Ahead of the Spireites’ trip to Southend United on Saturday, manager James Rowe acknowledged that his side will be up for a tough test at Roots Hall.
Speaking in the pre-match press conference, Rowe said: “We can’t be fooled [by their situation]. They still have some good players in their squad, and they can pick up a result at any time as well – like they showed on Tuesday.
“They’re not giving up on the pitch. They performed well on Tuesday. They changed their shape a little bit and deserved their win in the end against Eastleigh.
“It’s not just going to be us turning up and turning them over. We need to learn from our away day at Dover and perhaps the first half against Aldershot.
“We need to start the game better, but Tuesday night showed that we have got nothing to fear at this level. We are a good team and the way we played on Tuesday was effective.”
Chesterfield were handed an away draw at Curzon Aston on Monday in the FA Cup Fourth Qualifying Round.
Rowe has admitted that he has not turned his attention to the tie, saying: “I haven’t really thought about. I haven’t had time. The draw was made on Monday, and we were fully focused on the game on Tuesday.
“It’s a good one. A typical FA Cup tie in terms of we go there as favourites and they are going to give it a right go. However, I’m fully focused on Southend.”
George Carline was stretchered off during the final minutes of the Wrexham game and Rowe gave an update on the nature of the injury, saying: “He’s hairline fractured his knee in a tackle. He wanted to stay on because he is fully committed to the performance – he was in pain at half time. It’s a blow for us.
“It sums up his character in terms of who he is as a human being. He’s gone back out and the knee has fell away.
“It’s a completely fractured kneecap. It’s a long-term injury and he is out for five months. He goes into surgery tomorrow.
“It’s not good for George. However, he’s in a good place and he’s got really good support staff here. We will try and get him back as quickly and as safely as we can and make sure his mental health is okay for the next five months.”
A reminder that commentary on the Southend match will be available on 1866 Sport.
