Chesterfield's upcoming opponents set to make shock managerial appointment

The Spireites are due to host Gillingham on April 8 in a rearranged game and the visitors could have a new man in the dugout for that clash.

According to reports, the Gills are set to replace John Coleman, who is a good friend of Paul Cook and who did some scouting for the Blues earlier in the season when he was out of work, with Shrewsbury Town boss Gareth Ainsworth.

Ainsworth only took over at Shrewsbury Town in November but he has been unable to lift them off the bottom of League One and they are certain to be relegated in the coming weeks as they are 14 points from safety with nine games remaining.

Coleman was appointed Gills manager in January until the end of the season but he has only won two of his 14 matches and it appears the Kent club want to go in a different direction ahead of the next campaign. They are currently 19th, 13 points above the relegation zone. The arrival of Ainsworth would allow him to assess the squad ahead of what is likely to be a big summer of change.

The news has apparently come out of the blue, with Ainsworth having spoken positively about the project at Shrewsbury, but it looks like the former Wycome Wanderers and QPR boss has had a change of heart and one of his first game in charge could be against Chesterfield at the SMH Group Stadium next month. He would become the Gills’ third different manager this season and fifth in 18 months.