After a late winner against Barrow last weekend, the Spireites are back in action in the Emirates FA Cup as they make the long journey to Devon to face League One outfit Exeter City in the second round.
The Grecians will provide a sterner test than that of Horsham in the previous round, with Gary Caldwell’s side now in their third consecutive season in League One.
Having exited at the first hurdle last year, with a home loss to Wigan Athletic, Exeter will be looking to reach the third round for the first time since the 2020/21 season and pull a big draw.
Head-to-head
The Spireites have won six of the ten meetings between the sides since the 2008/09 season, when the Spireites won both games, 6-1 and 2-1 respectively.
Exeter won that last encounter between the sides 2-1 at St. James’ Park, coming towards the end of the 2017/18 League Two campaign.
Paul Cook has had nine games against Exeter as a manager, with three wins, two draws and three losses.
His strongest result came during his first spell with the Spireites as he oversaw a 4-0 win which included a Jack Lester double.
His last match against Exeter ended in a 1-0 home loss for his Portsmouth side midway through the 2016/17 League Two season.
Gary Caldwell
A name familiar to Spireites, the 42-year-old has been in the dugout at Exeter for a little over two years and has governed steady progress in the third tier, where the Grecians returned to after a decade of absence.
During his time at Chesterfield, Caldwell managed three wins in his 29 games in charge as the club was ultimately relegated to League Two.
Since departing North Derbyshire, he has also spent time with Partick Thistle, Newcastle U23s and Hibernian.
Player-in-focus
Now 34, Josh Magennis has made a career from respectable goalscoring form in the EFL, with recent spells at Hull City and Wigan Athletic.
After joining Exeter in the summer, Magennis has bolstered their attacking strength and grabbed a hat-trick in a 5-3 win over Barnet in the FA Cup first round, leaving him full of confidence in front of goal.
