As part of the standout fixture of the weekend in the Vanarama National League, Chesterfield will travel to North London where they will face Boreham Wood, live on BT Sport (5.20pm).
The Wood are coming off of an extensive, but nonetheless impressive run in the Emirates FA Cup. A run that came to an end after a brace from Salomon Rondo secured Everton’s passage into the next round, simultaneously ending the fifth-tier side’s fairy-tale run.
Since returning to action in the National League, the Wood suffered defeat to AFC Wrexham in their most recent outing. A clash between two of the league’s heavy hitters, fans enjoyed a plethora of goals as the Dragons stole all three points in a 4-2 thriller. Scott Boden and Tyrone Marsh grabbed the goals for the North Londoners, although it was not enough with the Wood suffering a second league defeat in their last five outings.
League Standing Comparison
| Club | League Position | Wins | Draws | Losses | Goals For | Goals Against | Points |
| Boreham Wood | 5th | 16 | 11 | 4 | 39 | 21 | 56 |
| Chesterfield FC | 2nd | 17 | 8 | 4 | 58 | 32 | 62 |
Despite the glorious FA Cup run that saw the Wood defeat AFC Bournemouth and AFC Wimbledon in the previous rounds, their later-than-usual run in the competition could soon have a knock-on effect on their hopes for promotion this season. Their unexpected journey in the famous tournament has forced a vast number of league games to be rescheduled, and as a result, will need to play eight games in the next four weeks as they try to catch up for lost time.
However, as we prepare for the upcoming heavyweight clash, six points currently separate these two. For Boreham Wood, the plan is simple: to steal all three points to reduce the gap between themselves and the Spireites. As for Chesterfield, a win against another promotion rival would highlight the true nature of their ambitions this season, knowing that if results go in their favour, that the margin between themselves and leaders Stockport County could be reduced to two points.
Breaking down the statistics between these two so far this season, the Wood have made their own successes by having the best defensive record in the league. Conceding only 21 goals in 28 appearances, Luke Garrard’s men have remained resilient at the back whilst keeping 16 clean sheets in the National League.
Whilst their defensive display is nothing short of commendable, it is their attacking outlet that has stopped the club from placing higher in the table. After selling talisman Kabongo Tshimanga to Chesterfield before the start of the 2021/21 campaign, the club have lacked a natural goal scorer to lead the charge. As a result, Boden is Boreham Wood’s most prolific attacker, netting nine goals this season. The absence of Tshimanga is evident for the North London side, who have had to watch on as the striker has scored 24 goals for the Spireites this season and has been a key contributor to the clubs goalscoring form.
Head-to-Head Record
| Home Side | Result (Date) | Away Side |
| Chesterfield FC | 2-1 (23rd October 2021) | Boreham Wood |
| Chesterfield FC | 0-0 (13th April 2021) | Boreham Wood |
| Boreham Wood | 0-0 (26th January 2021) | Chesterfield FC |
| Boreham Wood | 2-2 (10th August 2019) | Chesterfield FC |
| Chesterfield FC | 3-2 (22nd April 2019) | Boreham Wood |
The Spireites currently hold the bragging rights from the last five meetings with Boreham Wood. Although three of the last five encounters have resulted in stalemates, Chesterfield have come away with two wins and have failed to lose any of the most recent matches against the Wood.
In the most recent game, which took place earlier this season, Chesterfield carved out a 2-1 victory as Danny Rowe opened the scoring from the penalty spot before Tshimanga doubled the lead whilst scoring for the first time against his former side. In search of a response, former Spireite Will Evans grabbed what would later be only a consolation goal before ending his return to the Technique Stadium by receiving a second yellow card.
The other two meetings in 2021 both ended in far less dramatic circumstances with fans enduring two goalless draws.
Prior to the 180 minutes of goalless action, the two sides shared two enthralling matches in 2019 which provided nine goals across both matches. The initial encounter in April of that year went in favour of Chesterfield, with a Tom Denton brace and 85th minute winner inspiring a Spireites victory. As for the August clash, Tshimanga was on hand to score twice for Boreham Wood in between goals from Boden and Jonathan Smith.
By Sam Plummer
