'We don't have a given right to be promoted just because we are a big club,' says Chesterfield fan columnist

We don’t have a given right to get promoted this season just because we are a big club, writes our fan columnist Roland Gent.
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I noticed at the game against Boreham Wood that some fans suggested that because our opponents brought so few supporters we deserved to win because we are the ‘bigger’ club.

To me this has always been an odd one, football fans seem to have a notional idea of which club is ‘biggest’ and therefore somehow victory should be assured.

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I have covered various teams over the years and while working in Stockport, many of their fans were shocked by their demise and ended up convincing themselves that when they were in the National League North they were actually in League Division 6.

Chesterfield are playing their fourth season in the National League.Chesterfield are playing their fourth season in the National League.
Chesterfield are playing their fourth season in the National League.

It is good to be optimistic but Chesterfield are non-league as are Stockport, Wrexham, Grimsby and Notts County. We are on a level playing field with Boreham Wood, Woking and Bromley. We have seen ‘tiny’ Harrogate, ‘little’ Sutton and ‘small time’ Barrow go up from this division purely on merit and size of attendance is only one factor to do with success.

There are now so many former established league clubs in the National League that fans are mentioning that it should amalgamate into the EFL pyramid. There is little chance of that happening as the EFL would have a bigger task of administering more clubs. There is also not much hope of an extra promotion place being given to the National League, so we just have to win the thing or be victorious in the play-offs.

Just to illustrate the ‘bigness’ argument a mate of mine supports Manchester United and says they are the biggest team in England. Somehow it is unfair to him that anyone should beat them. I asked him how he decided they are the biggest to which he replied: “Simple, biggest ground, most supporters, won the league more times than anyone else, greatest history.” Just to be pedantic I pointed out that football is 11 v 11, the better team wins and that his favoured side were not top of the league table, which is the only thing that counts.