month review:

I could have barely asked for more from the January. We remain undefeated in 2020 and find ourselves 6 points off of the league leaders Halifax. The dropped points at Hartlepool were disappointing, but considering their recent form, I would have taken a draw before the game had it not been for our poor finishing letting us down. The Reading game was a particular highlight and I still cannot believe we didn’t win it. I am happy with the transfer business, bearing in mind the budget and we have covered a few gaps in the squad. There was some bad news at the end of the month, top scorer Anthony Spyrou pulled his ankle ligaments in training which will keep him out for 2 weeks.
 
Last edited:
February 2020


Vanarama National League
Harrogate 0-3 Chesterfield

Meite 1, 56
McKay 75


February opened with a trip to 12th placed Harrogate. After they beat us 1-0 at the Proact I was hoping for revenge. Alassane Meite came into the squad to replace the injured top scorer Spyrou.

After just 43 seconds we were ahead, really nice buildup play between Buchanan and McKay saw the former slip the ball through to Meite who calmly passed it into the net to put the Spireites in front.

Harrogate came into the game more as the half went on and were unlucky not to be level on the half hour. Maguire’s missed header allowed Whittaker in behind but his shot was expertly tipped over by Coddington.

10 minutes into the second half it was 2, Buchanan again the provider for Meite who lofted the ball over Cracknell and into the back of the net.

With 15 minutes to go, McKay made it 3 with his 10th of the season. A perfectly weighted ball from Maguire curled into the path of the striker to give him a simple finish to secure the points.

The 82nd minute saw Meite taken off with a pulled calf which will keep him out for 3 weeks. Far from ideal considering he was the stand in for the injured Spyrou however we will have to cope.

The game ended 3-0, a fantastic team performance all round and the result to show it. It was good to see that we scored goals without Spyrou, however a blow to lose Meite.

FA Cup Fourth Round Replay
Reading 4-1 Chesterfield

Amantchi 30

Heading into the replay at Reading, I again was just hoping for a strong performance. Away against a Championship side, I couldn’t ask for any more than that - especially with Spyrou and Meite absent through injury. Levi Amantchi replaced them, and Wilson Carvalho came in for the suspended Maguire to make his debut. Buchanan dropped back to left back and Hayes-Welch partnered Yarney at centre half.

On 9 minutes Reading had a penalty. A long ball into the box towards Richards saw Mandeville push him over, and Lucas Joao comfortably dispatched the spot kick.

However we were level on the 30th minute. A throw in from Yarney to McKay was passed to James Brown, whose teasing cross was thundered home by Amantchi at the back post for his first senior goal, to keep the dream alive.

However 5 minutes later Reading were back in front. A cross from Omar Richards found Andy Yiadom free at the back post to head past Coddington.

Amantchi had the ball in the net again on the verge of half time following a Mandeville free kick, but it was chalked off for offside.

3 minutes after the half time break, Carvalho introduced himself to the travelling fans in style after he lunged in on Ovie Ejaria from behind to earn his second booking and an early bath. With Ejari on the half way line facing his own goal it was a totally unnecessary challenge and a stupid booking to collect.

Straight from the resulting free kick, Reading easily worked the ball into the box where John Swift made the score 3-1

And on 77 minutes it was 4. Reading moving the ball around easily in the middle before Sone Aluko found the top corner from range.

The game ended that way. I wasn’t expecting a win and I’m proud of the vast majority of the players, however Carvalho’s stupidity cost us and was definitely the turning point that made a difficult task impossible. That being said, Reading were the stronger side on the day, and we should have held on in the first round rather than rely on the replay.

FA Trophy Third Round
Chesterfield 1-1 Concord Rangers

McGlashan 65

A return to the Proact for more cup football saw Concord visit for the last 16 tie of the FA Trophy. Scott Boden and Levi Amantchi started upfront whilst Freddie Lapworth replaced Coddington.

It was an uneventful first half. Scott Buchanan was forced off after 38 minutes with sprained ankle ligaments which will keep him sidelined for a month.

Shortly after, Hawkins denied McGlashan from a good opportunity but the deadlock remained going into the break.

On 65 minutes we finally took the lead. The ball was spread wide to Conlan who played a deep cross onto the head of McGlashan to give the Spireites the advantage.

However Concord equalised in injury time. A surging run down the left by Joel Nouble saw him drive a ball across goal. Brown stopped it reaching Cundle but his touch took it into the path of Moncur who levelled the scores.

Yet another replay to play to add to a busy fixture list. A win will see us face Oxford City or Woking on the road.

FA Trophy Third Round Replay
Concord Rangers 0-3 Chesterfield

McKay 7
Amantchi 13
Carvalho 51 (pen)


3 days later and we visited Concord for the replay of the third round tie. Carvalho returned to the squad, and Anthony Spyrou continued his recovery by taking a place on the bench.

On 7 minutes we were ahead, good work down the left by Levi Amantchi saw him pull the ball back for Wilson Carvalho, whose low cross found McKay in the middle to put the Spireites in front.

On 13 minutes we were two up. Carvalho again pushing forward before slipping the ball to Amantchi this time, who slammed his effort past Hawkins and in at the near post.

6 minutes into the second half we had a brilliant opportunity to make it 3-0. A corner from Mandeville was played towards Maguire at the back post, however the centre half was dragged to the floor giving Carvalho the chance to open his Chesterfield account from 12 yards. He fired it straight down the middle to secure passage to the fourth round.

A fantastic team performance to see us through. Good to see Wilson Carvalho take the man of the match with a goal and 2 assists after his horror performance at Reading. We’ll face Oxford City away in the fourth round.
 
Last edited:
February 2020
Vanarama National League
Chesterfield 2-2 Wrexham

Spyrou 16, 69

A return to league action saw us host 13th place Wrexham at the Proact. Jack McKay was a doubt with a knock picked up in training. Spyrou returned to the starting lineup following a ligament injury and Boden came in for Amantchi to partner him

Wrexham had the first big opportunity after 2 minutes. Kneeshaw was played into the box and a heavy challenge from Gerrard looked to have got the ball, however the referee decided to give a penalty. Summerfield stepped up and slotted home for 1-0.

However on 16 minutes we were level. A right sided corner from Mandeville found the head of Spyrou at the near post who marked his return from injury with his 17th goal of the season.

On 24 minutes, Wrexham restored their lead. A 20 yard free kick from Summerfield found a gap in the wall and then the near post to make it 2-1.

We had to wait until the 69th minute for our leveller. Robbie Weir played a wonderfully weighted ball over the top to find Spyrou in again to slide it into the bottom corner to equalise.

An encouraging return from Spyrou and a good point against a strong team in this division.

Vanarama National League
Aldershot Town 1-0 Chesterfield


Our game in hand was away at 3rd place Aldershot. A win would push us up to 4th and see us 3 points off the top of the league, however we knew it would be a tough fixture.

Chances came and went in the first half, Walker twice denying Spyrou before tipping Laurence Maguire’s head in the bar.

However much like in the reverse fixture, Aldershot took the lead on 67 minutes when Jacob Berkeley-Agyepong’s shot beat Coddington at the near post after a mistake by Curtis Weston

After that we couldn’t find a foothold in the game with a lack of quality in the final third, and it would finish 1-0.

Vanarama National League
Chesterfield 2-0 Dover Athletic

Maguire 22
McGlashan 90+3


A return to the Proact saw us face 23rd place Dover. I was expecting a win from this one, given Dover’s poor position in the table.

We were ahead on 22 minutes, Laurence Maguire’s header from Liam Mandeville’s corner crashing in off the bar.

On 43 minutes it looked like we’d doubled our lead. Mandeville’s wide free kick found Rowley at the back post, however his celebrations were cut short by the linesman’s flag.

Just after half time, a narrow game got trickier. Robbie Weir picked up 2 yellow cards in 7 minutes to earn an early bath, leaving us with 10 men for over half an hour.

We still carved chances with 10 men, but had to wait until the 3rd minute of added time to secure the points. Liam Mandeville again playing provider, his long ball into the box found McGlashan who tucked in at the back post.

Vanarama National League
Barrow 0-0 Chesterfield


Our last league encounter of February was a trip to Holker Street for a visit to 4th place Barrow for a 4th vs 5th clash. A single change saw Curtis Weston replacing the suspended Robbie Weir in the centre of midfield.

In truth, probably the most boring game of the season. Few chances came and went to take note of. However it is a clean sheet away from home against fellow promotion chasers.

FA Trophy Fourth Round
Oxford City 0-0 Chesterfield


The final fixture of February was the home tie against Oxford City in the FA Trophy. Tre Pemberton returned from injury on the left wing and Freddie Lapworth was given a game between the sticks.

It was another bore draw in which poor finishing let us down. We managed 16 shots on goal, however only 5 managed to hit the target. Yet again another replay which adds to an already well congested fixture list.

End of month position: 5th

Month Review:

A tiring month, 9 games played in the shortest calendar month of the year has clearly taken its toll on the boys. 8 points from a possible 15 is reasonable. However we have not helped ourselves at all by failing to kill off games in the FA Trophy as the fixture congestion is starting to get to the legs, which is putting us at a disadvantage in key league games like those with Barrow and Aldershot. The loss to Reading wasn't unexpected, but I'd be lying if I said I was completely happy with the manner in which we lost, where we lost any grip on the game after Carvalho's red card. However, the games we did win were fantastic, and we can look back on great team performances against Harrogate and Dover. As we approach the end of the season we really need to kick on with our league performance, ideally making it into that top 3.
 
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March 2020


FA Trophy Fourth Round Replay
Chesterfield 0-1 Oxford City


March began with the visit of our last opposition Oxford City in the FA Trophy fourth round replay. A win would see us travel to Notts County or Aldershot in the semi final.

We dominated the first half but yet again struggled for meaningful chances, with Spyrou being denied by the keeper on multiple occasions

We struggled to carve opportunities in the second half, and gifted Oxford a chance to win the game on 85 minutes. A free kick into the box was handled by Maguire for a late penalty. Brown stepped up but Coddington dived to his right to divert the ball behind for a corner.

From the resulting corner Oxford took the lead. The ball was cleared as far as Brown whose low drive was deflected by Ashby into the back of the net.

A poor performance sees us knocked out of the competition. The only positive that we can take is that it allows for 100% focus on the league.

Vanarama National League
Ebbsfleet United 1-1 Chesterfield

Meite 90+4

Our first league fixture of March was a homecoming back to Gravesend for a visit to Stonebridge Road, home of 3rd place Ebbsfleet.

Another disappointing first half, we managed one shot for the duration, which was off target.

Ebbsfleet took the lead on the 43rd minute. The ball was worked out to the left for Myles Weston, and his low cross was met by Josh Umerah at the near post who converted past Coddington.

They looked to have had another one on 75 minutes. Umerah again finding the net but seeing it ruled out by the linesman’s flag.

We really didn’t deserve anything from this game, however deep into injury time we drew level. Brown’s deep cross was too powerful for Pemberton. He pulled it back to Carvalho who hit the near post. The rebound again fell to Pemberton who this time teed up Meite to power in the equaliser from close range.

Seconds later we nearly had a winner. Carvalho sent Amantchi scampering through on goal but the 19 year old’s strike was tipped over by Holmes.

A valuable point stolen from a miserable away day where we looked like we would come away empty handed.

Vanarama National League
Chesterfield 2-1 Sutton United

Spyrou 30
Meite 82


Our next fixture was the visit of 21st placed Sutton United to the Proact. I was hoping for a repeat of the 3-1 win in the reverse fixture earlier in the season to kick on some strong form in the final run in of the season.

We had a golden opportunity for a perfect start. After 10 minutes, Liam Mandeville delivered a right sided free kick onto the head of Josef Yarney. His header found Welch-Hayes virtually under the bar, but somehow he managed to put his effort way over.

On 22 minutes Sutton had a penalty when Jones-Thomas dinked the ball past Brown and surged into the box. Yarney’s challenge looked to have got the ball perfectly, but the referee had different ideas and awarded the spot kick. Wayne Brown stepped up and calmly placed the ball out of Coddington’s reach in the bottom right corner.

On 30 minutes we were level. Robbie Weir spread the ball to Carvalho, whose first time low drive was met by Spyrou to score his after a few poor days in front of goal recently.

We had to wait until the 82nd minute to take the lead in truly bizarre fashion. A Buchanan corner to the back post was easily collected by Driscoll, however the keeper opted to take a quick drop kick straight at Meite, with the ball bouncing off the second half substitute, over the goalkeeper, and into the back of the empty net.

The match would end that way, a result which saw us move out of 5th place for the first time in months into 4th.

Vanarama National League
Chesterfield 0-0 Chorley


Next up in the March schedule was the visit of 20th place Chorley to the Proact, another struggling team in the division that we could hopefully capitalise on to start earning points on the board. We had a blow coming into this one, with Meite being ruled out with a pulled groin after scoring in his last 2 appearances.

A mostly uneventful first half at least saw us get 3 out of our 4 shots on target. A beautiful curling effort from range by Carvalho at the end of the half saw him denied by a brilliant save from Urwin.

However, despite our efforts, we couldn’t find a way past Urwin and the game ended goalless for a disappointing draw.

Vanarama National League
Woking 1-2 Chesterfield

Spyrou 57
Meite 80


For the first time in what feels like months, we have finally had a week break between games. Next up was a visit to 15th place Woking at the Kingfield. Jack McKay was a doubt for this one, having picked up a bruised thigh in training. He was replaced by the returning Meite. Despite being in mid table, Woking had won 3 of their last 5 and so we knew we had to be at our best to get a result.

The first half was disappointing. Woking were denied twice from corners, but other than that we failed to register a shot on target for the first 45 minutes.

On 48 minutes they took the lead. Maguire’s long ball gave up possession far too easily, and Thomas James set Vadaine Oliver free to fire past Coddington for the opener.

However, 10 minutes later we were level. Mandeville’s cross from the right found the feet of Spyrou who blasted home his 20th of the season.

On 80 minutes the comeback was complete. Great work in our own half by Carvalho saw him surge away on the left, before setting Spyrou free to drive a low cross to Meite who tucked home his 3rd goal in as many games and 10th of the season.

We then took control of the game and were unlucky not to win by more. On the 87th minute, Woking right back Jordan Lawrence-Gabriel was sent off after he earned a second booking for bringing down Wilson Carvalho, however the match would end 2-1. A strong 3 points on the road.

Vanarama National League
Chesterfield 2-1 Solihull Moors

Amantchi 36
Meite 60


2 days later, we welcomed 17th place Solihull Moors to the Proact. After a disappointing draw in the reverse fixture, I was hoping to pick up maximum points from this one.

With 10 minutes gone, Solihull took the lead in outstanding fashion. After winning a free kick on the left, Kyle Storer played the ball short to Brandon Fleming who smashed it into the top corner from 25 yards.

On 36 minutes we were level. Weston spread play to the overlapping Buchanan on the left, and his cross found Levi Amantchi in the middle who gave Boot no chance from close range

On the hour we took the lead. A long ball through the middle set Meite free, and in his form at the moment there was no doubt as he slipped the ball past the oncoming Boot to make it 2-1.

Vanarama National League
Chesterfield 3-1 FC Halifax

Buchanan 24
Spyrou 36
Weir 71


The closing game of March came in the shape of a home tie against 5th place Halifax. With the Shaymen 3 points behind us, a win would open up some breathing space and could take us up to 3rd. With the board having allocated a fan day for this one, we had a bumper crowd of 6,936 Chesterfield supporters.

After an uneventful opening 24 minutes, we drew first blood. Yarney’s cross to the back post found Buchanan who fired beyond Johnson for his first goal for the Spireites.

On 36 minutes we doubled our lead. James Brown’s long ball found McKay who slipped Spyrou through to pass the ball past Johnson and into the back of the Halifax net.

A third goal would have really put us in the driving seat, and we came close just before the hour. A long ball from Welch-Hayes found Robbie Weir whose effort bounced back off the underside of the crossbar.

On 71 minutes Weir did make it 3-0. A corner to Welch-Hayes was laid off for the centre midfielder who slammed the ball past Johnson to secure the points.

On 82 minutes Halifax pulled one back. Robbie Weir’s attempted clearance deflected off McAlinden into the path of Mogensen who tucked it past Coddington at the near post.

The game would end 3-1. A fantastic result that was perfect revenge for the 3-1 defeat that we suffered at the Shay back in September. Barrow also lost at home to Wrexham 1-0, meaning that we leapfrog them up into 3rd place.

End of month position: 3rd

Month review:

A brilliant month all things considered with 14 points taken from a possible 18. Being knocked out of the FA Trophy was a shame, especially to lower league opposition, however it does allow us to solely focus on the promotion push. We are now 8 games unbeaten in the league, and the defeat to Oxford is our only loss in the last 10 competitive fixtures. We have moved from 5th to 3rd, which has for now saved us from playing any playoff quarter finals, and are now just 4 points off of Aldershot on top, so a title challenge and automatic promotion is still very much a viable option with 5 games left to play. Ebbsfleet are only 2 points off us in second, having drawn their last game at home to Fylde. Off the pitch, Dave Allen has reiterated his interest in selling the club, however there are no offers to report on as yet.
 
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April 2020


Vanarama National League
Torquay United 1-3 Chesterfield

Yarney 10
Spyrou 60
Pemberton 90+3


The first of our final five games of the regular season was a 508 mile round trip to Plainmoor, home of 12th placed Torquay United. With league leaders Aldershot losing 1-0 in the Friday night fixture to Notts Co, we had a fantastic opportunity to reduce the gap to a single point. 252 Spireites fans made the long trip down to Devon for this one.

However it was the hosts who struck first after 3 minutes. A missed header by Josef Yarney allowed Francis Vincent in behind to slot past Coddington.

However on 10 minutes, Yarney atoned for his error by restoring parity. He met Buchanan’s corner on the edge of the 6 yard box to power a header into the back of the net.

On the hour we took the lead. A lazy pass across the box by Kyle Cameron went straight to McKay, who slipped the ball through Spyrou who made no mistake one on one with MacDonald.

In the 3rd minute off added time we secured the points. Myles Welch-Hayes broke clear down the right hand side, with Pemberton and Spyrou free in the centre against a lone defender for options. Welch-Hayes opted to shoot and was denied by MacDonald, however the rebound fell kindly for Pemberton who had the simple task of finding an empty net from 6 yards for his first goal since returning from injury.

We have secured at least a playoff place and temporarily moved up to second whilst we wait for Ebbsfleet to play their game in hand away to Eastleigh in 3 days time. Anything but a Fleet win in that fixture will see us hold second place as we are a point clear with superior goal difference.

Vanarama National League
Chesterfield 0-1 Stockport County


Next up was the Good Friday fixture at home to 21st placed Stockport County. Ebbsfleet’s game in midweek was postponed (an apparent theme at Eastleigh), so we remained 2nd going into this one, pending the Fleet’s game in hand. Robbie Weir suffered a broken foot in midweek leaving him out of the rest of the season and likely into the new campaign with a 3-4 month recovery time, so he was replaced by Curtis Weston in the middle.

We started applying pressure from the off. We managed to get away 5 shots after just 10 minutes, however none of them hit the target. On 42 minutes, Buchanan’s corner found Rowley, and the central midfielder’s volley crashed off the bar and beyond the outstretched leg of Maguire.

Just after half time, Pemberton took the ball nearly the full length of the pitch, rounding 2 County defenders in the process but couldn’t find the target with his effort.

On 68 minutes however we went behind, Ethan Coleman’s 30 yard free kick beating Coddington and finding the top corner.

Mandeville hit the side netting from range minutes after the restart, but its a bitterly disappointing defeat given that we put 26 shots on goal throughout the match with only 6 hitting the target. An Aldershot win extended the gap from the top to 4 points again, however we remain second after Ebbsfleet’s shock 1-0 defeat to 23rd placed Dover.

Vanarama National League
Dagenham & Redbridge 1-2 Chesterfield

Yarney 14, 48

3 days later we travelled to Essex for the Easter Monday fixture against 7th place Dagenham. Myles Welch-Hayes returned to the side to replace the suspended James Brown, and we were hoping for a return to winning ways in a tough fixture.

We had a golden opportunity to make it 1-0 after just 3 minutes. Wood looked to have a long ball under control, but Carvalho stole it off him and set up Spyrou one on one but he couldn’t beat Justham. The resulting corner was cleared as far as Pemberton, who unleashed a shot from 30 yards that pulled a spectacular acrobatic save from Justham for another corner.

On 14 minutes we took the lead. Buchanan’s corner found Yarney at the near post who flicked a header towards the far corner. Justham got a finger to it but couldn’t keep it out.

We continued to have chances, putting 6 of our 9 first half shots on target, however Justham did brilliantly to keep the score 1-0.

However 3 minutes into the second half we were 2-0 up. Another corner from Buchanan found Yarney, but this time his header was more powerful and gave Justham absolutely no chance.

On 54 minutes the Daggers pulled one back. Wood smashed a shot low which had Coddington scrambling to his left, however it rebounded off the post and into the path of Mitch Brundle who had an easy finish.

We would hold on for the rest of the half. A good win to end the Easter weekend in 2nd. Aldershot’s 5-0 thumping of Bromley means that they are still 4 points ahead of us, whilst Ebbsfleet had to come from behind against Chorley to keep up the pressure behind us.

Vanarama National League
Maidenhead 0-3 Chesterfield

Spyrou 6, 31
McKay 58


Our penultimate league game of the regular campaign and last on the road saw us travel to 10th place Maidenhead. Elsewhere, Ebbsfleet hosted Solihull Moors whilst Aldershot hosted fellow promotion hopefuls Barrow.

On 6 minutes we broke the deadlock. Buchanan took the route one approach, delivering a long ball over the top to Spyrou. Dunn got a hand to his effort, but it was too powerful and he could only divert it into the bottom corner.

On the half hour Spyrou made it 2-0. This time it was Weston to deliver a long pass, allowing Spyrou to run clear of the defence and round Dunn for a virtually open goal to finish into.

On 58 minutes we had sealed the points. A poorly struck free kick from Mandeville saw the ball fall to Maguire. He returned the ball to Mandeville who played a much better delivery to McKay at the back post who scored his first goal in 2 months.

Spyrou could have had a hat trick 2 minutes into injury time. He broke clear, wrong footing the last defender before striking the post with a powerful effort.

However it ended 3-0. A fantastic team performance all round. Other good news is that both Ebbsfleet and Aldershot’s games ended goalless, so we are now 2 points off the top and 3 points clear of Ebbsfleet going into the final game of the regular season. The Fleet however play their game in hand against Eastleigh in midweek.

Vanarama National League
Chesterfield 1-0 Yeovil Town

Yarney 70

The final game of the regular season was at the Proact where we hosted 13th placed Yeovil Town. Having beaten them 3-0 in the reverse fixture, I was hoping for a repeat performance to potential see us promoted as champions. Ebbsfleet lost in midweek with a shock 2-0 win by Eastleigh, and so they were out of the title running in the final day. However, the title would be a long shot, with us needing a win and for the Shots to lose at Solihull Moors. A draw for Aldershot could do, as long as we beat Yeovil by 5 goals. The Spireites named an unchanged side from the 3-0 victory over Maidenhead.

We started brightly, Jack McKay having a shot tipped over by Nelson before he was tested by Carvalho and Spyrou in the opening minutes. We couldn’t find a way through him though in the first half, with him dealing with everything that we threw his way. Down the other end, Coddington was only pulled into real action once to deny Garrick from a tight angle.

0-0 at half time, and Aldershot leading 1-0 at Solihull Moors

However we looked to have had the perfect start to the second half. Rowley’s long ball over the top straight after kickoff sent through Spyrou to slot home his 25th of the season, however it was ruled out for a suspicious looking offside. 2 minutes later, Welch-Hayes released Carvalho, however his low drive thundered off the post.

We continued to knock at the door, and with 20 minutes to go we finally got our breakthrough. Yarney again met a Buchanan corner to power a header into the back of the net. With the Shots still 1-0 up and Solihull now having missed a penalty, we were praying for 2 goals there.

However both games would finish 1-0. Congratulations to Aldershot, however we now have to prepare for the playoffs.

End of season position: 2nd

Month review:

Well, the regular season is over. All in all I am pleased. We narrowly missed out on the title and automatic promotion, however considering Aldershot got the better of us twice this season, I don’t think we can have any complaints about them taking the championship. We go into the playoffs having won 8 of our last 10, and with the best form in the league and have pole position in the playoffs. Off the field, David Francis returned with an offer for Dave Allen and completed his takeover of the club just prior to the Yeovil game and has injected a large amount of cash into the club for next season. We are joined in the playoffs by Halifax, Barnet, Barrow, Ebbsfleet and Dagenham & Redbridge.
 
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Vanarama National League Playoff Semi Final

Chesterfield 3-0 Dagenham & Redbridge
Proact Stadium - Saturday 9th May 2020

Rowley 26
Spyrou 58
McKay 74


Preview

We faced 7th place finishers Dagenham & Redbridge at the Proact for a place at Wembley. With the National League playoffs having quarter finals between 4th - 7th places prior to this match, Dagenham had beaten Ebbsfleet United away on penalties after a 2-2 draw to get to this one. Having had more time to prepare, rest and having beaten the Daggers twice in the regular season, I was confident of a result if we played to our ability. Having picked up the Manager of the Month award for April, I was hoping that there was no curse leading into this one.
Starting XI

12. Luke Coddington
23. James Brown
4. Josef Yarney
6. Laurence Maguire
3. Scott Buchanan (c)
10. Liam Mandeville
8. Curtis Weston
7. Joe Rowley
11. Tre Pemberton
21. Jack McKay
9. Anthony Spyrou

Bench

13. Freddie Lapworth
2. Myles Welch-Hayes
32. Wilson Carvalho
17. Alassane Meite
26. Luke Conlan

First Half

We nearly started with a goal. After just 90 seconds, Mandeville seized on Strizovic's loose goal kick to find Spyrou on the edge of the box. His thumping shot hit the bar, before bouncing off the back of the Daggers keeper and out for a corner.

The next opportunity fell on 17 minutes to Mandeville. A long ball from Maguire at the back found McKay, who sent the right winger through on goal, but his shot was weak and straight at Josh Strizovic.

On 25 minutes, a long ball from Buchanan saw Spyrou beat the offside trap, but the striker's low drive was kept out by Strizovic again and put behind for a corner. Buchanan delivered an in swinging corner from the right. Wright got to it first and headed away, only as far as Rowley who put an unstoppable volley in the top corner.

On 29 minutes, we looked to be 2-0 up. Mandeville broke on the right and drove a low cross to the far post found Pemberton who had the bar in the back of the net, but it was ruled out for offside.

Things would peter out much for the rest of the half, and we went in at the break with a 1-0 lead. Brown, Maguire and Buchanan all picked up yellow cards in the first 45, so they will need to watch their step in the second half to avoid a suspension should we get to the final.

Second Half

We started the second 45 in similar vein, McKay's header forcing a save from Strizovic after a nice cross from Rowley. A minute later, McKay was denied by the keeper again. Rowley's long ball set him through one on one, but Strizovic was equal to his strike.

We continued to knock on the door. McKay set Spyrou free, and only Strizovic's left hand prevented that elusive 25th goal of the season.

However on 58 minutes, it finally came when Spyrou doubled our lead. Pemberton did well to hold off the challenge of Greaves on the left, before finding Buchanan on the overlap who played a teasing low ball across the face of goal for Spyrou to tuck home.

With one foot now firmly on Wembley Way, we made a double change following the goal. Conlan and Welch-Hayes came on to replace the booked Buchanan and Brown to avoid suspensions.

On 74 minutes we confirmed our passage to the final. Good work again from Pemberton allowed him to play a fantastic cross in. It missed the outstretched head of Spyrou, but found McKay at the back post who gave Strizovic no chance from close range.

With 15 minutes to go, we made our final substitution. Wilson Carvalho replaced the fantastic Rowley to avoid a second booking, with Carvalho taking up right winger duties and Mandeville moving into Rowley's spot in the middle.

The scoreline remained 3-0 right up until the final whistle, to confirm our place in the Wembley final in style. We were dominant throughout, putting 21 shots on goal as opposed to Dagenham's 4. I couldn't have asked for any more from the boys, and we go into the final in high spirits. Barrow managed a 1-0 win against Bromley, so we will meet them at the home of football in a weeks time.

Man of the Match: Scott Buchanan
 
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Vanarama National League Playoff Final

Chesterfield 1-0 Barrow
Wembley Stadium - Saturday 16th May 2020

Spyrou 18


Preview

This was it. This was the game that would define our season. I had set out with ambitions of a return to the Football League, and we were one game away from doing just that. In our way stood Barrow, a side who finished the regular season 3 points behind us in 3rd place, and who we failed to defeat during the regular season, losing 2-0 at Holker Street in November before taking a point from a goalless affair at the Proact in late February. After the dominant display in the semi finals, I was cautiously confident.

Starting XI

12. Luke Coddington
23. James Brown
4. Josef Yarney
6. Laurence Maguire
3. Scott Buchanan (c)
10. Liam Mandeville
8. Curtis Weston
7. Joe Rowley
11. Tre Pemberton
21. Jack McKay
9. Anthony Spyrou

Bench

13. Freddie Lapworth
2. Myles Welch-Hayes
32. Wilson Carvalho
17. Alassane Meite
16. Anthony Gerrard

First Half

The opening quarter hour was a cagey affair with neither side really creating any chances. Buchanan found himself in the referee's book after 6 minutes which was a slight concern

On 18 minutes we took the lead. James Brown played a deep ball to the far post where that man Spyrou guided a header beyond Dixon to open the scoring.

A minute later we were nearly 2 up. Josef Yarney got on the end of Mandeville's free kick, but his looping header could only clip the bar before going behind for a goal kick.

Barrow then had a chance, good pressure around the box allowing Koroma to find enough space to unleash a powerful shot at the top right corner, only diverted over by Coddington's fingertips.

On 34 minutes, great play from Brown found Mandeville in space on the right. His cross was nicked away from Spyrou, by McKay passed the loose ball to Pemberton who thundered it just over the bar.

That would be the last real action of the half, and we took our 1-0 lead into the break

Second Half

The second half started slowly, and we made our first change on the hour, with Wilson Carvalho replacing Liam Mandeville on the right wing.

We had to wait until the 83rd minute for any real action, and survived a real scare. A long ball found Koroma on the half way line against 2 defenders. He beat Maguire for pace and worked his way into the box, only to be denied by a strong save from Coddington.

Yarney headed the resulting corner away, but only as far as Hindle who blazed his volley over the bar.

Koroma was again denied on the stroke of the 90, this time a fingertip save from Coddington preventing his 25 yard free kick from finding the bottom corner.

Koroma stepped up with the resulting corner, and found Bajrami at the back post, who struck a powerful volley from 6 yards. Coddington got a hand to it and just managed to divert it onto the bar and away.

We then made a double sub to run down the clock. Anthony Gerrard and Myles Welch-Hayes replacing Maguire and Brown.

However we would hold on to keep our clean sheet and win the game. A tense ending but a huge relief as we find ourselves promoted back to the Football League, with Scott Buchanan lifting the playoff trophy in the Royal Box!

Man of the Match: Luke Coddington
 
Season Review - 2019/20
Awards

Golden Boot: Anthony Spyrou (26 goals)
Most Assists: Scott Buchanan (15 assists)
Goal of the Season: Anthony Spyrou vs Dagenham & Redbridge (H)
Signing of the Season: Alassane Meite
Fans Player of the Season: Josef Yarney
Young Player of the Season: Josef Yarney
Manager's Player of the Season: Joe Rowley

The Papers said

'Chesterfield had been expected to be in the running for a playoff place but performed even better than expected in securing promotion to Sky Bet League Two. It was a superb season for the Spireites who, despite a dismal start to the campaign when they dropped to 8th, were promoted despite many preseason predictions.' - thenonleaguefootballpaper.com

The Gaffer said

A fantastic season where we achieved exactly what we wanted and more.

The primary focus was our league campaign, and we achieved promotion through the playoffs. We finished the campaign 2 points off the league leaders Aldershot, staying in the title race right up until the final day, and given a bit more luck could have found ourselves with a league title and automatic promotion. Anthony Spyrou was excellent in front of goal, scoring 26 and won not only the club golden boot award, but also the league top goalscorer award, with 22 of those 26 coming in the Vanarama National. Coddington's 26 clean sheets also set a new club record. As a team, we were the third highest scorers in the league, netting 67, only behind champions Aldershot who scored 73 and Halifax who scored 79. Defensively, the stats show us as the best side in the division, conceding only 35 throughout the course of the campaign. Overall, I cannot complain at all. We were consistently in and around the playoff places, only dropping as far as 8th once in September after defeat to Notts County, before returning to the playoff positions in the next game against Dagenham & Redbridge. Particular highlights in the season include the 4-0 and 3-0 victories over Dagenham, the 3-0 win over Yeovil, the 3-1 defeat of Halifax and of course the playoff final! In our cup competitions, we obviously had a fantastic run in the FA Cup and also progressed to expectation in the FA Trophy. We were unlucky not to progress at the first attempt against Reading, despite being humbled in the replay, after fantastic wins against Notts County, Forest Green Rovers and Burton Albion where we outplayed higher league opposition.

Off the field, April saw the David Francis takeover completed, and the new arrival has bred real excitement around the club. David is willing to put his money where his mouth is, and sees the bank coffers currently sitting on £1.7m. Ahead of the coming season, David has set the transfer budget at a whopping £970k and the wage budget at £199k to allow for real investment into the playing staff, although I have committed to the players that they will have an opportunity to play next season with just a few additions.

In terms of the awards, the outstanding Josef Yarney deservedly took both the Fans Player and Young Player of the season awards, with honourable mention for the Fans Player going to Joe Rowley and Laurence Maguire. As my player of the season, I was tempted by Yarney but ultimately chose Joe Rowley. He has been a crucial cog in the centre of midfield at just 20 years old and has chipped in with goals and assists which deserves recognition. Hopefully both Rowley and Yarney are young players who will serve this club well in the years to come, hopefully as we make our way up the ladder of the EFL.

Don't you know pump it up, Spireites are going up
 
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Recruitment
Backroom Staff

Appointments:

Damien Sharpe - Chief Data Analyst

Playing Staff

Contract Renewals

Curtis Weston (1 year)
Scott Buchanan (1 year)

End of Contract

Sam Wedgbury
Luke Rawson
Tom Denton
Luke Shaw
Alex Render
Jamie Sharman
Jack Holmes
Regan Hutchinson

Departures

Anthony Gerrard has left for Waterford on a £10k deal. His playing time last season dwindled as the Yarney and Maguire partnership grew, and he was earning too much to justify his place in the team, especially coming to the end of his career at 34.

Will Evans was transfer listed for much of last season after frustration around his playing time, and was again not justifying his wage. He left on a £25k deal to Rochdale

Scott Boden also played minimal football in the past season. He was also on a relatively high wage, and an influential player in the dressing room. With no football on the horizon, my concern was that if he became unhappy it would lead to real issues in the dressing room. He joins Hereford on a £10k deal.

17 year old left back Craig Bell has also joined Kidderminster on a season long loan as part of his work experience

Arrivals

James Brown


The first signing of the new season was James Brown, who signed terms on a permanent deal following his season loan spell from Millwall for a £5k fee.

Anthony Spyrou

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The next player to 'arrive' at the Proact needed no introduction. After his 26 goals last season, it seemed like a no brainer to bring Spyrou in on a permanent deal. He arrived on a £90k fee from Norwich City to hopefully continue his goalscoring antics.

Darren Oldaker

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Next to join the Spireites was 21 year old central midfielder Darren Oldaker from Billericay Town on a £15k deal. DJ is formerly of QPR's academy and found his break in the professional game at Gillingham. DJ is a natural leader and displays strong technical ability, with deadly skill from dead ball situations. He is likely to be a rotational option in the centre of the park.

Tre Pemberton

Tre was due to finish his contract with Stoke this year, however renewed his deal with the Potters. After a successful spell, he has however agreed to extend his stay at the Proact for another season on loan.

Wes McDonald

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Next to sign terms at the Proact was Wes McDonald, arriving from fellow League Two side Walsall for a £150k fee. 23 year old Wes is a quick and creative right winger, who can also play on the left wing and in the striker positions. He will battle with Mandeville for the first choice spot on the right.

Alex Jakubiak

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Our next arrival was 23 year old striker Alex Jakubiak. Jakubiak comes on a free transfer from Watford, where he has spent much of his career on loan to various Football League clubs. Most recently at Gillingham, Jakubiak had a mixed spell, scoring 5 times over 35 appearances, however hopefully he will realise his potential at the Proact.

Luke Conlan

The final player to convert his loan deal into a permanent one was left back Luke Conlan who confirms his stay on a £37.5k deal from Morecambe.

Max Hunt

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Next to arrive was free agent Max Hunt. Max is a promising 21 year old centre half, released by Derby County in the summer. Max comes in as a youth prospect, who will be in and around the first team squad as backup for Yarney and Maguire.

Tom Harrison

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Another promising centre half, signed for similar reasons as Hunt, 19 year old Harrison arrives after his release from Championship club Bristol City in the summer. Harrison is more likely to be loaned out to continue his development, but will be in the background to provide squad depth.
 
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