Barrow come into the fixture on the back of a 1-0 win over Rochdale in their final pre-season fixture. They also earned wins over Tamworth, Lancaster and Holker Old Boys in their pre-season schedule as well as suffering losses against Huddersfield Town and Bolton Wanderers.
In the spotlight
Barrow’s most recent incomings have seen their forward ranks bolstered with the additions of experienced forwards Kane Hemmings and Tom Barkhuizen.
The former spent last season with Crewe Alexandra, scoring four goals in 20 appearances. He has played against Chesterfield four times for four different clubs (Barnsley, Oxford United, Mansfield Town and Crewe Alexandra), but is yet to find the back of the net.
Barkhuizen most recently played for Derby County, helping them return to the championship after joining from Preston in 2022. He has played against Chesterfield twice for Fleetwood Town and Derby County respectively, featuring in the Rams’ 2-1 Carabao Cup first round win over the Spireites last season.
The gaffer’s record
Paul Cook is unbeaten against Barrow in three fixtures, but his first encounter with them resulted in his departure from Ipswich Town after a 0-0 draw in the second round of the FA Cup.
Fortunately, his next managerial role was a return to Chesterfield and last season he guided his side to two 1-0 wins and all six possible points from the games.
Man in the middle
Alan Young will referee a Chesterfield game for the first time in his career. He has officiated Barrow five times before across the National League North, National League and League Two, with Barrow recording two wins, two draws and one defeat in those games.
He has officiated 294 games in his career, dishing out 1,174 yellow cards, 47 reds and 70 penalty kicks.
Paul Cook’s pre-match thoughts
“I’m expecting just a really tough game. Andy Whing sets his teams up really, really well.
“They’ve got a lot of attention to detail. We’ve studied the games they’ve played, no different than they’ll have done the same with us.
“If we turn up and we play well, then I feel we win the game. Obviously if Barrow do the same, they’ll feel the same.
“All I can control is how our team plays and certainly I know our supporters will be right behind the team.”
Get your tickets here.
