Chesterfield are one of two sides to maintain a 100% record in League Two so far this season. A 3-1 win over ten-man Bristol Rovers on Saturday made it nine points out of nine, with six goals scored and just one conceded.
Gillingham are also unbeaten in their opening three fixtures, with draws against Accrington and Tranmere coming either side of a 1-0 win over last season’s play-off finalists Walsall.
In the spotlight
When looking at the quality within the Gillingham squad, it is difficult to look past Bradley Dack. The 31-year-old rejoined Gillingham last summer after his release from Sunderland. Dack enjoyed the best spell of his career with Blackburn Rovers between 2017 and 2023 where he helped the side win promotion from League One and establish themselves again as a solid Championship outfit.
After a frustrating first season back in Kent where he only made 19 league appearances, he will be looking to hit the ground running under the supervision of Gareth Ainsworth. He has already started the opening three league fixtures, notching the winner against Walsall.
The gaffer’s record
In nine games against Gillingham, Paul Cook has a record of nine wins, two draws and three defeats.
The most prolific win came in his first spell in North Derbyshire. Two goals from Sam Clucas and one from Jay O’Shea gave the Spireites a 3-0 win on that occasion.
His last success against the opposition was a 2-0 win for Ipswich in the EFL Trophy in November 2021.
Man in the middle
Craig Hicks has refereed three previous Chesterfield fixtures, most recently the 2-2 away draw at Bromley last season and the Spireites are winless when he is officiating.
Comparatively, he has refereed 16 Gillingham games, of which the Gills have won just four.
He has dished out 1,078 yellow cards and 52 red cards across 352 games.
Danny Webb’s pre-match thoughts
“Gillingham are one of those teams that have got some very, very good footballers in there, Bradley Dack and Jonny Williams for example, but they’ve got some physical boys as well. We’ve got to stand up to the test once we make the long journey down there.
“Gareth Ainsworth is a hugely successful manager, especially those Wycombe years. He will be looking, just like we have, to get his club back into League One, and them, like us, are expected to be right up there come the end of the season.
“I’ve said before that if we can improve on our results last year, we’ll finish better than seventh. We’ve really done that already. Cheltenham away was an improvement, so if we can go there and improve on the defeat last year, that’s another big tick.
“Obviously we want to go there and win, but we can’t have it all our own way. If you have to go there and draw and defend your box with your life, that’s what you’ve got to do.”
