Chesterfield full-back Jack Sparkes spoke exclusively to 1866+ after he returned from injury to make a substitute appearance in the play-off opener against Walsall.
Reflecting on the game, he said: “Obviously we’ve given ourselves a little bit to do, but if there’s anyone that can do it, then it’s us.
“There are probably a lot of people over the last few weeks who had us down and out, so what an opportunity we’ve got to prove a lot of people wrong.”
Sparkes signed for the club in January on a loan deal from Peterborough and notched three assists across ten consecutive appearances before suffering injury in the 4-0 win over Salford City.
After returning to the action, he added: “It’s good to be back. I probably wouldn’t have been back playing if we hadn’t made the play-offs, so I was delighted that the lads managed to get us over the line.
“Ultimately, I’m happy to be back and hopefully I can make an impact in the next game and we can turn it around.”
The lads were back in on Monday morning with no time to dwell on Sunday’s result, and the Peterborough loanee explained that it was exactly what the group required.
“I think that’s what we needed. After games you usually have a day off, but I think the gaffer’s got it right in putting us straight back out there.
“We’re just seeing it as an opportunity. We had a meeting just to go over things so we could move on quickly, and now we’re fully focused on Friday’s game.
“Since I’ve come to the club, I’ve loved working under the gaffer, I think he’s brilliant. Everyone’s got tons of faith in him to set us up and win the game; that’s what we’ll be going for.
“The fans were unbelievable on Sunday and we’re going to need them again on Friday, so everyone in the dressing room is really looking forward to that. They give us a second wind to really hit the game hard.
“When we played Walsall away from home earlier in the season, the atmosphere from the away section was amazing, and we want to give them something to be happy about come Friday night.”
