FIXTURE DETAILS:

Chesterfield FC vs Barnet FC

Saturday 12th December 2020, 15:00 KO

Technique Stadium

Vanarama National League

THE SPIREITES

League Position: 17th (P12 W4 D1 L7)

Last Result: Sutton United 0-1 Chesterfield (Vanarama National League, Tuesday 8th December)

Manager: James Rowe

Club Captain: Will Evans

After a difficult start to the season, the Spireites opted for a change of personnel in the dugout, as James Rowe came in to replace former boss John Pemberton. Since then Chesterfield have been on an upward curve results wise and have picked up 7 points from a possible nine since Rowe took the helm at the end of November.  Most recently they picked up a very notable away win at high flying Sutton United on Tuesday night.

The Spireites have only conceded one goal in their previous three matches either and had to settle for a point last time they were on home soil, as they were held to a goalless draw by Aldershot Town. In fact, this weekend’s opponents have only won just once on home turf all season, although that was an emphatic 4-0 victory over Woking. Rowe will be keen to secure his first home win and continue the positive impact he has had since being placed in the hot seat. 

They will be without their captain on Saturday, after Will Evans picked up his fifth yellow card of the season, meaning he will miss his first Spireites game in almost a year, after coming into good form as the right-sided centre back as part of a back three. 

Rowe also confirmed that his side has some “bumps and bruises” from Tuesday night’s trip to Sutton, with a few players likely to be assessed today ahead of this weekend’s meeting. 

THE BEES

Peter Beadle’s sides performances have improved in the last two matches, but it was a frustrating result on Tuesday night, as the 10 man Bees fell to a 2-1 defeat to Stockport County. The Bees were just starting to get on the front foot before Anthony Wordsworth’s red card saw the game swing back into the visitor’s favour. Throughout the game, they had chances to score and were a big threat, especially down the right-hand side, with Ephron Mason-Clark causing many problems for the opposition and even grabbing his first goal of the season. The Bees will have to try to turn the positive aspects of their performance into a positive result on Saturday, as they look to secure three valuable points on the road. 

Those recent performances, topped with the fact that a win would be absolutely crucial at this stage of the season, should add added motivation to Beadle’s side who will look to end their host’s unbeaten streak. 

TEAM NEWS

Anthony Wordsworth, unfortunately, will be unavailable for three matches following his straight red card on Tuesday night. Ben Nugent also received his 5th yellow card of the season, meaning he will miss the trip to Chesterfield. 

It’s been well documented that the Bees have had injury problems this year, which has hindered Beadle’s ability to rotate the squad. Michael Petrasso and Xander McBurnie are both out with hamstring injuries, whilst Eliot Richards remains a long term absentee owing to his ACL injury but is recovering well following an operation on Tuesday. 

Josh Walker is nearing a return to fitness and is likely to be back for next weekend’s FA Trophy clash, meanwhile strike partner JJ Hooper could return for the key match with Chesterfield. Matt Preston is still recovering from his ankle ligament injury, with Beadle confirming last week that he is on course for a return after the turn of the year. Tyrone Duffus has suffered a reoccurrence of his knee injury and remains sidelined. 

However, we could see another debutant in the Bees ranks after it was confirmed that midfielder Dean Parrett has joined the Club on a non-contract basis. 

Ahead of this weekend’s trip to Chesterfield, manager Peter Beadle has provided an update on our current injury situation #BarnetFC pic.twitter.com/08bYjZCP2S

— Barnet FC (@BarnetFC) December 11, 2020

 

LAST TIME WE MET:

We didn’t make the trip to Chesterfield last season, owing to the early curtailment of the season due to the pandemic. The teams last met at The Hive last August, where goals from Jack Taylor and Simeon Akinola saw us peg the Spireites back to draw 2-2. 

HOW TO FOLLOW THE ACTION:

Streaming:

Chesterfield will be providing a live stream of the game, at a cost of £10. You can purchase your streaming pass by CLICKING HERE. 

Twitter:

Alternatively, there will be live updates of the match via our Twitter account. You will also find all the post-match reaction via our social media channels.