Chesterfield v Huddersfield Town
The Capital One Cup 1st round
Tuesday August 12th - 7:45 ko
at The Proact Stadium
Huddersfield Town travel to Chesterfield on Tuesday for a match against the Twisted Spirestarters in the first round of this season's Capital One Cup without Mark Robins.
Town team news: Expect the new temporary management team of Steve Thompson and Steve Eyre to make wholesale changes to the side following such an abject display against Bournemouth on Saturday. A completely different starting XI would not be a total surprise and any of the players dropped would not have any cause for complaint.
James Vaughan, Oscar Gobern and Anthony Gerrard all missed that match with injuries and remain doubtful. With Robins being sacked, it could force a change of heart for last season's Player of the Year, Adam Clayton, to abandon his transfer plans. Doubt it though. And the Middlesbrough player, Jacob Butterfield, who was supposedly due to sign, what does he do now?
How much?
£14 adults; £7 over-65s, under-18s and unaccompanied under-16s and £1 accompanied under-16s
Coach Travel: departs from PPG Canalside at 4.45pm priced at £12.
How to get there: Set the sat nav for S41 8NZ and away we go. For those of you without such miracles of modern science, leave the M1 at Junction 29 and take the A617 towards Chesterfield. At the end of the dual carriageway at the edge of the town centre, turn right onto the A61 towards Sheffield. At the first roundabout turn left and the stadium is down on the right. The club car park is for permit holders only. There is nearby street parking available on side roads off the Sheffield Road, if you arrive early enough. Don't think about parking in the nearby Tesco store, as the car park is patrolled on matchdays and you may end up having your car towed away.
Chesterfield railway station is walkable from the stadium, although it's a 20-30 minute walk. Come out of the station and turn left. The Chesterfield Hotel will be directly ahead of you, take the road to the right hand side and carry on over the mini roundabout, into Brewery Street, up the hill and over the A61 Inner Relief Road with Chesterfield College on your right hand side. After 5 minutes walk you will reach the end of the road at the Old Post Office Restaurant. Turn right and after a minutes walk you will come to a mini roundabout. Take the right turn into Sheffield Road. At the big roundabout with the car showrooms you will see the Donkey Derby pub in front of you and the ground further along Sheffield Road.
Where to drink: The Derby Tup, on Sheffield Road is the nearest pub to the away end. Other pubs located near to the stadium such as the Rose and Crown, plus the Crown and Anchor, do not admit away fans. Whilst the nearby Donkey Derby pub which also offers food, is very busy on matchdays and is predominantly for home supporters.
If your coming by train and fancy a drink in the town centre, the Rutland Arms on Stephenson Place is recommended. Come out of the station and head for the crooked spire and it's right there, apparently.
Derby Tup, Sheffield Road.
Rutland Arms, Stephenson Place.
A brief history of Chesterfield FC: They were founded in 1867 by members of the local cricket club. This date has been questioned though, partly because their badge, up until recent rebranding had the date 1866 on it. There were closures and disputes and new clubs being formed in those early years, but the club moved into it's Saltergate home in 1871 and remained there until 2010 when the ground became Derby County's Baseball Ground.
It has now been demolished and is new houses.
Before
After
Anyway, Chesterfield became original members of the Third Division (North) when it was formed in 1921, winning the title in 1931. They stuck it out in the 2nd Division for a whole two years before dropping back down again, only to win it again in 1936. So when the war came and the league was suspended, they were members of the 2nd Division and straight after hostilities had ended they achieved their best ever league finish, 4th in Division Two (what is now the Championship).
Relegated in the 50s and then even further down in the 60s to the new Division 4, they won silverware in the 80s and are still the official holders of the Anglo-Scottish Cup, having beaten Notts County 2-1 on aggregate. They did beat some Scottish opposition on the way though, most notably Glasgow Rangers.
Anglo-Scottish Cup campaign including win over Rangers
The club yoyoed between the bottom two divisions for a few years before in 1997, as members of the third division, they got to the FA Cup semi finals. After wins over Bury, Scarborough, Bristol City, Bolton Wanderers, Nottingham Forest and Wrexham, Chesterfield arrived at Old Trafford hoping to become the first third division team to reach the Final. Their opponents were big spending Premier League outfit, Middlesbrough, with their Teesside Galácticos such as Fabrizio Ravanelli, Juninho, Emerson, Mikkel Beck, Gianluca Festa, Vladimir Kinder and Craig Hignett. The Spireites had the likes of journeyman footballers Kevin Davies and Sean Dyche, who worked as a gardener for Brian Clough. Where are they now?
Well back then they were in the Theatre of Dreams and after a goal-less first half in which Boro had had Kinder sent off by referee David Elleray for a second yellow card offence, the Spireites were two goals to the good by the hour mark with goals from Andy Morris and a Dyche penalty.
Ravanelli pulled one back immediately but then came the controversy. A Jonathan Howard shot hit the bar and came down well over the goal-line. 3-1 to Chesterfield? No. Elleray and his blind school linesman dismissed the appeals and as they were still feeling the injustice, Boro went up the other end and won a "penalty". Clumsy oaf, Dyche, bowled Juninho over and the ref pointed to the spot, even though the offence had taken place around a yard outside the area.
So instead of 3-1, it was now 2-2 and the game went to extra time. Festa gave Boro the lead and as the clock ticked away, it looked like Chesterfield's dream was over. But then right at the death, a Chris Beaumont cross landed in the area and as the whole Boro defence stood and watched, Jamie Hewitt headed the ball home to complete a match with more twists than the famous crooked spire.
Dream on for another week, but that was all it was. Boro won the replay 3-0.
Whatever happened to Sean Dyche?
Back to the humdrum life of lower league football for their fans and more turmoil in 2001 as they were docked 9 points by the FL for their fraudulent chairman's dodgy dealings over a transfer involving Luke Beckett.
The moved from Saltergate to the new B2net Stadium in 2010 and still in that small space of time from then to now they have been promoted, relegated and promoted again. A proper Yoyo Club.
Head to Head
Town lead the overall head to head by 9 wins to 7, with 8 draws. That's in all competitions. In the League Cup there's only been the one match, a 4-2 Town win at Saltergate in 2005.
Pawel Abbott opened the scoring in that one, before Gary Taylor-Fletcher banged in a hat-trick. Derek Niven and Kevan Hurst got the Spireists goals.
The most recent match was at the new Chesterfield ground in 2012, in our promotion season. Goals from the dynamic duo, Lee Novak and Jordan Rhodes giving Town a 2-0 win.
The first meeting of the two teams was way back in the mists of time, when Huddersfield ruled the football world. It was an FA Cup match in 1929 and Town won at Chesterfield by 7 goals to 1.
We didn't meet again until Town's relegation to the third division in 1973, since when our paths have crossed on a more regular basis.
So what have modern day Chesterfield got?
They come into this match on the back of a fine 2-1 win away at Leyton Orient, with goals from Romuald Boco and Eoin Doyle. They are managed these days by Paul Cook, the former Sex Pistols drummer.
Paul Cook, Chesterfield manager.
Who has Cook been playing in his first XI?
His selected first XI in the last match was.....
01 Tommy Lee: has over 200 appearances for the Spireitualists and has been married to model Elaine Starchuk and actresses Heather Locklear and Pamela Anderson.
06 Liam Cooper: came on loan to Town from Hull in 2011.
23 Ian Evatt ©: played in the Premier League with Blackpool.
02 Tendayi Darikwa: 22 year old midfielder.
03 Daniel Jones: nutter!
11 Gary Roberts: yes, the one that we had.
05 Sam Morsy: tough tackling midfielder.
15 Ritchie Humphreys: is chairman of the PFA and a Hartlepool legend.
18 Romuald Boco: Benin international, scored on his debut on Saturday at Leyton Orient.
08 Jimmy Ryan: won the FA Youth Cup with Liverpool but never made the first team.
17 Eoin Doyle: striker who played in the SPL for Hibs.
Substitutes
04 Sam Hird: ex Doncaster defender.
10 Jay O'Shea: right winger from Ireland.
16 Charlie Raglan: defender.
19 Charlie Dawes: attacker
20 Aaron Chapman: goalkeeper.
24 Ollie Banks: midfielder.
26 Daniel Johnson: midfielder on loan from Aston Villa.
New signing Daniel Jones.......
Did this to his team mate at Port Vale.
Club connections:
Gary Roberts of the current Chesterfield squad played for Town. Having started his footballing life as a non league player with Rhyl, Bangor City and Welspool Town, Gary made a name for himself after transferring to Accrington Stanley, where he helped them to the Conference title and promotion to the Football league in 2006.
After only 14 matches of the next season though he made the move to the Championship, joining Ipswich Town on loan, which was made permanent in the January transfer window. In his time at Ipswich, he famously took the inswinging corner from which Alan Lee headed the goal which relegated Leeds United. This earned him a smack in the face as the scum invaded the pitch trying to get the match abandoned (an invasion for which Leeds were never charged with).
He didn't fit in though at Portman Road and realising he wasn't cut out for that league level, he went on loan to Crewe before joining the greatest team in football the world has ever seen in the summer of 2008, becoming the only success of the Stan Ternent era.
He was a popular, if sometimes frustrating, player at Town and helped us get promoted out of League One. But having remembered that he wasn't good enough for the Championship, he immediately made the move back down again, joining Swindon Town.
He helped Swindon reach the Play Offs, where they got beat at the semi final stage, on penalties, by Brentford. Then after that one season he joined Chesterfield where last season he helped them win the League Two title as well as winning himself the League Two Player of the Year. He's certainly found his level and quite rightly he's gonna stick to it.
Not good enough for Town?
Liam Cooper: is also a current Chesterfield player. He had a 4 match loan spell with us in 2011 from Hull City. Joined the Spireites in 2012.
Wayne Allison: was signed by Peter Jackson in the Great Escape season. Left us for Tranmere, then Sheffield Utd, before joining Chesterfield. Now coaches at Bradford City.
Chris Atkinson: came through the Town Academy and was recalled from a loan spell at Chesterfield due to Keith Southern being suspended, then was surprisingly selected for the home match against Leeds, but opened the scoring. Unfortunately, it was his only goal for the club and after being released this summer he joined Crewe.
Luke Beckett: as mentioned in the history section of this article, started his career with Chester before his transfer to Chesterfield ended up with their chairman going to prison on fraud charges. Despite this, he helped the Spireites win promotion. Later on in his career he joined us from Sheffield Utd.
Martyn Booty: was the subject of a song "Booty Call", about casual sex, made famous by the group, All Saints. Joined Town from Chesterfield in 2003, one of Jacko's signings after the club had been in administration. His son, Regan, is in Town's development squad.
Chris Brandon: is a Blue, is a Blue. He hates Bradford. Joined Town in the summer of 2004 after rejecting a new contract at Chesterfield. Went to play in Thailand in 2011 and has never been seen since.
Tony Carss: scored the best goal ever at the MacAlpine Stadium. Still on the club's books as a coach with the Academy. Played one season at Chesterfield.
Jack Hunt: made an immediate impact at Town after returning from a loan spell at Chesterfield, when Lee Clark handed him his full debut in the FA Cup match at Arsenal. Helped us win promotion at Wembley before becoming a Premier League poseur by joining Crystal Palace, for whom he still has to make his debut. Recently joined Nottingham Forest on loan.
Robert Page: was an awesome central defender and a Welsh international, who joined us from Coventry in 2008. Was made captain by Gerry Murphy, but then released by that idiot Ternent. Was then signed by Lee Richardson at Chesterfield.
Lee Richardson: signed Robert Page from Town when that idiot Ternent released him! Before managing Chesterfield, he had four seasons as a player with them. This was after he was at Town, signed by Jacko in the Great Escape season. Before that, he had a fairly successful time at Aberdeen in the SPL.
Liam Ridehalgh: only managed to play 20 matches for Town. Had loan spells at Chesterfield, Rotherham and Tranmere, before making the move to Prenton Park permanent in the summer.
Neal Trotman: as the song says, you're the love of my life, you can shag my wife (or summat like that). Played 21 times for Town and 47 as a Spireite.
The most famous one though would be Rob Edwards. He was at Chesterfield between two spells at Huddersfield Town. He firstly joined us as a striker from Crewe, where he had scored 44 goals. In his first spell at Town he was at the end of a 16 man passing move that was one of the best goals scored by any Town team. This was at Maine Road against Manchester City in 1997.
But with the likes of Marcus Stewart and Andy Payton at the club, he was converted to a left back by Jacko, who re-signed him for the club in 2003.
In his second spell at the club, he once more scored a pearler of a goal, the one in extra time against Lincoln City in the Play Off semi final second leg in extra time to take us to the final in Cardiff. Where he scored one of the penalties in the shoot out against Mansfield to earn the club promotion back from the depths of the 4th division.
A proper Town legend.
Famous fans
I can only find one. Former glamour model, Jo Guest. Struggling to locate an image suitable for this site.....oh here's one.
Other First Round fixtures:
Monday:
Carlisle v Derby
Tuesday:
Barnsley v Crewe
Birmingham v Cambridge
Blackburn v Scunthorpe
Bolton v Bury
Brighton v Cheltenham
Bristol City v Oxford Utd
Burton v Wigan
Charlton v Colchester
Crawley v Ipswich
Dag & Red v Brentford
Exeter v Bournemouth
Leeds v Accrington
Luton v Swindon
Millwall v Wycombe
MK Dons v Wimbledon
Morecambe v Bradford
Oldham v Middlesbrough
Plymouth v Leyton Orient
Port Vale v Hartlepool
Portsmouth v Peterborough
Reading v Newport
Rochdale v Preston
Rotherham v Fleetwood
Sheff Wed v Notts County
Shrewsbury v Blackpool
Southend v Walsall
Stevenage v Watford
Tranmere v Nottm Forest
Wolves v Northampton
Yeovil v Gillingham
York v Doncaster
Wednesday:
Coventry v Cardiff
Sheff Utd v Mansfield
Over to you then:
Some talking points for you.
Can we win the Capital One Cup?
If not, how far do you think we will get this year?
Do you care about the Capital One Cup or would you rather we got knocked out straight away?
Will you be going to the match?
How many team changes from Saturday would you make?