Scout report: The key Chesterfield men Hartlepool United MUST be wary of

How will Chesterfield line-up?

So far this season, Chesterfield have rotated between a fashionable 3-5-2 and the traditional 4-4-2.

Responsible for shifting the play and linking defence and attack from the centre of midfield, key players in both systems are attack-minded midfielder Joe Rowley and captain Jonathan Smith, whilst front-end duo Scott Boden and Mike Fondop are there to finish the chances Rowley and Smith help to create.

And although, as their league position suggests, these systems have had limited success, it is likely that manager John Sheridan will once again opt for the 4-4-2 which he has gone for in their previous four away games.

Who are their key players?

Experienced hitman Scott Boden is currently The Spireites’ top scorer with five goals, and you’d expect that him or fellow forward Mike Fondop will have to be on top of their game if they are to come away from the Vic with a point or three.

At the back, 27-year-old centre-half Will Evans, who has played every single minute of the current campaign, will be equally important. He and Josef Yarney have been practically ever-present so far this season and will no doubt be hoping to concede less than the four they did away at Sutton United on Saturday.

What form are they on?

That four-goal thumping quickly evaporated any optimism which might have arisen following Chesterfield’s first win of the season, a 1-0 triumph over Torquay United on September 14th.

Before it, five draws and five losses had been the meagre returns from a summer of considerable recruitment from the Football League – including former Middlesbrough academy goalkeeper Luke Coddington – so perhaps that win was an exception which makes the rule.

Currently occupying 23rd place with a total of eight points, this could be the ideal tie for Hartlepool United to respond to Saturday’s events as a team and as a fanbase with a united front.

What is certain, however, is that Spireites manager John Sheridan can ill-afford another poor performance, let alone a poor result.