By David Dove
Chesterfield and Middlesbrough do battle once again in the first round of the Carling Cup at the b2net Stadium on Tuesday night. Also in attendance will be Sky TV. This is the second competitive fixture to be played at the b2net and already we're on the telly! Let's hope this is the first of many lucrative visits by the TV cameras.
The two sides had contrasting fortunes on Saturday. Whilst we were beating Barnet 2-1 at home, Middlesbrough, also at home, were losing 3-1 to Ipswich Town. This was something of a shock as Middlesbrough, having made a number of big name signings over the summer, were the early season favourites to win the league. Some of those signings will be unavailable for Tuesday's clash; four Scottish internationals Stephen McManus, Kevin Thomson, Barry Robson and Kris Boyd have been called up by Craig Levein for Scotland's friendly against Sweden. Also absent will be midfielder Willo Flood who faces another lengthy spell on the sidelines after dislocating his knee early in the game against Ipswich. This was Flood's first game back in the side after working throughout the summer on his rehab after a serious knee ligament injury last season.
Boro's manager Gordon Strachan freely conceded that Ipswich Town were the better team and deserved to win on Saturday. His refreshing honesty is matched by his entertaining and pithy replies to the banal questions that manager's often have to face. There are many examples of these but my favourite has to be the following exchange which took place when Strachan was the manager of Southampton who ironically had just lost to Middlesbrough:
Reporter: "So, Gordon, in what areas do you think Middlesbrough were better than you today?"
Strachan: "What areas? Mainly that big green one out there."
Let's hope Gordon has the opportunity to make a similarly humourous response when questioned about his team's defeat at the b2net!
Chesterfield will also have absentees following Saturday's game. Craig Davies will be unavailable as a result of his controversial sending off and Ian Morris must be doubtful after limping off in the second half, although the news feeding through suggests we needn't be too concerned.
There have been many memorable clashes between Middlesbrough and Chesterfield over the years. None more so than the dramatic FA Cup Semi Final in 1997. I'm sure the events of the Old Trafford game are well known to everyone reading this. For me it represents not only the most glorious moment in the history of our club but also a major source of frustration as we were unjustly deprived of what would have been an even greater glory - an FA Cup Final appearance.
I have fond memories of a much earlier encounter we had with Middlesbrough in 1983. It was a first round League Cup (Milk Cup) tie. We had just been relegated to the then 4th Division and Middlesbrough were in the 2nd Division. In those days first and second round games were played over two legs. I went to the first leg at Ayresome Park and saw us win 1-0 thanks to a Steve Baines goal. This was great for me as I was living in Middlesbrough at the time and I made full use of the bragging rights I felt this victory gave me. I couldn't make the second leg at Saltergate so had to listen to the live broadcast on local radio, Radio Tees. Unfortunately we lost 1-0. The game went to extra time and then penalties. Watching your team in a penalty shoot out is an agonising experience but listening on the radio has to be a hundred times worse - especially when the commentary is totally biased towards the 'wrong' team. Anyway we eventually won the penalty shoot-out 6-5. My celebrations were in stark contrast to the sad muted noises coming from my radio and the following day I was more than happy to talk football with anyone and everyone in Middlesbrough.
A similar win on Tuesday would be great so let's play our part in making that happen. Hopefully Sky will feature our new stadium as part of their coverage and that, together with a good performance on and off the pitch, can only further increase the profile of a resurgent Chesterfield FC.
