Whilst the Spireites are eager to clinch their first home win of the season, Grimsby Town visit the SMH Group Stadium with hopes of their own as they look to take their first three points on the road this season.
After a disappointing 21st-placed finish last season, the Mariners are heading into their first full season under the management of David Artell and will be looking to kick on and improve on their 11th-placed finish in the 2022/23 campaign, which also saw them reach the quarter-finals of the FA Cup, where they ultimately fell to a 5-0 defeat at Brighton.
David Artell
Despite taking charge at Crewe back in 2017, Artell is only in his second managerial role – a respectable statistic in the modern game.
His previous and first role in football management was a five-year stint at Crewe Alexandra, where he guided the Railwaymen to promotion to League One and was subsequently named League Two Manager of the Year.
He departed Gresty Road in April 2022 after Crewe were relegated back to the fourth tier and joined Grimsby 18 months later, steering the Mariners clear of the relegation zone by seven points.
Head-to-head
The last meeting between the sides, and Paul Cook’s only fixture against the Grimsby as Chesterfield boss came in April 2022 when our opponents came from a goal down to take a 4-1 victory at the then Technique Stadium.
Cook himself has faced Grimsby on two other occasions when he was at the helm at Fratton Park during the 2016/17 campaign.
His Pompey side grabbed a 1-0 away win at Blundell Park before thrashing the Mariners 4-0 at home later on that season.
The managers of both sides have faced each other twice, taking a win each. The first meeting came in 2017 when Artell’s Crewe side took a 1-0 victory at Fratton Park.
They met again in November 2021 when Cook’s Ipswich side defeated Crewe 2-1.
Player in focus
Eyebrows were raised in August when David Artell brought in Icelandic forward Jason Daði Svanþórsson from Breiðablik who sit top of the Icelandic first division, but the 24-year-old has already bagged his first goal for the Mariners in their 2-1 win over Bradford City last weekend.
Having played in the qualifying rounds of the UEFA Conference League and featuring for Iceland internationally, Svanþórsson brings a different kind of experience to Artell’s side and will be hoping to score again as Grimsby look to get their first away victory of the season.
