Aiming to boost any slim League Two playoff hopes, Chesterfield will welcome Harrogate Town to the SMH Group Stadium on Saturday.
The hosts have returned to the top half of the League Two table with three straight victories, while their visitors sit 21st after a defeat last time out.
Match preview
Chesterfield return to the SMH Group on Saturday in search of a fourth straight League Two victory to continue their climb back towards the division’s top seven.
Following a run of three straight victories before Christmas, the Spireites looked to have lost any hopes of a playoff place as their next 12 outings produced just two more wins and 12 more points, culminating in four consecutive defeats at the hands of Walsall, Swindon Town, Crewe Alexandra and Colchester United.
That slump left Paul Cook‘s side in the bottom half of England’s fourth tier on 42 points from 33 outings, but they have since bounced back in style, firstly returning to winning ways with a 2-1 home triumph over Newport County before dishing out a 4-0 beating away at Salford City.
A tough trip to promotion-chasing Notts County then followed last weekend, and the Spireites made it three straight three-point hauls with an impressive 2-1 victory, as Tom Naylor restored their lead in the 88th minute after Aribim Pepple‘s 70th-minute opener was cancelled out by a Will Jarvis leveller.
Having now climbed back up to 12th spot with their victories, albeit still trailing Colchester United in the final playoff place by seven points with 10 games remaining, and one in hand on the majority of their fellow top-seven chasers, Chesterfield will hope to extend their winning run in the coming weeks to maintain any lingering hopes of earning a second straight promotion.
Their visitors make the trip to Derbyshire in search of a return to winning ways, having seen an upturn in form halted last time out.
On the back of a five-match winless run across late January and early February, Harrogate Town sat in a concerning position above League Two’s relegation zone with just 30 points on the board from 31 games, having only won eight of those.
Simon Weaver‘s side would bounce back in impressive style to build a lead over the bottom two, though, going on to win three of their next five attempts, all of which coming at home against Swindon Town, Accrington Stanley and basement side Carlisle United.
Following that most recent 1-0 triumph over Carlisle, the Sulphurites visited Newport County last weekend and succumbed to a 3-0 beating with Cameron Evans, Courtney Baker-Richardson and James Clarke finding the net for the hosts, meaning they have now won one, drawn two and lost eight of their last 11 league games on the road.
Still boasting a comfortable 10-point lead over Morecambe in the drop zone with nine games of the season remaining, and with MK Dons, Gillingham and Accrington Stanley all within touching distance, Harrogate Town will be keen to end their dismal away run and begin climbing back up the bottom half of the table with a return to winning ways on Saturday.
Team News
Chesterfield continue to contend with several injury issues heading into the weekend, as Vontae Daley-Campbell, Chey Dunkley, Mike Jones, Tyrone Williams, Harvey Araujo, Darren Oldaker and Will Grigg should all remain confined to the treatment room.
Defender Ryheem Sheckleford was also forced off early in last week’s win over Notts County, meaning Janoi Donacien should come into a back four from the start alongside Ash Palmer, Jamie Grimes and Lewis Gordon.
That could be the only change after a third straight victory, with Aribim Pepple bound to continue up front having scored in each of those games, while Liam Mandeville, Armando Dobra and Ollie Banks should again line up in a supporting trio despite competition from Ryan Colclough, Dylan Duffy and Bailey Hobson.
Simon Weaver may opt to make changes to his Harrogate Town starting XI after last week’s 3-0 defeat, with Tom Hill, Jack Muldoon, Levi Sutton, George Thomson, Matty Foulds and Josh Falkingham remaining sidelined by injuries.
Josh March will continue to lead the line having netted a team-high tally of six goals this season, while Matty Daly should come in in support of the front man.
Tom Cursons may also earn a start in the attacking unit, leaving Dean Cornelius to compete with Ben Fox and Bryn Morris for midfield spots.
Chesterfield possible starting lineup:
Boot; Donacien, Grimes, Palmer, Gordon; Metcalfe, Naylor; Mandeville, Banks, Dobra; Pepple
Harrogate Town possible starting lineup:
Belshaw; Sims, O’Connor, Moon, Burrell; Fox, Morris; M Daly, Cursons, J Daly; March
We say: Chesterfield 2-0 Harrogate Town
With the Spireites growing in confidence and rebuilding momentum, despite their extensive injury issues, we back Paul Cook’s men to see off a struggling Harrogate Town side for a fourth straight league win.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
