FOOTBALL CLUB WORLD

Chesterfield 2v1 Lincoln City
League Two
Saturday 4th September 2010
After last weeks visit to Morecambe, it was the turn of the other Football League club who have relocated this summer. The B2net stadium replaces the ‘classic’ Recreation Ground, the former home of The Spireites and the oldest continuous used ground dating back to 1871.

The Derbyshire market town of Chesterfield lies north of Derby on a confluence of the rivers Rother and Hipper and is the largest populated town in the county.
Chesterfield is well known for the "Crooked Spire” of the Church of Saint Mary and All Saints, which twists at 45 degrees and leans 9 feet 6 inches from its true centre.
The spire is not attached to the church building, as it is kept on by its own weight. The bend follows the direction of the sun and it’s believed that the bend formed when the original wooden roof tiles were replaced by heavier slate and lead.

The B2net Stadium was built on the former site of Dema Glassworks, north of the town at Whittington Moor on the Sheffield Road, just off the A61.
Built at a cost of £13m by GB Building Solutions, the stadium was designed by Sheffield based Architects Ward McHugh Associates. Planning permission was granted in July 2008 and construction began in July 2009.
The official opening match was a friendly against neighbours Derby County on the 24th July 2010 with new signing Craig Davies scoring the first ever goal in a game which Derby won 5-4.

The stadium has four separate stands with an overall capacity of 10,400.
The main HTM Products Stand has a single tier of blue seat with executive boxes and viewing area for disabled supporters at the rear. The stand has a flowing white curved roof which improves the overall appearance of the stadium. There’s also a police control tower in the south west corner and a capacity of 2,902.
Opposite is the Midlands Co-operative Community Stand which is similar in appearance. The stand has the same style roof, but no executive boxes which gives it a larger seating capacity of 3,144. The stand also houses the TV gantry.
The stands behind each goal are similar, having a single tier of 2,000 blue seats split into five sections. The Karen Child Stand is where the main vocal support gathers and opposite is the away end called the Printability Stand. Both stands have standard flat roofs with glass windshields at each side.
For a new’un the ground isn’t too bad. The curved roofs on the west and east sides gives it a more unique look, which is much better than the standard made to measure stadia which have appeared over the last few years.
The ground also has the welcome sight of four thin floodlights pylons in each corner, which is an old football ground tradition that I like to see maintained.

Chesterfield's good start to the League Two campaign continued as they retained their 100% league record at their new stadium
After a lively start from the visitors, Chesterfield took a grip on the game as the half progressed, taking the lead when a Dean Morgan cross was glanced home from close range by Dwanye Mattis on 36 minutes.
The Spireites doubled their lead after an hour when Jack Lester clipped a through ball over the Lincoln defence for Craig Davies to finish from six yards out.
Ben Hutchinson halved the deficit with a late strike, converting Joe Anderson's left-wing cross. The Imps agonisingly failed to grab an equaliser, as the hosts held on and thoroughly deserved the three points.

For my latest venture I left home at 11am, arrived in Chesterfield within three hours via two lifts sandwiched by two train journeys,
I was accompanied by squad #88 and disillusioned Grimsby fan Graham Precious, who picked me up at Retford for the last leg of my trip to Derbyshire.
On arrival we parked off the Sheffield Road in the Red Lion car park, which is free to use as long as you call in for a drink. The pub serves a good selection of ales from the Old Mill Brewery in Snaith, East Yorkshire, of which I chose Blonde Bombshell(4%)****

We arrived at the stadium at around 2.30 to find that the programmes were sold out and then having the endure the real negative about the stadium, which is having to queue for tickets, before having to queue up again at the turnstile.

Special thanks to Graham for making this trip possible and helping me get home, as I very nearly missed my train at Retford. I had it in my mind that my train was due at 1747, but I was a few minutes out as it was 1744 and we pulled up outside the station at 1743.
To say I made my train with seconds to spare would be an understatement. Retford station only has two platforms, one heading north and one south, however the northern line is on the far side under the subway. I was running through the subway when I heard the train guard's whistle blow, only my desperate cries of “wayyyyttt” give me that few extra seconds to run up the stairs and board the train, greeted by three stunned looking train guards and grinning passengers who were staring at me as if to say “You lucky get!”

I’m pleased to get the two new additional grounds out of the way early in the season and after already ticking four grounds off the “Pissing against the wind 92” as I prefer to call it, I’m now find myself back at the total I was at when last season ended.

My visit to Saltergate in 2006.

Matchday stats

CFC 2(Mattis 36, Davies 62) LCFC 1(Hutchinson 88)

att.6,429

Admission £16

Programme £3

Ground no.263 B2net Stadium - Matchday Web album(19 pictures)

Chesterfield 0v3Yeovil Town
March 4th 2006
Football League One
att.4843

Formed in 1866,Chesterfield are the fourth oldest football league club,and have played at Saltergate's Recreation Ground since 1884 having moved from their previous residence nearer the town centre called Spital,but football has been a feature on the Recreation Ground as way back as 1870.

Saltergate was the last league ground to install floodlights after an appeal fund was set up in 1964 to raise £10,000,with the aim to have them installed for the clubs centenery in 1966.The Spirites purchased pylons from Sheffield United but were found to be unsuitable for Saltergate so these were sold on to Stafford Rangers and new floodlights were purchased,and the Recreation Ground were finally switched on in October 1967.

The Recreation Ground has a capacity of 8504 and is a bit of a blast from the past,which I'd describe as a good old fashioned ground.After a few pints of local Derbyshire bitter I arrived at the ground in need of the toilet.I found a sign saying 'Toilet' but what I entered was a wall to pee on,with a slight slope to help your wee on it's way down to the drain!!

I sat in the Compton Street end,which is also known as the Popular Side which is now an all seated stand,and is partly covered(if you sit at the back)and has supporting pillows which can restrict your view,depending where the action is on the field.

To my right is a terraced 'cow shed type' Spion Kop where the Spierites are housed.To my left was the Cross St. Terrace where the away supporters are left open to the elements and facing me is the Main Stand,which is a bit of a rust bucket and could do with brightening up a bit.

After being treated to the delights of Peter Kay's(or was it Tony Christie's?) version of 'Is This the Way To Amarillo 'as the players entered the field,I was then treated to an entertaining game,in which the away side came away with a convincing 3-0 win,much to the annoyance of several irrate fans sat around me.

There are plans to relocate to a 12000 capacity purpose built stadium at Wheeldon Mill in 2007,so I was pleased to cross the old ground off my list while I still had a chance to attend there.Saltergate is a bit of a 60's throw back,and a reminder of what football grounds used to be like,and due to this fact I absolutely loved the place.