Chesterfield fans should relish the excitement but keep feet firmly on the ground

A Charlie Carter masterclass, a second win and second clean sheet from two league games, and an ecstatic crowd'¦ One could be forgiven for thinking this was a Throwback Thursday column, but this was an occasion enjoyed just the other night.
Chesterfield FC v Aldershot Town. 
Charlie Carter celebrates hsi second goal.Chesterfield FC v Aldershot Town. 
Charlie Carter celebrates hsi second goal.
Chesterfield FC v Aldershot Town. Charlie Carter celebrates hsi second goal.

The last time the Proact Stadium was rocking the way it was on Tuesday evening, it was when very few knew of the bad times yet to come, when all seemed well in the world of the average Spireite.

But after three painful years of watching the club’s decline to an all-new low, supporters are beginning to feel that change has come around the corner, and a convincing 3-0 win over Aldershot Town on Tuesday has placed Chesterfield at the top of the National League table, although only two games in.

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Saturday’s win at Ebbsfleet wasn’t convincing, but the win over Aldershot most certainly was.

Two wins from two – with no goals conceded, additionally – provide a solid confidence boost for Martin Allen’s brand-new team, and it is hard for any of the Spireites faithful to contain their excitement about this squad’s prospects for the coming season.

The positives so far have been plentiful; Marc-Antoine Fortuné is making a significant impact from the bench, and Charlie Carter is proving his hunger for success with two impressive performances, just for a couple of examples.

Most importantly, the squad is playing like a team, which is something that those in the stands have been screaming for ever since the drop down the leagues began.

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If this team plays with the desire that they have shown so far for the rest of this season, then Chesterfield have more than a concrete chance of achieving something to cheer about.

But whilst we can celebrate a pleasing start to the campaign, and whilst the supporters can perhaps dare to dream, it is vitally important for the squad itself to avoid doing the same.

After all, we’re only two games into what will be a very long nine months.

It wasn’t long ago that we most recently wildly overestimated our season so early on, that being during Danny Wilson’s tenure when the Spireites began their 2016/17 League One campaign brightly with three wins in four, and newly-acquired striker Ched Evans was scoring goals as if he had never been absent from the game.

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We all know what direction that ultimately went in after the opening few fixtures, and from that we should learn that things can change within the blink of an eye without any warning.

Whilst there appear to be blue skies over the Proact at this point in time, there will be downs to balance the ups, thus the challenge for Martin Allen and his squad is to remain level-headed and ensure that the cliché “take every game as it comes” doesn’t go neglected.

As for the paying customers, being excited and dreaming big is all part of what supporting your football club is all about. If you’re not allowed to get overexcited every so often, then what’s really the point in being a fan?

A noisy, ecstatic and encouraging crowd is all a football player could ask for when walking out onto the pitch; and in the age of the internet, a positive online voice is equally valued.

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The job of the Chesterfield squad is now to soak up the fans’ energy, relish it and use it as fuel to feed their momentum ahead of Saturday and all the Saturdays to come.

With another home match to look forward to on Saturday afternoon, the Spireites have a real chance to not only reward those who have come to support them so far, but also to firmly send a message of intent to the rest of the league.