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Chesterfield F.C.

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Chesterfield Football Club are an English football team currently playing in Football League One. Its home is the Recreation Ground better known as Saltergate, in Chesterfield, Derbyshire. The team are nicknamed the Spireites after the famous crooked spire in Chesterfield. They have spent most of their existence in the lower divisions of the English league, and have never progressed beyond the second tier of the league.

The club is fierce rivals with neighbouring Mansfield Town. The rivalry between the two is considered by some to be amongst the fiercest in the lower leagues. The Spireites also enjoy rivalries with Notts County, Sheffield Wednesday, Huddersfield Town and Doncaster Rovers.

Chesterfield's biggest successes came in the 1990s. They won the Division Three playoffs in 1995 and reached the F.A Cup semi finals two years later, the most recent club from outside the top two divisions to progress this far in the competition.

In 2000, Chesterfield were relegated to Division Three and long-serving manager John Duncan was sacked. Despite ongoing financial problems, they returned to Division Two under Nicky Law the following season and have remained at this level ever since.

Contents

Overview

The third-oldest club in The Football League (after Notts County, and Nottingham Forest although some claim that Stoke city are the second oldest), Chesterfield were formed in 1866 by members of Chesterfield Cricket Club. They were first admitted to the Football League in 1899, when they were elected to the Second Division.

The Spireites Currently Play at Saltergate, also known as the Recreation Ground. It Has a capacity of 8,500, although the present maximum is around 7,700 due to safety reasons. They are planning on builing a new ground on the 25 acre Dema Glass Site on Sheffield Road. It is expected to be a 10,000 all seater stadium, built by Alfred McAlpine which should be opened in time for the 2007-2008. Currently the old site has been demolished and planning on starting to build.

Chesterfield have spent most of their history in the lower divisions, and have never played in the top flight. The team's most notable achievement of recent years occurred in 1997, when they reached the semi-final of the FA Cup, losing to Middlesbrough in a replay following a 3-3 draw at Old Trafford. It turned out to be one of the most controversial games in recent history with Chesterfield having a goal not given when referee David Elleray decided the ball had not crossed the goal line from a Jonathan Howard shot, a decision which was later proved incorrect by video replays. Had the goal stood the club would have progressed to the final of the FA Cup for the first time in its history - a feat which no club in the third tier of the league has achieved.

History

The Early Years (1866 - 1930)

It is widely proclaimed that the earliest record of Chesterfield Football Club dates back to 1866, this makes Chesterfield F.C. the Football Leagues fourth eldest team. The club was formed in the County Hotel on Saltergate (still a favourite amongst Spireites supporters before and after games!) by a group of local people. The founder members of the club originated from Chesterfield Cricket Club and membership charges for the original club (at 5 pence per person) show that the club only wanted to attract members of the upper classes. Indeed, the first squad of Chesterfield players was made up of future magistrates, town councillors and Mayors of Chesterfield!

Chesterfield Football Club played there first ever major game against a then well known Sheffield side called Garrick on February 19th 1868. Although the exact score of this game is not known it is widely acknowledged that the Spireites lost this game. Several practice fixtures followed over the following years and the Spireites recorded their first ever victory with a 1-0 win at Garrick on Monday November 3rd 1869. The 1870/71 season saw the club adopt its first ever kit. The kit consisted of blue caps and shirts with white trousers.

At the end of the 1870-71 season a dispute arose over the Spireites' Recreation Ground (not the Saltergate Recreation Ground) and the club were forced to find a new ground. The new ground was to be built on two fields off a certain Compton Street and Saltergate! This was to be the clubs home now for over 132 years! The first match to take place at the new Recreation Ground was against Rotherham United on November 4th 1871. The match ended in a 0-0 draw.

One of the most famous teams Chesterfield were to play in the 'early years' was a Sheffield side known as 'The Original Zulus'. The club raised money for the families of those killed in the Zulu wars. Their kit comprised of black jerseys and 'drawers' and they adorned their kits with strings of beads and white hair around their waists and ankles! They then covered their hands and faces with burnt cork! Before the game with Chesterfield 'The Zulus' toured the town in a wagon and attracted a large crowd to the Rec. The game was an entertaining affair and ended in a draw.

In September 1881 the first Chesterfield Football Club hit a financial crisis, partly due to on going feuds with local rivals Spital, and the club announced their end.

An early Spireites XI The club however reappeared once again in 1884 and a strong squad was pulled together along with a solid financial background. The next few years saw the club gradually grow stronger and in 1891 Chesterfield Town joined the Sheffield League. A fantastic season for the Spireites saw them run out clear champions of the league losing only two games all season at Barnsley St. Peters and Mexborough. The 1891/92 season also saw the Spireites infamous record against the Sheffield clubs begin. The Spireites met Sheffield United in a friendly game and came out 4-3 winners!

The Spireites spent the next six seasons in the Sheffield League until joining the Midland League for the 1897/98 season. The Blues spent two seasons in the Midland League along with teams such as Barnsley St. Peter's, Burslem Port Vale, and Doncaster Rovers. The Spireites finished fourth, third and fourth respectively.

The 1899/1900 season saw Chesterfield Town elected to the football league's division two. The Recreation Ground was slowly taking shape with the construction of a Grand Stand and several embankments around the ground. There were some rather big teams in division two that season including the likes of Sheffield Wednesday, Bolton Wanderers and Middlesbrough. The Spireites first football league game saw the Spireites thrashed 5-1 at local rivals Sheffield Wednesday. The first home football league game was played against Lincoln City on September 9th 1899 and around 5,000 fans saw a 2-2 draw. An impressive season for the Spireites saw them reach the 5th round of the F.A. Cup and finish a respectable seventh place in their first season in the football league.

The Spireites stayed in the Football League Division Two until the 1907/1908 season when they finished nineteenth in the league and were not re-elected to the league, meaning the club would have to return to the Midland League.

An excellent start to their return to the Midland League saw the Spireites champions finishing four points clear of runners up Hull City Reserves. The Spireites remained in the Midland League for just over a decade enjoying several championships and decent cup runs over that time.

The 1921/1922 season saw the Spireites enter the Third Division North League. It also saw major redevelopment of the Recreation Ground as demand to watch the Spireites began to heighten. A poor start to the season for the Spireites saw them defeated 6-0 by Stalybridge Celtic and the Blues finished on 13th place that season.

Years of action the Third Division North culminated in the Spireites winning the league in the 1930/1931 season to the delight of the faithful Spireites support. There were some fantastic score lines in the Spireites favour this season including an 8-1 victory over Gateshead, a 7-0 thrashing against Halifax Town, a 5-1 victory over Tranmere Rovers and a 7-3 victory over Accrington Stanley.

From Manchester United to Barrow! (1931 - 1939)

Chesterfield's promotion to Division Two for the 1931/1932 season saw some of football's biggest names taking on the Spireites. The first game of the season saw the Spireites defeated 2-1 in a closely fought game at Stoke City. The first victory for the Spireites was a 3-2 win against Charlton Athletic at Saltergate in front of over 7,000 supporters. Other big names to take on the Spireites that season included Manchester United (The Red Devils won 3-1 in both games), Tottenham Hotspur, Leeds United, Wolverhampton Wanderers and Nottingham Forest. The Spireites finished 17th out of twenty two in Division Two.

Unfortunately the 1932/1933 season could not see the Spireites match their good efforts of the previous season and the season ended in relegation back to Division Three North. However there were a few highlights in the season including a 4-2 victory over local rivals Sheffield Wednesday in the F.A. Cup third round, a 6-0 home victory over Burnley in the league and a 5-2 victory over Charlton Athletic in the league.

Chesterfield F.C 1930 Despite having a promising 1933/1934 season (the Spireites finished 2nd) Chesterfield took until the 1935/1936 season to regain there place in Division Two. The Spireites had a fantastic season finishing five points clear of nearest rivals Chester and enjoyed a 6-0 win over Barrow, and an amazing 6-5 win over Crewe Alexandra during the season.

The Spireites enjoyed three years of good solid performances in Division Two finishing fifteenth, eleventh, and sixth respectively in a very strong division. Teams in division two at this time included Newcastle United, Sheffield Wednesday, Sheffield United, Manchester City, Coventry City, Tottenham Hotspur and West Ham United. The 1938/1939 season saw Chesterfield finish in one of their highest ever league positions. They finished 6th in the old division two (now division one) and were close at times to reaching the old first division (the Premiership). Also in the 1938/1939 season the Spireites recorded their biggest ever home attendance, as 28,268 people crammed into Saltergate to watch the Blues face Newcastle United. The Blues won 2-0 that day with two goals from South African defender Dudley Milligan.

The War Years (1939 - 1946)

As is imaginable, much of the world's attention turned away from sport and leisure during the Second World War, and football was no exception. Many players, including a large percentage of the Spireites' squad, fought for their country in the war, and football was devolved into the regions.

Chesterfield were put into the East Midland Regional League alongside the likes of Sheffield Wednesday, Nottingham Forest, Sheffield United, Mansfield Town, Rotherham United, Barnsley, Doncaster Rovers, and Notts County. In the 1939/1940 season the Spireites cruised to the East Midlands championship winning fourteen of their twenty fixtures, scoring sixty-nine goals, and finishing five points ahead of second placed Sheffield United.

The following season Chesterfield entered the North League where they finished second out of thirty-six teams, above the likes of Manchester United, Manchester City, Leeds United, Liverpool, and Bolton Wanderers - times may have been awful with war raging, but as far as football was concerned these were probably Chesterfield's best years.

Between 1942 and 1944 Chesterfield slipped from the top ranks of football in the north of England as players moved on, and continued to join up for active service, but as the war came to a close in the 1945/1946 season Chesterfield found themselves seventh in the North League surrounded by the likes of Newcastle United, Manchester United, and Everton.

The Post War Years (1946 - 1959)

The 1946/1947 season was a great season for the Spireites and saw them finish fourth in the old second division. There were some great performances this season and Syd Ottewell clocked up twelve goals for the Spireites.

1956 ProgrammeThe Spireites continued to play in Division Two until they had a poor 1950/1951 season and were subsequently relegated to Division Three North. The Spireites had an average 1951/1952 season finishing thirteenth out of twenty four teams. Their biggest win of the season came on February 9th 1952 when they won 5-1 at home to Rochdale with Alex Harvey, a Scottish striker scoring a hat-trick. The 1952/1953 season saw the Spireites finish 13th in the division, with the highlight of that season being a 4-1 win at Field Mill against Mansfield Town. There was then a run of four seasons where the Spireites finished sixth in division three north until the 1957/1958 season when the Blues finished 8th.

The 1958/1959 season saw the merge of division three north and south culminating in the creation of Division Three. The 1958/1959 season was an overall disappointing campaign with the Spireites finishing sixteenth out of twenty four teams. The teams in division three that season included Queens Park Rangers, Southampton, Norwich City, Bradford City and Mansfield Town. The Spireites recorded their biggest win of the season at Roots Hall where they thrashed Southend United 5-2.

The Swinging Sixties (1960-1969)

Gordon Banks The summer of 1959 saw the sale of future England goalkeeper Gordon Banks to Leicester City from the Spireites for a figure of £6,000. The early sixties were bad times to be a Spireite, the 1958/1960 season saw the Blues finish in a disappointing 18th place and the following season the Spireites were relegated to division four. The 1961/1962 season was even more disappointing for Chesterfield as the Blues finished nineteenth in division four. The season also saw a roof being erected on the Kop which was paid for by the Chesterfield Sportsmen's Association.

The 1962/1963 season saw Tony McShane a former Plymouth player appointed as manager. He didn't make too much of an impact on the team however, and the Blues finished a distasteful fifteenth. The 1963/1964 season saw floodlights erected at the ground for the first time, but no real activity in the transfer market as the club announced losses of £13,443 during the previous season. The Spireites once again failed to impress on the pitch finishing sixteenth. The 1964/1965 season saw a slight improvement in performances as the Blues finished twelfth. However, a disastrous 1965/1966 season saw the Spireites almost lose their league status, finishing in 20th place. More disappointing seasons were to follow and in 1968/1969 the Blues slipped up again finishing twentieth.

The swinging sixties were far from swinging most of the time for the Spireites; they had switched from a respectable third division side to a struggling little fourth division team. The fans were hoping for an improvement in the 1969/1970 season and they were not to be disappointed!

The Aspiring Seventies (1970 - 1979)

The 1969/1970 season was to be one of the most successful in Chesterfield Football Club's history. Three players were added to the squad who had enjoyed a less than successful 1968/1969 season. They were Tom Fenoughty, the cultured Sheffield United midfielder, Ian Buxton a forward from Luton Town, and John Archer from Huddersfield Town.

Manager Jim McGuigan said that these three players would turn Chesterfield into a promotion chasing side. The fans weren't confident but by May, McGuigan was proved right! Despite winning only one of their first four league games, the Spireites soon found form thrashing numerous sides in the league that season. Those wins included a 4-0 win over Newport County, a 4-0 win over Workington, a 5-0 win over Notts County, a 4-0 win over Lincoln City and a 4-0 win against Bradford Park Avenue.

The championship was confirmed by the Spireites on the final home game of the season when 14,250 Spireites packed Saltergate to see Chesterfield convincingly beat Peterborough United 3-1.

Saltergate saw few transfers in the summer of 1970 as the club gave the championship side a chance to impress in Division Three. The season began with a 3-2 home defeat at the hands of newly relegated Aston Villa, but the Spireites were soon on track with a comfortable 4-0 win at home to Reading a week later. Some great performances that season saw the Spireites finish a comfortable fifth place impressing the loyal supporters.

The following two seasons saw the Spireites finish thirteenth and sixteenth respectively. The most memorable moment of the 1971/1972 season was probably a 5-0 League Cup First Round Replay win at local rivals Mansfield Town. The 1972/1973 season saw few highlights apart from an opening day 4-1 thrashing of Oldham Athletic at Saltergate.

The 1973/1974 season saw Joe Shaw named as the new Spireites manager, he replaced Jim McGuigan. Shaw brought in several new signings in the close season including Kenny Burton from Sheffield Wednesday and Eric Winstanley from Barnsley for a fee of £15,000. David Pugh joined Halifax Town for £6,000. At some points in the season Chesterfield looked like favourites for promotion, however a poor end of season run saw them finish in fifth place.

Legendary Ernie Moss The 1974/1975 season was another less than remarkable season for the Spireites. Chesterfield finished in fifteenth place. Highlight of the season was most probably a 4-1 trouncing of promotion contenders Crystal Palace in front of 19,906 fans at Selhurst Park. The Spireites reached the third round of the F.A. Cup but were knocked out by Sunderland after losing 2-0 at Roker Park in front of 34,268 supporters.

The 1975/1976 and 1976/1977 seasons saw poor performances from the Spireites as they finished fourteenth and eighteenth respectively in the division. The 1976/1977 season was made even worse for the Spireites as they saw local rivals win the Third Division championship.

In October 1976 Arthur Cox was named as Chesterfield's new manager. Cox was a member of the Sunderland coaching staff when appointed and had recently been manager of Turkish giants Istanbul Galatasaray.

The summer of 1977 saw Cox release Winstanley, Bentley, Charlton ad Welch. Billy Dearden joined the Blues from Chester City for a small fee but a financial crisis precluded that no more signings would be made. The players were, for the first time in the clubs history forced to come in for training two times a week in the summer and the early season results looked as though it had paid off. Three wins from the first four games of the season saw the Spireites placed in second place and Manchester City were given a tough time during a league cup encounter, prompting their chairman Peter Swales to announce "Never in my life have I been so relieved to get away from a ground with a win!" A 1-0 win over Wrexham on September 17th 1977 saw the Spireites hit the top of the league, but inconsistency cost the Spireites dear and they had to settle for ninth place at the end of the season.

New floodlights were once again installed at the ground during the summer of 1978 and Arthur Cox made several summer signings including Bobby Flavell from Halifax Town and Geoff Salmons from Leicester City. Ernie Moss was re-signed from Mansfield Town in January 1979 for £30,000 as the Stags faced a financial crisis after successive relegations. A very poor run in to the season saw relegation just avoided.

For the 1979/1980 season Arthur Cox reshuffled his backroom staff with Harold Roberts taking over as Chief Scout, Bill Dearden as coach, and Steve Wanless was appointed as full time physio. The club made many signings in the summer of 1979 including Bill Green from Peterborough United and Alan Birch from Walsall.

Chesterfield were unbeaten at home until February 1980 and a great 2-1 victory over Sheffield Wednesday at Saltergate was followed by a 7-1 thrashing of Reading. Geoff Salmons became one of the Spireites all time heroes scoring a 92nd minute equaliser in a 3-3 draw at Hillsborough against Sheffield Wednesday.

The Inspirational Eighties (1980 - 1989)

The 1980/1981 season saw Chesterfield invited to take Sunderland's place in the Anglo-Scottish Cup. The Spireites accepted and topped their qualifying group. Newcastle United sacked manager Bill McGarry and to Chesterfield's dismay appointed Arthur Cox as the new manager. One Chesterfield pub held a minutes silence upon hearing the news.

Frank Barlow was appointed as the new boss and inspired his side to a 6-2 win at Carlisle United in his first game in charge. The team hit the top of division three after a victory over Hull City and then headed off to Glasgow for the big clash with Rangers in the Anglo-Scottish Cup quarter final.

The Glasgow Herald described the game as "about as exciting as a night out with the Ayatollah" and prompted a group of Chesterfield fans from the Masons Arms to hire a Dakota plane to fly there! There were a good number of Spireites in a 12,000 crowd at Ibrox and they were to be impressed with a 1-1 draw, Phil Walker scoring for the Spireites.

Spireites vs Rangers Just under 14,000 Spireites packed into Saltergate to witness a historical 3-0 victory over Glasgow Rangers in the second leg of the quarter final. The Anglo Scottish was won by the Spireites on March 31st 1981 at Meadow Lane where the Spireites won Notts County 2-1 on aggregate. The 1981/1982 season saw the Spireites finish 11th in division three before a terrible 1982/1983 season saw the Blues relegated to division four for the first time in thirteen years.

The 1983/1984 season saw the Spireites finish a disappointing thirteenth in division four, with the only real memorable moment being a penalty shoot out victory over first division Middlesbrough in the League Cup first round at Saltergate.

Big Game TicketThe Spireites were 16/1 odds on winning the newly sponsored Canon League Division Four. Those odds shrunk dramatically after the Spireites won their first four games. The Blues when top of the division after a wonderful 5-1 thrashing of Exeter City but were brought right back down to earth when they were knocked out of the F.A. Cup by Northern Counties League side Whitby Town! However, the Spireites soon picked up into fantastic form and enjoyed a great run, finally picking up the Championship trophy at Peterborough United in the penultimate game of the season. However, the great Spireites championship was overshadowed on the final game of the season when 56 supporters died in a tragic fire at Bradford City's game with Lincoln City. The Valley Parade disaster saw new fire escapes built from the old main stand at Saltergate resulting in the closure of the terracing at the front of the stand.

The summer of 1985 saw Paul Batty, Charlie Williamson, Tony Reid, and Dave Caldwell brought into the club. Barrie Hubbard, left his role of chairman on the day before the season started after continued criticism from other board members on how he was running the club.

The following three seasons were disappointing for the Spireites, finishing seventeenth twice, then eighteenth in the 1987/1988 season until they were subsequently relegated in 1988/1989 after finishing twenty fourth in division three.

The 1989/1990 season was a relatively successful season for the Blues. They finished in seventh place and therefore qualified for the end of season playoffs for the first time in the clubs history. The first round was against Stockport County and the Blues booked their place at Wembley with a cracking 4-0 first leg win at Saltergate, before trouncing the Hatters 3-0 in the return leg at Edgeley Park. Over 14,000 Chesterfield supporters made the journey to London to see Chesterfield's first ever appearance at Wembley Stadium. The Spireites took on Cambridge United and sadly lost the game 1-0 with Dion Dublin scoring the winner.

The Dismal Days (1990 - 1994)

The late 1990's were to be the clubs most exciting years but the early nineties were ridden with financial problems and boardroom arguments. In the 1990/1991 season the Spireites slumped to eighteenth place in Division Four having a poor season. The 1991/1992 season saw a slight improvement in performances with the Spireites finishing thirteenth.

The 1992/1993 close season saw the signings of Cliff Carr, Stuart Cash, and Mick Kennedy. The season started off well for the Spireites with home wins over Bury, Darlington and Crewe Alexandra, but the Spireites proudest moment came as they were drawn to face Liverpool in the Coca-Cola Cup Second Round at Anfield. The game was one of the Spireites finest moments with the Blues holding Liverpool to a stunning 4-4 draw! The Spireites were 3-1 up at half time and the 5,000 Chesterfield fans couldn't believe what they were seeing!

The season however was another disappointing affair with the Spireites finishing in twelfth place in the newly named Barclays League Division Three.

Darren Carr The 1993/1994 season saw the signings of Tony Dennis for £18,000 from Cambridge United, Mark Jules from Scarborough for £40,000, Darren Carr for £30,000 from Crewe Alexandra and Tom Curtis signed semi-professional terms following his decision to study at Loughborough University.

The Blues got a good League Cup first round draw against Premiership West Ham United but the Spireites were thrashed 7-2 on aggregate by Harry Redknapp's outfit. The appearance of Kevin Davies at the age of 16 years and 176 days made him the youngest ever player to take part in the competition.

Fourteen games into the season the Spireites were languishing in 20th place in the league and the fans were calling for Norton Lea to resign. Barrie Hubbard gave the supporters one of the most disgusting statements ever heard when he told the fans "Support us, or we'll close the club down". This just turned the fans more against Hubbard and was one of the reasons many present fans of Chesterfield will wonder if Mr. Hubbard deserves to be chairman of our club.

John Duncan brought in Lawrie Madden, the former Sheffield Wednesday player, and Tony Brien moved to Rotherham United for £15,000 in a part-exchange deal which saw Nicky Law arrive at Saltergate. David Moss signed from Doncaster Rovers along with former Spireite Jamie Hewitt. The Spireites improved towards the end of the season and finished in eighth place.

The Best Days of Our Lives! (1994-1998)

The 1994/1995 season saw Chesterfield win the Derbyshire Centenary Cup for the first time in the clubs history beating Derby County 1-0 in the final. John Duncan brought in Andy Beasley, Wayne Fairclough, Chris Perkins, Darren Roberts and Mike Cheetham. The season started disastrously for the Spireites with three successive defeats - 1-0 at home to Scarborough, 4-1 away at Rochdale and then 1-0 at home to Mansfield Town.

Jamie Hewitt in action (1995) There were some impressive games up until Christmas when the Spireites lost to playoff contenders and local rivals Mansfield Town 4-2 at Field Mill. This match seemed to wake the Spireites up and they started on an amazing twenty-one game unbeaten run, enjoying a 3-1 win at Doncaster Rovers on April 17th 1995 edging them closer to automatic promotion. However, a 2-1 defeat at home to Carlisle United on May 2nd 1995 in front of 7,283 fans at Saltergate (and many more who climbed over the turnstiles!) The misery was completed when the Spireites drew 2-2 at home to Colchester United on the final game of the season and condemned the Blues to the playoffs.

But, oh how we thank Carlisle and Colchester for denying us an automatic promotion place as we were to enjoy the greatest local derby of all time 9in our opinions anyway!) Chesterfield were to take on our biggest rivals Mansfield Town in the first round of the playoffs. The first leg watched by approximately 6,582 at Field Mill saw the Blues draw 1-1 with the Stags, Phil Robinson scoring for the Spireites.

The return leg was a fairy tale story for Chesterfield fans. Despite going behind twice the Spireites battled in spectacular style and thrashed their lowly opponents 5-2 in front of 8,156 fans. The goal scorers for Chesterfield that wonderful night were Tony Lormor, Jonathan Howard (2) and captain turned hero Nicky Law!

Chesterfield were to face Manchester side Bury in the Wembley stadium final. There were 22,815 Shakers and Spireites in Wembley Stadium for this game and a great performance from Chesterfield saw us win 2-0 with goals from Phil Robinson and Tony Lormor. The Spireites were presented with the trophy and returned to heroes welcome in North Derbyshire!

The Spireites kicked off the 1995/1996 season at the Manor Ground in Oxford where the Spireites were closely defeated 1-0 by the U's. However, the second match was a Cracking 3-0 victory for the Spireites at home to Carlisle United, sweet revenge for the previous season. The Spireites had a great first season in division two finishing in seventh place one point off the playoffs. The highlight of the season was most probably Mark Jules' stunning goal in the 1-0 win at local rivals Rotherham United on Saturday February 24th 1996.

The summer of 1996 saw Phil Robinson move to Notts County for £85,000 and Des Hazel and Darren Roberts were released and Andy Beasley retired from football after a long term injury. Two players were brought in and they were both midfielders. Chris Beaumont from Stockport County and Steve Gaughan from Darlington. Chesterfield finished a convincing tenth place in division two that season, but it was the clubs achievements in the F.A. Cup which captured the imagination of the entire country. Chesterfield reached the F.A. Cup semi final after winning Bury 1-0 in the first round, Scarborough 2-0 in the second round, Bristol City 2-0 in the third round, Bolton Wanderers 3-2 in the fourth round, Nottingham Forest 1-0 in the fifth round and Wrexham 1-0 in the Quarter Final. Tom Curtis in F.A Cup action The semi final at Old Trafford against Middlesbrough was the proudest day in the Spireites history. Chesterfield took the lead through Andy Morris on 55 minutes and were 2-0 up five minutes later. Middlesbrough came back to make it 2-2 with goals from Fabrizio Ravenelli and Craig Hignett. The game went to extra time and Gianluca Festa gave 'Boro the lead but a sensational last minute header from Jamie Hewitt made the score 3-3 and sent Derbyshire into sheer ecstasy! A shot from Jonathan Howard crossed the line midway through the second half but referee David Ellerey failed to see this and the goal did not stand, making Mr. Ellerey the most unpopular man in Derbyshire.

The replay at Hillsborough was far from sparkling, the Spireites losing 3-0, but we were proud to say we supported the club and we had gained respect around the footballing world.

The 1997/1998 season saw the Spireites finish tenth for the second season running with highlights that season including a 3-2 win at home to league championship favourites Preston North End and a 3-1 win at home to Millwall.

The 1998/1999 season saw the Spireites go one better on the season before finishing in an impressive ninth place. Highlights of the season included two 1-1 draws with Manchester City at Saltergate and Maine Road in division two, and a 3-0 aggregate win over Rotherham United in the Worthington Cup first round.

Chris Perkins, Mark Jules, and Shane Nicholson (all left sided players) left the club in the summer of 1999 and were not replaced. Mark Williams also left the club joining Premiership new boys Watford. Steve Payne and Steve Woods signed for the Spireites. The season was terrible and very forgettable to put it politely. Chesterfield finished in twenty fourth place and nine points away from safety. John Duncan was sacked when a certain Darren Brown took over the helm from Norton Lea in March 2000, and Nicky Law was brought in as caretaker manager.

Law, had a promising patch at the end of the season with the Spireites having some impressive performances and was offered the job on a permanent basis at the end of the season.

The Brown Season (In more ways than one) (2000/2001)

The summer of 2000 saw Nicky Law sign several highly rated players. Mike Pollitt, Rotherham United's goalkeeper, Luke Beckett from Chester City, Sean Parrish from Northampton Town, Steve Tutill from Darlington, and Jamie Ingledow from Rotherham United.

Darren BrownThe pre-season was very promising indeed with victories over Derby County, West Bromwich Albion and sorry neighbours Sheffield Wednesday. The first game of the season against York City ended in a stunning 4-1 victory for the Blues. The Spireites had a great season up until Christmas time with a 4-0 victory over Mansfield Town, a 4-1 victory over Macclesfield Town and a 4-1 win over Leyton Orient just a few results which propelled the Spireites to the top of the division. However, in February 2001 the F.A. announced they were investigating Darren Brown and CO. for financial irregularities. The league decided Chesterfield should be deducted nine points and fined £20,000 for breach of regulations, and it meant Chesterfield had to settle for a third promotion place and not the championship we deserved.

Brown left in March 2001, one year after taking over the club, and massive debts were uncovered. The CFSS (Chesterfield Football Supporters Society) were formed to pick up the pieces of the Brown regime. Over 3,000 fans paid £10-00 to join the society and did their part to save the club from extinction. CFSS and the supporters of Chesterfield Football Club worked wonders in the Summer of 2001 to save their club from extinction and we were all delighted when the 2001/2002 Division Two campaign kicked off at home to Colchester United.

Dawn Of A New Era (2001 - Present)

With the C.F.S.S. now in control at Saltergate it was time for a new era as far as Chesterfield Football Club was concerned. The Spireites' first season back in Nationwide Division Two saw them finish mid-table, despite a shocking opening day 6-3 defeat at home to Colchester United! Highlights of the season included a 4-0 home victory over Swindon Town, a shock 1-0 victory at promotion candidates Reading, and a great 4-2 home win over Oldham Athletic - the fact that the Spireites were 2-0 down on sixty minutes made it even more impressive! The season also saw Nicky Law leave the club for Bradford City, and Dave Rushbury take over as the new manager.

The 2002/2003 season began with a 3-1 defeat at Queens' Park Rangers and a 4-2 home thrashing at the hands of Swindon Town - hardly impressive. However, the season got better just weeks later when Steve Payne and Gareth Davies entered Spireites' folklore after scoring the goals at Field Mill where Chesterfield beat Mansfield Town 2-0. The January derby at Saltergate, however, was far from happy with Liam Lawrence snatching a ninetieth winner for the Stags in a 2-1 victory. From that point the Spireites entered a massive slump, losing 4-2 at home to Queens' Park Rangers, 5-2 at Port Vale, 4-0 at home to Colchester United, and 4-1 at Oldham Athletic. Dave Rushbury was finally forced to resign in April, and Lee Richardson led the Spireites onto a dramatic last day survival away at Blackpool.

The summer of 2003 saw former Derby County and England legend Roy McFarland appointed as the new manager at Saltergate. The new McFarland era began with a 0-0 draw at Wrexham, and it took until 18th October before the Spireites picked up their first league victory; a 3-0 home win over Swindon Town. The Spireites were bottom of the league at Christmas despite an impressive 0-0 draw at Hillsborough against fierce rivals Sheffield Wednesday. After that match the Spireites had a great upturn in fortune winning Peterborough United, Barnsley, and Wrexham, and despite a 7-0 thrashing at Plymouth Argyle times were looking brighter. March saw a memorable 3-1 thrashing of Sheffield Wednesday at Saltergate, but the Spireites survival all boiled down to the final game of the season. It was left to Glynn Hurst three minutes from time to score the winning goal against Luton Town to secure a dramatic survival.

The 2004/2005 season started greatly with a 3-1 victory over Brentford, and then a another good run of results which saw the Spireites in a play-off position until near Christmas. An exciting 2-2 draw at Sheffield Wednesday in October will live in the memory of many Spireites for quite a while to come, sadly the Owls won 3-1 at Saltergate in February. The Blues' had a poor end to the season and finished seventeenth, but it was undoubtedly an improvement on previous years.

Summary

Source: [Chesterfield] at the Football Club History Database

Honours

Player Records

Club Records

Notable players

Current squad

''As of July 9, 2006

Nationality given from place of birth

External links

 

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