Chesterfield receive double injury boost for Doncaster Rovers FA Cup tie
Chesterfield will be boosted by the return of two key players for the FA Cup tie against Doncaster Rovers.
The Spireites host the League One side in the second round under the lights on Saturday night, aiming for revenge after being thrashed 5-1 in the Vertu Trophy on Tuesday. But the Blues were much-changed in that game and they will have Ryan Stirk (quad) and Will Grigg (groin) back from injury and in contention.
First-team coach Gary Roberts explained: “We have tread really carefully with the pair of them, knowing how big they are for our club. They have trained yesterday and this morning and they will be available for tomorrow.”
Luke Butterfield should be available for selection again after coming through his first start in three months in midweek with no problems. The young midfielder suffered a broken foot earlier in the season and now he has been challenged to make the next step in senior football after joining from Everton in the summer.
“He came through it really well,” Roberts said of Butterfield. “Obviously it was a tough game to go straight into but there wouldn’t have been an easy one for Luke, he has been out for a long while now, so to get minutes is good. He trained yesterday, he will train this morning. He will be looking to get in the matchday squad for tomorrow night. He was like a giddy kid going into the game. He was so happy in the build-up to the game. Obviously he was disappointed after the game.
“He has had a couple of bad injuries coming through the system at Everton. Now he needs consistency in games and being in a professional environment. To maintain playing week in week out is a really big skill and I think we need to get that into Luke. He has bulked up, he has been in the gym and he has worked so hard and hopefully he can stay on the pitch now.”
Chesterfield did the double over Rovers last season but Doncaster went on to win promotion. Both managers are expecting a different game to what we saw on Tuesday night.
“I think they are quite drilled as a club, Doncaster,” Roberts said. “The lads who played in the Vertu Trophy, they have flattened a lot of teams in that and the first-team are pretty similar in the way that they play. Grant has done a superb job with them. They have been so unlucky in their league games, they should have a lot more points. We have seen eight or nine games of them. They are a really decent team.”
He added: “We would like to think we will be a bit different come Saturday night. We will have to be. Otherwise, if nothing changes, then nothing changes. Doncaster’s level will also go up because they made a lot of changes themselves. We have to be better and we will be better. Can we make the third round again? 100%. We have got to believe that.”