RETRO: A lesson to learn from the past?

Defeat left the Spireites stuck to the bottom of the league, 10 points behind Cardiff City and the safety of 20th place.

Then as now, Chesterfield’s problem was scoring goals – at the end of this game they were the league’s lowest scorers by a seven-goal margin and had won only thrice since September.

The club were relegated with three matches left, but a revival of sorts under new manager Nicky Law at least offered some hope for the season to come.

Only 17 years have elapsed since that relegation but so much has happened in that time.

Chesterfield have been promoted three times from the fourth tier, and are odds on for their third relegation to it.

Our opponents that day have been as high as the second tier and as low as the fifth, but may pass us on the way up this season.

Six divisional rivals have since fallen to the fifth tier, although all but Wrexham climbed out.

Half of that season’s fourth tier are in the National League, and half of those appear to have no prospect of immediate return.

What does this show Chesterfield fans? Accept anything less than a proper push for promotion, and it’ll all end in tiers.