Chesterfield v Gillingham

A window on Tuesday's opponents, their start to the season, key threats and recent history ahead of the trip to the SMH Group Stadium.

David Tickner writes regularly about Gillingham Football Club on Substack. You can read, follow or subscribe for free at Gills Journal | David Tickner | Substack.

Gillingham travel to the SMH Group Stadium on Tuesday evening to face Chesterfield in the first midweek fixture of the new season. Both sides are searching for form in the early weeks of the campaign, with The Gills still looking for a first league win.

They at least ended their wait for a goal on Saturday when Conor McManus struck early in the 1-1 draw with Northampton Town at Priestfield. That result means Gillingham have taken two points from their opening three League Two fixtures, having drawn twice and lost once, conceding four goals in the process. As a result, they head into Tuesday's game sitting 21st in the early League table.

Current form

Having reached the League Two play-offs in each of the previous two campaigns many expect Chesterfield to challenge near the top of the table again this season, but they too have made a modest start to the new campaign.

The Spireites sit five places above Gillingham, in 16th with their three points coming from a 1-0 victory at Salford City. That win has been sandwiched between narrow defeats: 1-0 at home to Fleetwood Town on the opening day and 2-1 at Rotherham United on Saturday when they conceded a dramatic late winner. Chesterfield also exited the League Cup in the first round following another 1-0 defeat to Fleetwood, this time away from home.

Recent history

Chesterfield finished sixth in League Two last season, ending the campaign 11 places above Gillingham in the table. Their promotion bid was ultimately ended by Notts County, who edged their play-off semi-final 1-0 on aggregate before going on to secure promotion.

The Spireites collected 79 points from 46 matches with a record of 21 wins, 16 draws and nine defeats. They scored 71 goals, conceded 56 and ended the season with a goal difference of +15.

One factor behind that success was their home form at the SMH Group Stadium where the average attendance was 8,143 last season. Other than the play-off semi-final defeat to Notts County, only four teams left Chesterfield with a league victory during the 2025-26 campaign: Cambridge United, Oldham Athletic, Shrewsbury Town and Swindon Town. That record underlines the challenge awaiting Gillingham on Tuesday evening.

Last season’s sixth-place finish represented a slight improvement on the previous season, when The Spireites were seventh and were also eliminated at the play-off semi-final stage, on that occasion by Walsall.

After reaching the FA Cup semi-finals in 1997 when they were eventually beaten in a replay and lifting the Football League Trophy in 2012, more recently Chesterfield have endured a turbulent period in their history. Relegation from League One in 2017 was followed by a drop out of the Football League a year later, forcing the club to spend six seasons in the National League.

Under Paul Cook, who returned for a second spell as manager in February 2022, The Spireites won the National League title in 2024 to regain their Football League place. Their back-to-back play-off appearances since then have quickly re-established them as a competitive force in League Two.

Ones to watch

Lee Bonis, 27, was Chesterfield's leading scorer last season, netting 16 goals in all competitions, including 12 in League Two. A prolific December earned him the EFL League Two Player of the Month award, and he has already opened his account this season after scoring just two minutes into the 1-0 win at Salford City. However, his availability for Tuesday is uncertain after he was forced off following a clash of heads during Saturday's defeat at Rotherham. After lengthy treatment, he was replaced by Fraser Bryden and will be assessed ahead of the fixture.

Midfielder Liam Mandeville, 29, is a key creative force for Chesterfield, particularly from set pieces, and has scored the club's other league goal this season. He converted an 88th-minute penalty at Rotherham on Saturday to make it 1-1, only for substitute Paul Mullin to claim all three points for Alex Bruce's side with a 90th-minute winner.

Right-sided midfielder Dilan Markanday, 25, was another of Chesterfield's influential attacking players last season, registering eight goals and ten assists in 42 appearances. Equally adept at creating opportunities for teammates and finding the net himself, Markanday remains a threat to opposition defences.

Club captain Kyle McFadzean, 39, remains a key figure at the heart of Chesterfield's defence. The experienced centre-back made 43 appearances last season contributing two goals while providing leadership, organisation and a commanding aerial presence. His influence both on and off the pitch was recognised with a contract extension that will keep him at the SMH Group Stadium until 2027.

Summer recruitment

Chesterfield signed 10 players during the summer transfer window, several of whom have quickly established themselves in the starting eleven.

Former Gillingham full-back Remeao Hutton joined The Spireites on a free transfer in July and has started all three of their league fixtures so far this season. Other new arrivals to feature prominently in the opening weeks of the campaign include midfielder George McEachran, signed from Grimsby Town; centre-back Jack Simpson, who arrived from Leyton Orient; and winger Josh Koroma, who joined on loan from the same club.

Tactical approach

Paul Cook has continued to favour a 4-2-3-1 formation in the League this season, with Chesterfield looking to play a possession-based game that makes use of wide players and overlapping full-backs. The system seeks to create width, stretch opposition defences and provide support for a lone striker through attacking midfield runners.

Head-to-head record

Historically, Gillingham have enjoyed the better of this fixture. The clubs have met 74 times since their first encounter in Division Four in 1961, with The Gills recording 32 victories to Chesterfield's 24, while 18 matches have ended level.

Since 2005, the sides have faced each other 20 times in league competition. Gillingham have won nine of those meetings, Chesterfield six, with the remaining five ending in draws. At Chesterfield, the record is evenly balanced, with three wins apiece and four draws.

Recent meetings

However, Gillingham have not won in Derbyshire since October 2015, when goals from John Egan, Rory Donnelly and Harry Lennon secured a 3-1 victory that lifted them to third in League One.

Last season, The Gills suffered a 1-0 defeat at the SMH Group Stadium during a terrible run of results that stretched from late January into early April.

That result was in stark contrast to the reverse fixture at Priestfield earlier in the campaign, when Gillingham won 4-1 in their most emphatic result of the season thanks to two penalties converted by Armani Little and goals from Lenni Cirinoand Marcus Wyllie, both of whom now play in the National League.

Verdict

Objectively, Chesterfield look slight favourites heading into Tuesday night's meeting, with a narrow home victory appearing the most likely outcome.

Neither side has hit top form in the opening weeks of the season, but The Spireites' home advantage, one win already this season and proven ability to challenge near the top end of League Two give them the edge.

For Gillingham, the positives from Saturday were finally getting on the scoresheet and remaining defensively secure after conceding the equaliser. The Gills should be competitive in Derbyshire but, with no league wins from their opening three matches and four goals conceded, they are still searching for rhythm.

Prediction: Chesterfield 2-1 Gillingham