The Spireites return to the SMH Group Stadium in a 12.30 kick-off after a disappointing performance at Vale Park last weekend. They will look to return to winning ways against Cheltenham Town, who have returned to the fourth tier after a three-year spell in League One.
Cheltenham have had a fairly poor start to the season and sit 19th in the league.
Head-to-head
Paul Cook has only locked horns with Michael Flynn on two occasions, with the pair taking one win each.
Their first encounter came in March 2017, when Cook’s Pompey side beat Newport 2-1.
Four years later, Flynn’s Newport side beat Ipswich Town 1-0 in the first round of the League Cup thanks to a goal from Timmy Abraham (brother of Tammy).
The Spireites themselves have historically had a lot of joy against Saturday’s opponents, taking 10 wins in 16 games and losing just twice.
Our most recent encounter with the Robins ended 1-1, with Kristian Dennis on the scoresheet for Jack Lester’s side in March of 2018 – a result that saw the Spireites sink to the foot of the League Two table.
Our last victory came in 2014, when four goals in seven minutes, including one from Ollie Banks, gave Paul Cook’s side an emphatic 4-1 win at the then Abbey Business Stadium.
Michael Flynn
After former Robins’ boss Darrell Clarke departed for Barnsley in the summer, Cheltenham turned to Flynn, who has a solid record in League Two.
Flynn was an important part of the Newport County squad that returned to the Football League in 2013 and remained with the club in League Two as a player before being appointed caretaker manager in 2017.
After two play-off final losses, Flynn had spells at Walsall and Swindon Town before heading to Whaddon Road.
Player-in-focus
The 34-year-old Matty Taylor netted seven times in a struggling Cheltenham team last season and has had a career of goalscoring, with prominent spells at Forest Green, Bristol Rovers and Oxford United contributing to a total of 174 career goals to date.
With a goal to his name already this season, Taylor will be looking to fire his side up the table and challenge for an immediate League One return.
