January 2012

But according to their manager, John Sheridan, all is not lost.

He believes his players can take heart from their performances in this season’s Johnstone’s Paint Trophy and use them to build momentum in the second half of their domestic campaign.

“The truth is we’ve beaten teams above us in League One in the Johnstone’s Paint Trophy, so we’re capable of beating any team on our day.

“Obviously things aren’t ideal at the moment so it’s important that we start notching up wins in every game that we play as quickly as possible.”

The Spireites boss also revealed he would love to give fans something to look forward to in the form of a Wembley final to make up for their frustration since September.

“The whole club would love to get to Wembley and it’s something we’re trying very hard to achieve in our preparation on the training ground. We’ve taken this competition seriously since the first game and I think we’ve got our rewards for that.

“I’m a big believer in confidence and we have every reason to be confident in this competition, the players know that, and with the extra motivation of a Wembley final with our fans, I’m sure they’ll make the most of this opportunity.”

Standing in the way of a Wembley final is Sheridan’s former club Oldham Athletic, of whom he spent eleven years with as both a player and manager.

“Oldham will be a very tough prospect over two legs. We know what they’re about and how Paul (Dickov) has got them playing. We’ll need to be at our best to progress past them, and that’s what we’ll be trying to do.

“It will be strange going back to Oldham, but we’ve played them a couple of times already this season and I obviously know the club well. But my first priority is to get Chesterfield the final.”

Johnstone’s. Bringing colour to the beautiful game.