Match preview: Eastleigh

The Spireites look to continue to pile the pressure on Woking in third place when they welcome play-off hopefuls Eastleigh to the Technique Stadium.

Paul Cook’s side are aiming for back-to-back wins after Liam Mandeville’s header secured a victory against Dagenham & Redbridge on Easter Monday.

Here’s all you need to know…

Match details

Date: Saturday, April 15, 2023

Opponents: Eastleigh

Kick-off: 3pm

Competition: Vanarama National League

Location: Technique Stadium

Tickets

TICKETS: https://tickets.chesterfield-fc.co.uk/

Matchday Coverage

TV Coverage

The game will be live on BT Sport 1 with coverage starting from 5pm.

Live radio commentary

Our in-house radio station, 1866 Sport, will provide full match commentary on the game, as well as pre-match/post-match analysis.

Don’t forget that 1866 Sport is on air 24-hours a day, seven days a week!

You can download the app from the Apple Store here: https://apps.apple.com/gb/app/1866-sport/id1580041321

If you’re an Android user, you can download the app here: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.radio.ma57501030

Alternatively, you can listen online here: https://streaming.radio.co/s47db4a4f3/listen

It is also available via Alexa.

Commentary is provided by Phil Tooley and is sponsored by National Windscreens.

Social media

Our official Twitter page (https://twitter.com/ChesterfieldFC) will provide regular updates on the match. It is also the place to find our exclusive goal GIFs, which are used when a player scores a goal.

Key news will also be posted on our Facebook page, which can be found here: https://www.facebook.com/ChesterfieldFC.

Our official Instagram page will keep you posted with key moments and content throughout the day on our stories: https://www.instagram.com/chesterfieldfc/?hl=en.

The post-match interview with a member of the management team will be posted to our YouTube Channel soon after the game is finished: https://youtube.com/user/OfficialChesterfield.

Highlights of the game will also be posted to our YouTube Channel on Wednesday.

The Opposition

Fact file

Name: Eastleigh Football Club

Nicknames: The Spitfires

Founded: 1946

Stadium: Silverlake Stadium

Capacity: 5,192

Manager: Lee Bradbury

 

On Eastleigh

Originally known as Swaythling Athletic, Eastleigh were found in 1946 and joined the Hampshire League.

Progress was steady at the Spitfires until Paul Doswell became manager in 2002; he oversaw three successive promotions.

The club finally cracked into the National League in 2014 under Richard Hill’s leadership and have failed to look back.

Eastleigh continue to be one of the mainstays in the fifth tier and are on course to secure a place in the National League play-offs and aim for a spot in the Football League.

One to watch

Charlie Carter is a name very familiar to Chesterfield fans. He started his career at Woking and mad the step up and signed for the Blues in 2018. He wowed the Spireites faithful but struggled with injuries as he racked up four goals in 20 appearances. A move to the Football League and Stevenage soon followed but unfortunately problems with injuries followed him to the Lamex Stadium. The midfielder scored 10 times in 80 games before he left Boro at the end of the 2021.22 season. Carter moved to Eastleigh last summer and has a welcome injury-free season – scoring eight times in 42 league games.

Recent Form

The Spireites’ last three: (L/W/W)

Drew –Maidenhead United 0-0 Chesterfield – Vanarama National League

Lost – Chesterfield 1-3 York City – Vanarama National League

Won – Dagenham & Redbridge 0-1 Chesterfield – Vanarama National League

Eastleigh’s last three: (L/D/L)

Lost – Torquay United 2-0 Eastleigh – Vanarama National League

Drew – Eastleigh 3-3 Aldershot Town – Vanarama National League

Lost – Eastleigh 2-5 Gateshead – Vanarama National League

Last Time We Met

The Spireites travelled to the Silverlake Stadium back in October on the back of two successive defeats. Ousseynou Cisse headed past Ross Fitzsimons on the stroke of half time, before Liam Mandeville’s cross-cum-shot got Paul Cook’s side level in the second half. However, Brendan Camp met Ryan Hill’s corner in added time to give Eastleigh a late win.

Team News

Armando Dobra and Ryheem Sheckleford will both miss the game due to their respective hamstring issues.

Ollie Banks suffered a knock to the knee in the first half of the Spireites’ win over Dagenham & Redbridge. The midfielder is being assessed ahead of the Eastleigh game.

From the dugout

Danny Webb said: “We’ve got to make sure we don’t take anything for granted because they are a very good team. Lee’s done a very good job there and they are in the play-offs as it stands.

“They’ve got some good players and up until the last couple of games they were very good defensively. A direct rival cannot be taken lightly at all.“