. The Gulls have really struggled to make any sort of impact in their recent games with only a glimmer of hope shown against AFC Wimbledon in our recent 1-0 victory there. They have looked sluggish, lethargic, prone to defensive errors and totally bereft of any attacking potency whatsoever and nicking the points from a resurgent Chesterfield will be tougher than our recent trip to Rotherham IMO. It sounds like Martin Ling is facing increasing pressure to provide the spark required to ignite our season as we haven't really got going. That said, one solitary unfortunate loss to Rotherham is our only defeat of the season so we are still a solid and capable unit well up to competing at this level. It is the manner of the performances that are beginning to worry fans if not the results as we are becoming increasingly negative, tentative and stale when it comes to our attack.Sadly i fear a carbon copy of the Rotherham game for this one against Chesterfield but with a different scoreline. Chesterfield leak goals BUT they also score lots as well. Similar negative tactics next saturday will see us collect our first humiliating drubbing of the season IMO. Since the August sacking of former boss John Sheridan after 3 years at the helm, caretaker manager Tommy Wright has come in and galvanised the squad. From reading the local press up here the players have really taken to the 46 year old Scot and there appears to be a fresher atmosphere in the camp, an assumption proving to have some foundation as they have now gone 7 games unbeaten.
Last time out they drew 0-0 at Northampton, their first goaless draw in 19 games and they currently sit one place above us in 13th spot and on 11 points, same as us. Since their shocking opening day defeat at AFC Wimbledon, the Spireites have gradually improved and found their form. They are entertaining to watch and are just as likely to concede as they are to score but hopefully that will make for a great game on saturday. They managed a creditable 1-1 draw away to League 2 pacesetters Gillingham, a 2-2 draw at York where the hosts equalised in the 5th minute of injury time and have recently beaten Wycombe at home 3-1 and Accrington 4-3.
Personnel wise they have made a few changes during the summer, coming in has been former Donny defender Sam Hird who has already netted twice this campaign. Sam Togwell has arrived from Scunny and experienced former Yeovil defender Terrell Forbes has been drafted in on a one year deal. Ex Vale striker Marc Richards has arrived but was stretchered off in the 4-3 win over Accrington on tuesday night and will be out for at least a month. A bonus for us. Also a bonus is the fact that goalkeeper Tommy Lee will also be out having been injured in their JPT game against Oldham last month. In addition they still have evergreen striker Jack Lester, Craig Westcarr, Danny Whitaker, Drew Talbot and Neal Trotman. Jordan Bowery left the club in a surprise £500,000 move to Premiershite underachievers Aston Villa.
Chesterfield moved out of their decrepid Saltergate ground at the end of the 2009/10 season and into a brand spanking new £13 million pound one at the Whittington Moor site. Then named the B2Net Stadium, it is now the Proact Stadium after new sponsors were found who incidentally run an IT company in the town. Big f*cking wow! Stadiums shouldn't have sponsors because, like Chesterfield, you end up changing the name of your ground every pissing season and losing all integrity and history. I mean what will it be called nex season? The 'Come on let's go shopping at Chesterfield Market Stadium? They should have called it the Spire Stadium and told the sponsors to do one! The name of a ground should be linked to the area it's in or an iconic aspect of the town/city. Not a feckin internet provider!
Anyway, the Proact Stadium is perfectly adequate for paying spectators but it's nowhere near the quality and majesty of the New York Stadium in Rotherham. The travelling Gulls are usually housed at the very far end section of the Midlands Co-Op East Stand that runs along the TESCO side of the ground. This whilst the away end behind the goal lies completely empty, seemingly calling us, aching for us visiting fans to use it's seats. Please let us in there this time CFC officials. This after i popped in before our FA Cup tie there last season and was told we would DEFINATELY be allocated the North Stand behind the goal only to get to the game and be told we were being put in the East Stand again. Needless to say the Victor Meldrew in me came out again ( when doesn't it?!) and i popped in again after the game en route to a TESCO visit for some noodles and soy sauce for my spicy salmon stir fry and i gave them a right old rollocking for telling porkies and forcing me to hold my poo in for 90 minutes as the single bog they have in that end of the ground doesn't have a feckin lock!!!!!!!! T
that was the most traumatic 90 minutes of my life thus far, well that and going to Accrington.Last time we were there we won 3-1 in the FA Cup first round last season and the season before last we lost 1-0 in a League 2 match. It is worth pointing out that the pies at Chesterfield are exceptional and not too expensive either, one of the best i've had whilst watching the Gulls. I think the worst i had was at Mansfield where i swear the meat was from a penguin or something. It was like rubber and had black bits in, like a chopped up Michelin!
Their line up last time out v Northampton:
1. Richard O'Donnell (gk)
2. Terrell Forbes
3. Neal Trotman
4. Sam Hird
5. Tendayi Darikwa
6. Liam Ridehalgh ( on loan from Huddersfield Town )
7. Sam Togwell
8. Chris Atkinson ( on loan from Huddersfield Town )
9. Drew Talbot
10. Craig Westcarr
11. Jack Lester
SUBS: Ben Wilson (gk) ( on loan from Sunderland ) UNUSED, Mark Allott ( on for Atkinson on 90 mins ), Danny Whitaker ( on for Lester on 76 mins ), Craig Clay UNUSED, Mark Randall UNUSED, Jacob Hazell UNUSED, Jonathan Wafula UNUSED.
Now it's time for ANDY'S TOWN OF THE DAY and i know all about this one as it's been my home for 10 years. Chesterfield is Derbyshire's largest town with a population of 103,800, 103,799 should we lose on saturday and assuming there are no more unfortunate deaths in the town during the course of the week! It does take a lot for a place to please me as you all know because i've got a chip on my broad shoulders about England and the state of some of the places in it but actually Chesterfield is not actually that bad in comparison. Yes it's got a load of chavs and unicellular Subaru drivers but where hasn't? I could go to a small fishing village in the wilds of Cornwall and it will have chavs and a Subaru. That's a given but Chesterfield is a great little town because it is so small and compact, it has one of the UK's largest open air markets, it has tudor style buildings ala Chester and Stratford, it has history, it has beauty on it's doorstep in the Peak District and Chatsworth House - all of which are 15 minutes from my house. The town is very, very small but still worth a visit.
There is the infamous Church of Saint Mary and All Saints or the 'church with the crooked spire' as it is better known. You can visit the church which i do so sometimes with my little girl as she likes to light the candles inside and i tell her that the Giant who bent the steeple by stepping on it likes to come in at night to take away the candles people have lit during the day so that he can see his path back home in the dark woods. God i'm good. Children are so stupid aren't they? They'll believe anything, they'd even believe you if you told them that Exeter fans were humans. Crazy kids. Anyway, enough of Jackanory, the crooked spire twists at a 45 degree angle and legend has it that it does so because a local blacksmith from Bolsover ( a local parish where politician Dennis Skinner is from and which houses a spectacular castle run by the National Trust AND is rammed to the rafters full of pregnant teens and drug peddlars ) mis-shod the devil and in his pain he fled and leapt over the church bending it's spire and knocking it out of shape. Who made this story up? A politician?
In reality the twist is due to the later addition of heavy slate and lead ( all of which has now been nicked by local scallys so they can get some cash and buy a plasma from brighthouse at 4 quid a month ) which became too heavy for the unseasoned timber and insufficient cross bracing. Architect and kids storyteller that's me. You can go inside the church and have a wander, it's actually quite peaceful and interesting. The only problem with Chesterfield is that the pubs are shocking and finding somewhere decent to eat is impossible. If you're in the town centre the MARKET pub right at the back of the market place is a nice pub that do good food and quality ales.
If you fancy a trip to the Peaks then the village of Baslow next to Chatsworth has a couple of cracking pubs and good walking to be had. The Wheatsheaf is where i like to go and it's really good value and a typical peaks pub.
Anyway, getting to the ground is easy. Presuming you are coming from the M1 you need to exit at junction 29 and follow the A617 dual carriageway for about 6 miles ( if you look to your right about 4 miles down then you'll see my house and might even see my Austrian flag flapping in the wind from the big tree!). At the roundabout where Franki & Bennies is , take the 4th exit to go on the A61 Sheffield Road North for a couple of miles to the next roundabout where TESCO is in front of you. Take the first left and with the stadium on your right, go up to the next roundabout where the petrol station is. It's street parking all around here but don't park in TESCO or they'll get ya! They are remorseless. The ground is about a 15-20 minute walk from the town centre / train station along Sheffield Road but uphill on the way back. It's not too bad, even I can manage it!
Parking tip, if you go up to the roundabout where the small petrol station is then go straight ahead up the little hill ( PEVERILL ROAD) and turn left at the mini roundabout ( HIGHFIELD ROAD ) you can park anywhere easily around these streets and you're only 5 or so minutes away from the ground. Nick my parking spot though and i'll send the boys round! You can then walk down the decline on Sanforth Street and pop in to the MINERS ARMS for a pint. THE MINERS ARMS is a quirky little pub in between a row of houses en route to the ground and it is very welcoming of away fans. The Rose & Crown at the bottom of Sanforth Street on the corner WILL NOT allow away fans and the Donkey Derby further up near the ASDA is a chain pub full of cack and food that actually isn't food. If you go down Sheffield Road ( the road the ground is on ) then you'll find the Derby Tup, this is the main pub for everyone to get together home and away and has won many awards from CAMRA. Don't know why though, they can't take photos to save their lives! On this road you will find a ladbrokes where some of my good friends work, a Spar, loads of shops, the NORTH SEA FISH BAR is right at the end but ask for their mini fish and chip special and you'll soil yourself with the quality and the price.
In Tesco itself is a cafe and a greggs at the bottom and also a fish feet. A place where you sit down and get sucked off by fish. Sounds like a brothel in Atlantis! Anyway, hope this was all useful to you, i was gonna do the blog but couldn't log in for some reason. I've changed my email address so that might be the problem. Shame as i wanted to add some photos and links and stuff but i'll get it sorted.
All i all i can't wait for this one. I can be home 15 minutes from the final whistle! I think we will be on the wrong end of a 3-0 defeat with our defensive luck, as it did on saturday, going for a Burton!
COYY!!!!
Oh and if any of you want to meet in the pub or wherever then please let me know and i'll be there!
much appreciated, and forget all that bitching i did a few weeks ago. 
