Help or hinder? Chesterfield coach has say on facing managerless Gateshead

Saturday’s opponents lost boss Mike Williamson to MK Dons earlier this week. Former Newcastle United goalkeeper, Rob Elliot, who was already at the club, has taken over on an interim basis for now.

Gateshead are sixth in the table and losing Williamson is a big blow, but does that help or hinder Chesterfield this weekend?

"It doesn’t change anything for us but for them I don’t know,” Webb said.

“Rob has gone in as caretaker interim but he is a big part of that football club anyway so I don’t think he would change too much. They are having quite a good season and he was a big part of how they played anyway.

"I am sure the fans and the players are disappointed to lose Mike but it was always probably going to happen because he plays a certain brand of football that certain clubs like to recruit for. On paper, that looks a good fit.

"We obviously hope that there is a poor reaction from them for losing their manager but I am not silly enough to think that that will happen. Players have got pride and they are well-drilled in how they play.

“We know they play a unique style of football, similar to Notts County last season, same formation, same way of playing out from the back, this is pre Mike Williamson so that might change – we don’t know.

"They are a bit like us, they look to play the same way most games. It will be a really tough game, two footballing teams going at it.

"They were down there last season but I think this year their focus will be getting in the play-offs.”

Chesterfield have coped well against physical opposition in recent weeks so does Webb back them to do the same against a more technical team?

He replied: "I would hang my hat on them doing that. It will be a good test for us. We get after teams, we press, we try to stop that first pass, and if we are playing a direct team we try to stop that first long ball, and try to keep the ball in their half. We will certainly try and keep the ball in our attacking half knowing that they are going to have wave of attacks. Defensively we are going to have to be as strong as we have been recently.”

MORE NEWS: Could Chesterfield bring someone in to replace injured striker?