After a disappointing result on Saturday against Accrington Stanley, the already-qualified Spireites have a quick turnaround and chance to return to winning ways against Grimsby Town in the Bristol Street Motors Trophy. Their opponents are already out of the competition after picking up just one point so far.
It’s the second meeting of the season between the sides, as the Spireites’ only league home win of the season came in early September as they defeated the Mariners 2-1 at the SMH Group Stadium.
David Artell
After his first spell in management at Crewe ended in April 2022 following relegation back to the fourth tier, Artell joined Grimsby 18 months later and steered the Mariners clear of the relegation zone by seven points.
He has overseen a solid start to the season, with the Lincolnshire outfit sitting in the seventh and final play-off position with 24 points and eight wins under their belt, a statistic only bettered by first-placed Port Vale.
Head-to-head
Prior to the league fixture earlier this season, the managers of both sides had faced off 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 Paul Cook’s Ipswich team defeated Crewe 2-1 in League One.
Player in focus
It is difficult to pre-empt the kind of line-up that Artell may opt for with nothing to play for in the fixture, but club captain Danny Rose has featured 17 times for the Mariners so far this season, scoring a 91st minute equaliser in their last game in this competition against Manchester City U21 before ultimately losing on penalties.
Now 32 years of age, Rose has defined himself as a proven goal scorer in the fourth tier with over 100 career goals to date and shows no signs of slowing up with five already this campaign.
