PREVIEW ‘Arise Sir….’ Chesterfield (H)

It’s the first fixture every single Mansfield Town fan looked for when the fixtures were released, and now after months of waiting – the big day has arrived, our rivals Chesterfield come to town.

For years the team who play in the shadow of the crooked spire have escaped the drop from league one by the skin of their teeth, denying us the opportunity for a showdown – but Agents Wilson and Caldwell finally delivered last season, as the enemy finished bottom of League One and fell through the drop.

This season agent Caldwell was discovered and sacked, but was doing such a wonderful job in guiding Chesterfield towards the likes of Braintree and Sutton in the divisions below! Since, one of their own Jack Lester has been poached from Forest’s youth set-up to, to be fair, spark a revival.

Lester knows the importance of a local derby, he will drill that 10000000000000% into his players, telling them that if they lose – their season will be over and they’ll lose the backing of the fans, who for a long while now have been getting frustrated as Chesterfield fall from grace.

Steve Evans and Paul Raynor have managed derby games, but non as fiery as Mansfield V Chesterfield – they have to be on it and understand the passion, the history, the hatred – this isn’t two bickering neighbours over a borrowed and not returned lawn mower this goes back decades, they need to understand that.

With extra fans packed into the One Call Stadium the atmosphere will be electric and tense – Mansfield must NOT start on the pitch how they have in recent games, because if they do and concede, the atmosphere will turn sour and the minority of blue dribbled across the North Stand will sense a third successive victory.

This is a match between two in form teams, the enemy are unbeaten in four, a run which includes three wins and one defeat in six – whilst the Stags are watertight, three consecutive clean sheets coupled with a four goal haul in midweek at Port Vale to boost the confidence.

We all have our reasons as to why tomorrow’s game and getting the bragging rights means so much, so much more than three points, so much more than another digit in the win column – but please, let’s let the battle unfold on the pitch, not off it.

There will be the odd few who have no intention whatsoever in watching football nor particularly care about the result – but the majority are there for a game of football, let’s be loud and passionate, but in the right way.
Calvin Andrew was the last hero for the Stags, writing his name into folk law – who will step up tomorrow, all we ask is 10000000000% commitment, basically a team of Jamie McGuire’s how we’d love him in that side tomorrow!

I want to see a team who throw themselves at everything, I want the Mansfield Town who are watertight, and please Hayden White, don’t go into silly challenge mode! I want a Mansfield Town who take no prisoners and who are clinical.

This time around it’s the Stags who are there to be shot at, the Stags who are there to be killed and taken down a peg or two – let’s not let that happen, remembering that there is a very fine line between confidence and arrogance, and that the latter, coupled with under estimation, will forever be our downfall.

Away from matters on the pitch on rivalry, in the 12th minute – no matter your alliance, applaud together in memory of a little girl who was taken too soon, and before the match, support us in putting one foot in front of the other – for a charity who support people who dream of being able to see the Derby Matches, but can’t because there life is in darkness, and also for a charity which supports people who have fading memory of them – donate here https://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/Team/MTFCWalkers

​Match day is creeping ever closer… Get out there, run your hearts out, bleed amber and blue, get three points and arise sir…. Insert name here.