The Sorrow Of The Spireite

Chesterfield  1  Bromley  1

National League

A well known football publication recently stated that right now, the worst football team to be a supporter of in the entire UK, is Chesterfield.

Think about it, while never a club to challenge in the top two tiers of English football, they’ve always been something of a yo-yo club that has jumped between the third and fourth tiers, but in between all of that there have been some special moments.

Of course, those of us of a certain age will remember that absolute injustice when in the 1996-97 they beat Nottingham Forest at the old Saltergate to eventually set up an FA Cup semi-final tie against Middlesbrough at Old Trafford. The game memorably finished 3-3, but, a late Andy Morris goal was disallowed, although TV evidence suggested it was a perfectly legitimate goal. The replay was lost 3-0, but history and memories had been made.

We also had the controversial period in the 2001-01 season under manager Nicky Law, when despite a nine point deduction for financial irregularities under then owner Darren Brown (who ended up in prison), the club still achieved promotion to the third tier.

In 2010 the club vacated Saltergate and moved to a new stadium just off Sheffield Road, on the site of the old Dema Glass factory. The B2Net Stadium was impressive, and in the first season at their new home they won the League Two title and gained promotion. The Football League Trophy was won at Wembley in 2012, and despite a relegation in the same season, they went on to win League Two again in 2013-14.

2014-15 season saw the Spireites reach the League One Play-Off’s, only to lose to Preston North End at the semi-final stage, but within two years they had been relegated back to League Tow again, and by now, things were going badly wrong. Under the ownership of deeply unpopular Dave Allen, they finished bottom of League Two last season and found themselves out of the Football League, a competition they have been part of since 1921.

The National League was uncharted territory, and to be fair, the Spireites were going to be a big fish in the pond, with probably only Wrexham being of a similar size in the competition. To guide them back to the Football League, Allen appointed another Allen in the shape of Martin ‘Mad Dog’, a man with much experience at the top tier of non-league football.

Three games in and with a 100% record it looked good, but eighteen games later and they haven’t won since, drawing the last eight games on the bounce. Located in the relegation zone, the fans aren’t happy and the Allen duo are coming under some intense fire.

My first ever visit to Chesterfield came in 1986, I watched Derby County lose a Third Division game 1-0 while on the way to promotion. I stood on the old Cross Street terraces with a few thousand other Rams fans, shoe-horned onto the terraces. It wasn’t the most joyful experience in the World, and neither were the rumbles in the streets outside, but after then I went a few times, normally to watch the Rams in pre-season, but more latterly, working in the town meant I managed to get to a few midweek games, standing on the famously boisterous Kop.

I’ve worked largely in Chesterfield since 1999, so I know the area well and I know several Spireites fans. So when they did make the move to the new stadium the sense of anticipation was huge. The opening game was a pre-season friendly against Barnsley, but the next game that was to test the capacity of the stadium was a pre-season game against Nigel Clough’s Derby County. I had a ticket for the game and witnessed the Rams win 5-4 in a remarkable game.

Since then I’ve only ever seen Derbyshire Senior Cup ties at the ground. I’ve seen Belper play there, and I’ve seen a Final, but also, somewhat unusually I’ve seen a tie take place on a midweek afternoon when Chesterfield and the Rams fielded youth sides. Yes, I should have been at work, but I delayed my lunch break!

I’ve never seen a competitive first team game though, and having a desire to see them play in non-league football, I’d penciled in the game against Bromley on a Tuesday night. I made a point at the start of the season of penciling in a game because I suspected non-league football might only be a one season phenomenon. I got that wrong!

It was a dreadful night weather wise, with persistent heavy rain pretty much all day, most of the non-league football had been wiped out, as did the League Two game at nearby Mansfield Town, but the pitch at the now named Pro-Act Stadium was in superb nick. A quick pint with Steve in the Spireite pub over the road went down well, and with a £16 ticket procured for behind the goal, it was time to have a look.

The stadium is very good, and quite individualistic for a new-build. The two stands down the sides of the pitch are single tier all seaters, with curved roof’s giving them a sense of character. The two stands behind the goals are identical all seaters with flat roof’s. The away fans used to go behind the North goal, but given how many fans National League sides take with them, the away fans are now hosted on the East side in the top corner, there is no point in opening an extra stand.  85 of them travelled from Bromley tonight.

Crowds are very good considering. The club are getting gates around the 4,000 mark, and considering how far they’ve fallen, how dis-engaged the fans are with the club, and also how bad they actually are, the loyalty is remarkable.

They truly are awful. The game itself was pretty dour, and it was the visitors who were sat just a few places above them in the table who took the lead in the 37^th minute when George Porter headed home unmarked from a routine cross. Chesterfield lacked confidence, and when the goal went in the crowd started to turn, but not against the players. They know the players aren’t good enough, and that isn’t the players fault, it’s the Manager’s fault for bringing them in. Mad Dog was copping for it!

The second half continued in a similar vein, but with fifteen minutes remaining and the crowd becoming increasingly more hostile, the Spireites upped the ante and showed some more urgency. The tactic of lumping the ball into the box for Tom Denton eventually bore fruit when a hand ball ensued in the 90^th minute, allowing Zavon Hines to calmly dispatch the penalty kick.

So 1-1, you could have predicted it weeks ago, that’s nine successive league draws on the bounce and an English record apparently, but one win in 21 games is the more alarming statistic. The bulk of the 3,729 crowd were not happy despite the late point. Boo’s, jeers and chants aimed at the Allen’s rang out, this place is toxic right now, and to be honest, the players confidence is so low, it’s hard to see how they will get out of it.

Stockport County, York City and Torquay United will testify, it’s not impossible to find yourself dropping to the second tier of non-league football. For that to happen to Chesterfield is unthinkable, but right now, a local derby against Alfreton Town next season is not out of the question.

Changes need to happen, and they need to happen quickly, otherwise that forlorn, battered and bitter individual, more commonly known as the Chesterfield FC Fan, is only going to find that life gets worse, before it starts to get better.