The Spireites begin their 2025/26 FA Cup campaign with a trip to Stevenage who are going well at the top end of League One, with Paul Cook’s side looking to reach the second round for the fourth successive season.
Gary Roberts faced the media ahead of the fixture, and he began by discussing the absence of Armando Dobra.
“Armando, over the past three years of being at the club, has been a big player,” he said. “To lose him is a blow, but it happens at every club every season. That’s why you have a squad and players who can come in.”
Discussing Chesterfield’s away form, he added: “Going back to Colchester, it was a chalk and cheese performance. We know we can’t dish that out again and it’s still in the back of our minds because it hurt us really bad, as much as it hurt the supporters who travelled and at home.
“We were embarrassed and we’re trying to not let that happen again. We went to Tranmere and I thought we were at the other end of the scale, we competed, we stuck together, we played football when we could and we created a lot more chances, so we are slowly improving.”
Speaking on the threat of Stevenage, the first-team coach said: “Probably the toughest tie we could’ve got. They were top of the league when it was drawn. They’re a team that replicates what the manager (Alex Revell) was as a player – really hardworking, drilled, everyone knows their jobs, tough to beat and they don’t concede goals.
“It’s going to be a really tough tie; they’re a team who are so drilled in what they do and how they play. They work for each other, they’re such a good team, they’ve got players who can affect the game at the top end and they’re solid at the other end.
“They don’t give much away or concede many goals. After their start to the season, when we’ve watched and studied them, there are no surprises as to where they are in the league.”
Finally, reflecting on previous FA Cup experiences, Roberts said: “It’s not worth getting on the bus if we don’t feel like we’ve got a plan to beat Stevenage. We’re under no illusions as to how tough it’s going to be because they’ll have their plan.
“We have full belief. We’ve had a couple of decent runs over the last few years. We’ll go there as the underdog, but full of confidence and we’ll try and win the game.”
