Recap: Curtis Weston scores stunning late volley against Eastleigh to send Chesterfield second in National League

Today will be the first Chesterfield game without James Rowe inside the stadium in 14 months. His first match was a 2-1 away win at Weymouth on November 26, 2020.

All eyes will be on the Spireites to see how they react.

It’s going to be an intriguing day.

Just another week in the modern history of Chesterfield FC, then.

It is quite hard to believe how things have unravelled in the last few days and I’m sure many of you are still in shock.

But for 90 minutes at least the players have got to forget about what has happened and try and get back on track after no wins in their last two.

Neither side will have a permanent manager on the touchline today which is a very strange situation and so who knows how that is going to impact the game.

Eastleigh have a much better squad than their league position of 14th suggests, although they have just lost striker Ben House to League One Lincoln City for an undisclosed fee which is a blow for the hosts.

The Spitfires have the seventh best home record in the league (W7 D3 L2) which is better than Chesterfield’s so that shows they are no pushovers.

There was not much between the two teams in the reverse fixture, Kabongo Tshimanga’s strike was the difference in a very tight and scrappy encounter and I think it will be another close scoreline.

I hope the Blues can do the business and get the three points, but I’m going for 1-1, which would be so-so.

The Spitfires have lost four in a row, all away, including at bottom side Dover on Tuesday night, but the others have come at Stockport, Notts County and Halifax so that slightly skews their form.

But on home soil they are undefeated in four (wins against Enfield Town, Torquay and Weymouth and a draw against Solihull Moors) so it’s not going to be straight forward for the Blues today.

Today’s opponents sacked boss Ben Strevens in midweek.

This is what they said in a statement: “Eastleigh Football Club can today confirm the departure of first team manager Ben Strevens, who leaves the club by mutual consent, with immediate effect.

“The board would like to thank Ben for his commitment to the club as a player and during his three years and three months tenure as manager.

“The club are grateful for the successes Ben has had as manager, guiding us to the play-offs in his first season as well as working under tight budgets to create an exciting recruitment strategy of young, hungry players that have developed here and progressed up the leagues.

“Ben has also done a great job navigating the club through an extremely difficult period during the COVID-19 pandemic. He has helped the club to remain financially sound by managing on a budget and generating funds through player development and sales.

“However, after holding meetings in light of recent results and performances, both parties have come to an agreement that a change is required to move forward as a football club.

“As a Spitfires legend on and off the pitch, Ben will always be welcomed back to the club.

“Jason Bristow will now be placed in interim charge with immediate effect.”

There is a bar in the away end which opens at 3.30pm. Pints are priced at £4.50, with bottles at £4. Enjoy.

From Eastleigh’s official club website: “We would like to make all supporters aware that there is a partial road closure in operation at the north end of the ground on Stoneham Lane. One lane is closed for pedestrians, with traffic lights in place.

“There is still access to the ground, but please be aware that there may be queues before and after the match as the north end of the road is running through one lane.”

Eastleigh: WWLLL

Chesterfield: DWWLD

Eastleigh: 14/5

Draw: 5/2

Chesterfield: 5/6

(Sky Bet)